NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 191, 15 May 1928, Page 8

NOTES OF THE DAY

In a speech delivered in Christchurch, Mr. Robert Semple declared that-the unemployed did not want “doles.” They wanted work. With which assertion he consigned doles, to perdition in language which left no doubt as to their destination. icre is no need,” he further declared, “for cadging exhibitions. . - • No self-respecting man wants a woman to stand at, a street-corner with a box in her hand cadging money in his name. . And so on. Is it, then, so grave a matter to organise street collections and othei humanitarian efforts to provide relief? Mr. Semple and his filends do not hesitate to “pass round the hat” at street gatherings oi anywhere else for funds for their political purposes. J hey do not regard this as “cadging” or derogatory to their manhood. . And we agree with them. It is not. Why, then, these mock-heroics.

It is significant that the success of the Chinese nationalist forces in their advance on Peking synchronises with the success of their leaders in expelling from the Nationalist movement the Communist agents from Moscow.

* * * * The granting of timber-cutting rights in the Akatarawa water t catchment area is the commencement of a policy which has little to commend it. It hds been definitely stated by one who can be considered an authority and who knows the district, well that in this area sawmilling and water .conservation will not mix. lhe timber is sparse and the country steep, which make nulling an expensive operation. The yield to be obtained over a considerable acreage, therefore, will be comparatively small, and the income, irom roya ties, in the present case 2s. 9d. per hundred super, feet, will mean a htt e remuneration for running a big risk. There will be the immediate damage done to the bush by the timber-felling operations themselves, and a long-lived risk of an outbreak of fire by reason of the piesenee of tops and branches cut away from felled trees. This risk estimated, to last for twenty years. * * * *

There may be special circumstances which make it proper that the rights already granted should have been conceded. It there are special circumstances, then they should be made known.ii» would prevent the transaction being cited as a precedent for. futui.e applications. That further applications are to be entertained n, made clear by the Water Board's report, which states: No further cutting rights to be granted until a report is obtained fi.om the newly-appointed Forest Officer.” Seeing that such, reliance is to be placed upon this officer’s opinion in the future, it is haid to understand why the Board did not first obtain his report before completing die transaction just concluded. Fhe Forest Officer, y reason o his office, naturally may be expected to seek/out areas lor sawmilling, for if no milling.operations are going officer may find it difficult to justify his existence. His office may, therefore, ultimately require of him to have a first regard for sawmilling and only a secondary regard for water conservation. It is not at all a satisfactory position. . * *

The remarkable movement of population to the outlying areas surrounding the City of Wellington is well demonstrated by the house-building figures for the past year. . While extensive building operations have been carried on in the city area, these have been confined almost entirely to business premises. Out o a total ot 562 building permits issued only 49 of these were for dwelling-houses. The figures for city and suburbs (dwelling-houses only) were as follow:— City area 49 Melrose district Northland district Wadestown district Onslow district gl Karori district ................ 174 Miramar district -74 Petone Borough 96 Lower Hutt Borough

The drift to the suburbs, it will be seen, is very marked, and the Hutt Valley, Miramar, and Melrose are especially favoured in this respect. With the limited space available in the city area proper and the marked increment in land values, it was inevitable that business houses should gradually displace residential dwellings. Improved transport facilities, of course, have also played an impoitant pait in assisting to encourage a movement which is all to the good.