ECHOES of the WEEK

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 264, 3 August 1929, Page 19

ECHOES of the WEEK

PRESS OPINIONS ON NEW ZEALAND TOPICS

It is apparent that the operation of the Maui Pomare has been severely handicapped by the excessive length of the round voyage: the Department complains of the disadvantage of flat rates to all the home ports; the technical committee insists upon ample time in New Zealand ports for maintenance and overhaul. The Dominion may have to bear a loss in maintaining services for its dependencies, but it is absurd that those losses should be increased by running the sleamer to four ports. The Prime Minister has suggested selling the Maui Pomare because the vessel is too small. Would the Government then buy a larger and more powerful vessel, with corresponding multiplication of the loss? A more reasonable policy would be to accept the advice of the technical committee that, with some mechanical adjustments and reasonable treatment, the vessel will give better service, tnd give the administration a fair chance to operate it efficiently and economically by eliminating the extravagant and unnecessary run to South Island ports.— Auckland “Herald.”

Sir Joseph Ward has disclaimed State responsibility towards the unemployed of the Dominion. This will not do. The State must stand in with local authorities as full partner, and senior partner, in responsibility; it must not stand off as benevolent patron and contributor, with the absolute right to say, “Take it or leave it.” And the Government’s obligation to make this offer as useful and effective as possible is the more obvious, since it seems to have no other scheme in hand or in sight calculate 1 to meet the same or similar purposes of immediate relief. —Christchurch “Sun.”

Not content with disclaiming its responsibilities in relation to the construction of highways, the Government seems even to be contemplating a raid on the Highways Board’s revenue account. The proceeds of the petrol tax, willingly paid by motorists in order that they may enjoy the advantage of good roads, are credited to this account and against it is charged the cost of maintenance of highways. Upon this revenue fund the Government is casting envious eyes. The Prime Minister, when asked to give an assurance that the Government would not encroach on this fund, point blank refused to do so. The inference seems fairly obvious. Yet it is surely difficult to imagine that the Government would not shrink from any step that would be so flagrantly improper as to seize the proceeds of the petrol tax, provided for a specific purpose, and apply them in another direction as though they formed part of the general revenues of the country. The state of financial embarrassment in which the Government apparently finds itself is seriously affecting its moral sense if it actually has it in its mind to make a raid as unjustifiable as this would be.—“Otago Daily Times.”

One finds cause for a certain uneasiness in regard to two cases that have occurred within the last two months in Christchurch suburbs in which a firearm lias been deliberately discharged as the sequel to a quarrel. In the first case, in which one man received a charge of pellets in the body, the Supreme Court took an extremely lenient view of the offence and admitted the accused to probation without even imposing a fine. In the more recent case, in which a gun was discharged at a comparatively safe range after a retreating motor-car, the Magistrate may have been justified in merely binding the accused over to keep the peace, believing that the gun was discharged with no serious intention; but Magistrates will have to watch this sort of thing very closely indeed, because it is leniency in matters where the damage done is of no consequence that leads to the indiscriminate use of violence. —Christchurch “Star.”

A good many students of divinity will be likely to reflect that they will be more likely to commend themselves to future congregations if they submit themselves to, disagreeable requirements like that of military training in the same way as those to whom they will minister, without taking advantage of special privileges. If the law is to be administered as it stands, and a scheme of alternative service drawn up bv the Governor in Council, they will still be liable to such non-military duties, but the difficulties of providing such an alternative upon any general plan are not imaginary. It will be small satisfaction to the Labour Party that a concession has been made to divinity students; there are not sufficient of them. The Labour Party wishes to sweep away the whole Act in so far as it is compulsory, but the time for that has not come yet. It will come when someone proposes a better svstem, or when rational methods for settling the disputes of nations have been so developed that they can agree together that no systems which have military defence as their object are any longer required.—“ Evening fetal,’ Dunedin.

Only the other day the chairman of tlie Canterbury Education Board had to complain to the Director of Education that the Department's lack ot a policy was seriously hampering the activities of the local authorities. The Minister has had quite long enough to make up his mind, and should give some indication of what he proposes to do in the next few days. M e do not suggest that he should make an immediate decision on such a controversial subject as Junior High Schools, but he should at least say whether there is a prospect of any violent change in the system in the near future. The probabilities are that neither Mr. Atmore nor the officials of the Department have enough information to warrant a decision about postprimary education, and that even if they have, the Minister could not get enough money to effect a reorganisation.' Whatever the position is, it is time the Minister took the public into his confidence.—“ Christchurch Press.”

