NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 274, 13 August 1920, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

The threat of an acute international crisis is lessened in view of Mr. Lloyd George's statement casting doubt on tlio report that Prance had agreed to recognise General AVrangel as head of the South Russian Government. Obviously this, step by Franco at the present moment would have had disastrous effects. Substantial support to General Wrangel, who is now striking north from the Crimea, after reorganising the remnants of Deniken's forces, is one of the counter-measures threatened by the Allies should the Soviet Government refuse to make pence with Poland on fair terms. Necessarily, therefore, tb:e s'tcp mistakenly attributed to France would have wrecked the RussoPolish negotiations, besides setting the lending Allied Powers by the ears. While this crowning catastrophe is no longer threatened, the outcome of the RussoPolish negotiations -remains extremely uncertain. As they are outlined, the Bolshevist terms seem fairly reasonable, but whether they are more than a blind has yet to appear. .

.*# * » Mr. Massey did not quite cover the ground when he attributed the housing problem to the shortage in labour and material. There is another factor, equally important, but more easily removable—deficiency, in organisation. By advising the public to lean more on tho broken reed of private .enterprise in housebuilding, Mr. Massey in effect admits tho contention that housing as a subsidiary activity of the Labour Department is not likely to produce a solution of the difficulty. Private enterprise has been discouraged by rent restriction and State interference. In Britain the same thing has happened, 'and the Government there is experiencing similar difficulties to those which our own Government is faced with. Little progress towards betterment will be made until a systematic organisation of our building resources is secured, and the fullest possible use made of available labour aud material.

Mr. Mitchell's Bill to commemorate New Zealand's part in the war by a public holiday on April 25 in each year, will have almost universal eupporl throughout the country. It is the general desire illicit the day shall not be <i any of pleasure-seeking and race and sports meetings. To effect this it is set out in tho Bill that the holiday-shall be observed "in all respects as if Anaac Day wero a Sunday." This definition could with advantage bo made more exact, and all doubt removed as to the precise intentions of tho Legislature. Sunday observance will mean the closing of hotels and places of amusement, but ini numbers of eases uncertainty will arise unless tho definition is more explicit. The insertion of u clearer definition of tho extent of tho observance intended is desirable. * # * «

With ono trifling exception all the miners' demands have been, conceded by the management of the State coal mine. The exception is that the time fixed for the starting of a train differs by five minutes from that demanded by the men. With no more than this ridiculous grievance to justify Miein tho miners still refuse to resume work, and tho Dominion's supply of coal in midwinter is diminished by 4000 tons a week. The poisonous humbug which is being instilled into tho Labour movement thus continues tfo bear fruit. In their official organ the United Federation of labour and the Labour Party, continue to applaud Bolshevik j-ule, They do noir dwell on the fact that under Bolshevism "the criino of not working hard enough" was ended by the application of martial law into the nationalised railway workshops, and the imposition on the guilty of the full penalty of martial law—which, of course, means death. This indieaiies that tho miners at New Zealand's nationalised coal mine may thank their lucky stars they have Mr. Massey and not Comrade Lenin i» deal with;

Because alcohol can be obtained from almost anything—grass, sawdust, pota. toes, mangolds—it does not follow unfortunately that '• it can be profitably manufactured for power-producing purposes from all or any of these substances. In reply to a question in Parliament figures have been obtained from the Dominion Analyst, Dr. Maclaurin, to the effect that a ton of potatoes will produce only 27 gallons of alcohol equal for motor .engine use to about the same quantity of petrol. The British Committee which investigated the subject last year estimated the alcohol yield of a *on of at 20 gallons. This is a good deal less than Dr. Maclnurin's figure. Perhaps the difference is due to the superiority of the New Zealand potato. In any case, the conclusion was .the game— that the day of home-grown alcohol as motor fuel had not yet arrived. The British investigators found a\more favourable outlook on turning their attention to tropical; vegetation. For instance, iSie flowers of the mahua tree, which flourishes in India, will produce 90 gallons of alcohol to the ton, and the cost of the flowers delivered to the factory is only £1 Ids. per ton. Molasses gives about G5 gallons to tho ton, and with America gone "dry" it is stated that huge surpluses of molasses are in sight. This opens up visions of a new line of argument at tho next licensing poll.

"The Hoard of Trade is going to fol- ' low up vigorously the question of reason- , able profits," said Mr. J, A. Frostick ' at the Inst meeting of the Canterbury ' Industrial Association. "1 don't think that you will find the board unreason- , able, take it altogether. There are sure to be some mistakes in the early stages, and though prices may be controlled'we shall not be so hampered as to prevent ; us carrying on at a profit. Mr. W. 0. M'Donald, chairman of the board, took rhe Investigation Committee of the Jn- ' dustrial Corporation into his confidence to a very large extent when we met him 11 ill Wellington lust tnunth. and though '! I am not ablo to repeat the information j he gave- us, 1 can say this, that unless i wo hold Mr. M'Donnld'.i hands up anil i give him all the assistance we possibly 1 can, the Department! of Industries and ] Commerce will become a I'iirce, and il < will be our fault if it does." Mr. 'Fros- '. tick lidded that, after the Prime Minis- ; lor, Mr. M'Donuld was the busiest man ' in the Dominion, and was keenly desir- i ous-of (loins the right thing, ln.nddi- i Hon to the Board of Tiade, Mr. M'Dou- i aid had chargo of the new Department < of Industries and Commerce under Ihe i Hon. E. l\ Lee, the Minister of Industries and Commerce—Christchurch ex- I! change. 3