NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 114, 8 February 1937, Page 8

NOTES OF THE DAY

Increased shipping costs have produced, as in other industries affected by Government legislation, the rise in wages, and the shortening of the working week, increased charges. These charges have hit the coal merchants and retailers, and now the price of coal in Wellington is going up. By the time everything has gone up in response to the pressure of increased costs it will be time, no doubt, for the unions to demand another rise in wages—the vicious circle again. Past experience has shown that wages follow prices more rapidly on the upward than on the downward grade. When prices fall there is a deadlock, and unemployment ensues. In the end the workers are worse off.

Before committing itself to expenditure on the construction of funicular railways for the carriage of sight-seers and ski-ers to the snow country of our alpine tourist resorts the Government ought to consider the project from the point of view of the numbers to be benefited, its revenue-producing capacity, and its importance compared with other necessary works. There is no doubt a good case to be made out for the idea from the tourist and ski-ing standpoint, but there is an overwhelming case to be made out for a reduction of Government expenditure and of taxation. Reduction of taxation is the most urgent question of the day. In considering this and other spending projects the rule should be: “first things first-

Said the Minister of Lands last week to relief vvorkers at Kerikeri who complained to him that relief had placed a stigma upon them that made it difficult for them to obtain private employment in the district: “Don’t take any notice of a lot of snobs. .Many of these people are receiving pensions and superannuation contributed by people who are not as well off as themselves. They are receiving a dole in a greater sense than you are. I jiity them in their ignorance.” Mr. Langstone could not have realised what he was saying when he placed this wholly unwarrantable stigma on pensioners and superannuitants. To describe pensions earned as the result of thrift and years of service as “doles” was, to say the very least, a gratuitous affront to the recipients which as a matter of principle, even though the Minister may have been referring to retired pensioners from overseas, should be taken up by the Public Service.