The Auckland Star WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1924. NOTHING NEW.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 151, 27 June 1924, Page 4

The Auckland Star WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1924. NOTHING NEW.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

That there is nothing new in the Governor-General's speech is not a novelty. The public ha 3 become accustomed to speeches from the Throne which consist for the most part of reviews of events and reiteration of announcements. The speech put into the mouth of his Excellency yesterday mentioned alteration in the preference percentage; provision of finance for the highways policy; partial extension of the moratorium; consolidation of land laws; and remission of taxation. All these questions had previously been discussed by Ministers. Most New Zealanders will be glad that the Government lias again made it clear that preference is not given by New Zealand in any bargaining spirit. We hope, however, that before Mr. Maesey makes up his mind what increase he means to propose in the percentage of British workmanship that entitles goods from | Britain to preference, he will make I careful inquiries from British manufacturers. Otherwise he may do more harm than good. The extcneion of the moratorium by permitting the mortgagor to apply to the Supreme Court, is generally condemned by financial authorities, but it is probably too much to expect a House where the farming interest is so strongly represented, to refuse to agree to the Prime Minister's proposal. It is extraordinary, not only that this country should be the only part of tho British Empire where a moratorium is still in force, but that further extension should be proposed. If the country wishes to recover quickly from the consequences of its extravagance and speculation, it must face the facts resolutely. The moratorium has shaken the investor's confidence, and besides helping to inflate land values, has been one of the factors in making it almost impossible to raise money on land. "Proposals for certain remissions of taxation will be submitted." Let us hope the relief will be substantial. Mr. Maesey will have by this time the report of the commission that inquired into direct taxation, and though the personnel of the commission was not what it should have been, the recommendations will have some value. We hopo Mx. Massey will bring down his proposals very early in the session. The English taxpayer knows his fate in April, but the Nej| Zealand Government, has got into the bad habit of keeping I its taxpayer in suspense for months, a! delay that is particularly unfair to business concerns. The promised Bill to consolidate and simplify the land laws of tho Dominion is much needed. These laws have not been consolidated since I 1808, and they have been added to annually since then. Legislation is also foreshadowed dealing with motor vehicles, education, defence, public debt the marketing of fruit on the lines of existing laws in respect to meat and I dairy produce, and other subjects. When ' one considers these subjects, and such I matters as general finance, the position of soldier settlement, land policy, and the railways, one gets a fair idea of I what there is for Parliament to do. For ' example, it would be a positive scandal if again nothing was done to put motor traffic regulation on a proper footing. Last session was a short one, and a good deal of work that should have been done then was postponed. Parliament, therefore, has a big programme before it, and the public will expect it to get to grips with this as soon as possible and show better results than it did last year. . I