NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 181, 28 April 1922, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

Now that ax; actual record is being kept of the goods shipped from various ports, it is possible tovseo where Wellington really stands amongst the exporting centres of the Dominion. Until the end of last year the extraordinary practice was followed of assigning to each port the exports produced within an arbitrarily defined district of production which it was supposed to serve. Thus, goods produced in Taranaki, but railed to Wellington 'for shipment overseas, were credited to Patea or some other minor port. What value thin so-callc-fl record was supposed to possess it is impossible to limagine. Manifestly, however, it threw no light on the relative volume of export trade through the several ports of the Dominion. Under the amended system, instituted at the beginning of this year, the actual facts are disclosed. Value figures of export trade for the March quarter are now available, and are set out in our news columns together with the corresponding particulars (entirely misleading so far as the trade of ports is concerned) compiled for the March quarter of last year. Ths comparison is striking, and one of the principal facts brought out is that Wellington takes an easy first place as premier port of the Dominion. Credited last year with much trade it does not handle, Auckland was erroneously placed at the head of the list. Now that the real position is recorded, it takes second place, with an export trade for the quarter less by upwards of half a million sterling than that of Wellington. It is, of course, obvious that Wellington last year was credited wfth only a fraction of its actual export trade, and that the balance was erroneously assigned to ports like Wanganui, New Plymouth, and Patea. * * « 4 » A vital principle is involved in the trouble over the manning of the Commonwealth Government’s steamer Hobsons Bay. The point at issue i's the right of a shipmaster or shipowner to choose his own craw. The crew of the Hobsons Bay was engaged in England for the voyage to Sydney, and there paid off. The Seamen’s Union, which had made trouble over the engagement of the crew of anotl er of the Commonwealth’s steamers under similar fxinditions, objected to any of the imported seamen being signed on again. The union went further, and sent along a crew of its own selection. On the first occasion the management of the steamship line gave way, frith the result that the crew which signed on in England had to be tent Home as passengers, while the crew chosen by the Seamen’s Union was engaged to work the vessel In the present instance, the Prime Minister pf the Commonwealth has intimated that sooner than permit the Seamen’s Union to dictate who shall or shall not be chosen to man the Government’s line of steamers ho will lay them up and let them remain idle. The attitude adopted by the union is something more ttfian a claim for preference for unionists. It is' a demand that th*, union shall have control of the allocation of all work/ the employer being forced to accept anyone *the union chooses to put forward as an employee, and the worker being forced to look to tho union for his job. By this means, unions of the militant type hope to secure a tighter bold on their members and to bend • them to the will of the Labour “bosses,” under the fear of victimisation at their hands. It is a form of Labour union slavery as well a direct attack on the liberty of the employer to engage his own workmen to suit his requirements. Mr. Hughes has stated that, he will fight the matter out to the bitter end. The Hobsons Bay was scheauleu to sail for England to-morrow. It will be interesting to watch - future / developments.

«• « “ * Matters of great interest to the public are involved in the difference of opinion between educational experts regarding the standing of the junior high schoo'.s it is proposed to establish in connection with the development of post-primary education. At the conference which discussed this subject recently, a majority favoured the idea of making the junior high schools separate educational units. Apparently weighty reasons for adopting a different policy were advanced, however, by the director of the Wellington Technical Collego (Mr. J. H. Howell) in a report to the Board of Governors. The whole question is one to be thrashed out by experts, but the contentions advanced by Mr. Howell plainly recftiire He urges, in brief, that if the junior high schools are established as separate units, very few of their pupils will transfer to technical high schools, and that of those who do a large proportion will leave the technical high school at the end of their first ycajj. He maintains, also, that if junior high schools “aro to provide adequate courses of training up to about sixteen years of age for those who are looking forward to the skilled trades, they must duplicate much of the equipment of the senior (technical) high school, and must, besides, have to some extent a specialised staff.” It certainly appears that in this way there are possibilities of. costly and wasteful duplication, and that a practicable and preferable alternative might be found in co-ordinating the work of junior and senior high schools and giving both grades of instruction in one establishment. If there aro objections to this course, they ought to be stated plainly. The effect of Mr. Howell’s criticism is to convey an impression that the proposals which meantime hold the field are unduly elaborate, if not positively extravagant, and are calculated to defeat rather than advance the object of giving as many children as possible a maximum amount of post-pri-mary education.