There was a distinct understanding between all parties interested when the highways policy was established that the Public Works payments should be provided annually, and it was largely in consideration of that undertaking by the Government that the motorists of the Dominion, through their official organisations, agreed ta the imposition upon themselves of the special rating mentioned in order that good roads might be provided. Now there is a danger that the whole burden of highway construction and maintenance will be thrown upon the motorists alone, and that the general revenue of the Dominion shall contribute nothing. The deputation which waited upon the Prime Minister at Wellington to protest against the proposed change received a very non-committal reply, and unless something very extraordinary, happens in the meantime they will find that a very material part of the highways revenue has been lost. Of course, no one ever imagined that the Government would be so shameless, and Sir Joseph Ward’s reputation will be gravely affected if he does not reconsider the position.—“ The Press,” Christchurch.

If reputable and unprejudiced investigators conclude that the Canterbury wheat grower is operating on the wrong lines, or is maintaining a false price level within the shelter of the tariff, the measure of his protection should be promptly reviewed. This is what Mr. Polson reasonably advocates, and it is only a parallel to what champions of secondary industry are seeking. The whole point of the request for a tariff board is that it should be a watchdog in , the interests of industrial efficiency, ruthlessly eliminating the incompetent operator. And there is no valid reason why the cultivation of efficiency in either primary or secondary production should be other than beneficial to the community as a whole.—Auckland “Sun.”

Newspapers recognise that, like other commercial concerns, they depend for their prosperity on the goodwill of the public and on the loyalty of their readers. They look upon themselves as being primarily a public service, and they recognise that it is their duty to present a fair and accurate report of all the news that is fit to print, without regard for political colour or flass prejudices. The conductors of newspapers, being human, their judgment may be at fault, and in the pressure of too much news, they may apply the pruning knife unwisely. No two men make precisely the same estimate of the news value of different incidents or speeches. The most that a journalist can do, or can be expected to do, is to present a fair and accurate summary of the day’s news. The now universally accepted rule of newspaper conduct is that while the editorial columns are used for comment and for the exposition of the editorial policy, the news columns know no party, and have no bias. Members of all parties and all creeds have access to the news columns without discrimination or distinction, and the sole condition of admission is that their news shall be worth printing. A journal conducted on any other lines than these inevitably forfeits the confidence of the public. —“The Star,” Christchurch.

Captain Wales, who as representing the Defence Department has discussed the matter with Richards, states that this objector, on his own admission, is “out to bust the Defence Act.” In other words, not content with demanding his own personal exemption from military duties, Richards is endeavouring to usurp the functions of Government and Parliament on his own individual authority. It is quite possible to be a pacifist and yet to recognise the obligation that every citizen owes the community to which he belongs in return for the advantages of peace and security that he usually enjoys. Nobody pretends that the creed of the Presbyterian Church condemns military service unconditionally, and therefore Richards’s connection with that Church cannot be urged in his favour. On the whole, we agree with the Minister that as these objectors, after putting up a defence based on political or social or economic rather than on “conscientious” considerations, refused to undertake even hospital work as an alternative, the law should take its course.—Auckland “Star.”

The Minister of Lands has decided to reduce the bonus on keas’ beaks from five shillings to half-a-crown. How this is going to improve the position it is difficult to see. It will not prevent the kea from being shot by all and sundry wherever found for the sake of the value of its beak, and the waging of unrestricted war on one of our quaint and interesting native birds will still go on. It is a matter for interesting speculation whether the halving of the State bonus will be followed by a reduction in the number of keas killed in the country in which it is a menace to sheep. It would be even more interesting to know whether, in the event of the total abolition of the bonus, the sheepowners, upon whose efforts in protecting themselves against the kea as an enemy there should be no restriction, would destroy fewer of these birds than they do at present. If the kea does as much damage as is alleged the sheepowner must be obliged to kill as many of the birds as possible, bonus or no bonus. That being so, in districts in which the kea does harm the bonus can serve no useful purpose. In other districts, where the kea is harmless, the bonus only serves a purpose which the State should not countenance.—“Otago Daily Times.”

Before the Prime Minister drafts his Budget on the politicians’ assumption that revenue must be made to balance expenditure, be would do well to ask the business men in his Ministry whether they can, by applying commercial methods, discover sufficient economies to enable him to fulfil, at least in part, his election pledge of less taxation.— “New Zealand Herald.”