TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24, 28 July 1911, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Will the Hon. R, M'Ronzio have the glace to apologise for The Insulted the insult which he Municipalities, offered to Wellington's Acting' Mayor 1 The City Council very forcibly, very tersely, decided last night to remind the Government that a Minister of the Crown had grossly offended against the canons of public and private decency by the affront which he put ! upon Councillor Smith, and through him upon the City of Wellington and the municipals ties of the whole country. We are glad that the council so vigorously vindicated the Acting' Mayor. The terms of the protest are so strong that they cannot well be ignored by the Government, however much it may; be in awe of Mr. M'Kenaie'. In again commenting on that very unpleasant incident for which the Minister was responsible on Tuesday, we must again refer to the ignoble part played by two of the Christchurch delegates, Messrs. Beaven and Booth. Here is an extraordinary statement telegraph- i ed from Christchurch yesterday :— "Mr. Beaven said that the j character of the discussion with the Minister was a very regrettable one. but there was. no doubt that the situation had been saved by Mr. Booth's tactful and conciliatory action. If it had not been for that there would certainly have been a very awkward deadlock." According to this peculiar report it was amiable Mr. Booth's part to placate not Councillor Smith, but Mr. M'Kenzie. Blessed was the peacemaker, surely ! By the terms of Mr. Beaven's Gilbertian utterance New Zealahd owes a_ vote of thank* to Mr. Booth for soothing the angry Motuekan after the browbeating and blustering autocrat had threatened to eject Wellington's Acting' Mayor from the room. It Waa linfortunate for Christchurch that the city was represented by a mati who hod so little cohcern for the flagrant insult hurled at the head of a municipality and so much motherly anxiety to conciliate the overbearing Mr. M'Kenxie. We al-p confident that the Christchurch City Council will see good ground to rebuke Mr, Booth for the injury which he has added to the insult suffered by Councillor Smith at the unruly tongue of a Minister of the Crown. So many people have been complaining lately about the high The Cost cost of living that the of Living, request made by Mr. G. t Laurenson, M.1 J ., for a Royal Commission of Enquiry comes a» no surprise. We believe that such a commission could amass valuable information for the enlightenment of Ihe public and the guidance of the Government, provided the personnel was competent and the order of reference wfts wide enough. Wo have no wish for a " political " commission, a band of more or lees unqualified men, with scant knowledge of economics, to wander hither and thither, putting questions to all and sundry about anything and everything. Unless such a commission is composed of undoubted experts it will waste time and money. The people who complain against tho cost of living will merely have another bill to pay— the fees of the commissioners and heavy incidental expenditure, including volumi. hous printing. Clearly the task of such a commission would be to take borings right down to the bedrock of this country's financial and industrial position. Tha commission would be required to enquire into relative coets of production of Wealth and the rates of production per head of population, the general working of industrial legislation, the ratio of increase between productive and non-productive portion* of the population, the tariff question, the land problem, the alleged operation of "rings" and combines, the growing cost of Government*! administration (or "top hamper"). A little reflection shows that this matter of the cost of living is very faT-reaching. It cannot be nettled summarily by an Act of Parliament, ac one correspondent the other day fondly t hoped, and no proper view of the intricate position can be got by * mediocre commi*si(m. It is'Ti task for men of sound education, keen vision, and ability to get down to first causes. Last session the Ministry had a chorus, With the Hon. 11. Hydraulic M'Kenzie's double-basa Splashes. in ' the lead, about water, the water in rivers, and the water in lakes, near communities and far from communities, in the North Island and the South If. land. The ears oi Parliament and the public were invited to listen to what the wild waters were saying, and this was their song,_ a» chanted for them by Mr. M'Kenzie. "We are running to waste; we are white, horses eating out heads oft for want of work. Harness us. This session the Government has harder things than water to think about, but n© doubt the water will *erve its -turn at making the electioneerbig wheels go round presently. Mr. M'Kenzi© has indicated that the Government has enough to do with the Lake Coleridge scheme for the present. On this very large subject of Waterpower the Governor waa inspired to say , yesterday :— "The professional gentle-! man (Mr. Evan Parry) selected by my Advieers to act as Chief Electrical Engineer in connection with the development of hydro-electric power has arrived in the Dominion, and nas entered upon his duties with an energy and enthusiagm which encourages the hope that the_ first large scheme to be undertaken will, within a reasonable period, be m successful operation," Mr. Parry has indeed been enthusiastic. Usually the first care of a welUrnined scientific man 19 to be caution?. He frels Ihr way rareMly ; he does nt>L generalisetill he has the support of all Available nata We say, without discourtesy lo Mr. Parry, that ths» eennomi* development and profitable v«? of large waterpowpr schemes in New Zealand are a pioblem no!, to b? solved by snept optimism. If wealth can bp won easily from water we are all willing to -be shaTprs, but wo prefer lo rpp ihe way made rlear. The Octvernmont owes it to tho taxpayers to go very alendilv. No second huge project should bo pushed on till Lake Coleridge has been well tested. This experiment wilt furnish valuable data about the cni, of ins-lalla-lion, generation, and maintenance, and ftlsfi about the demand for power when tt is pvodunpd. Mr. furry h»» » >ei*y htgfl subject. to kwp him very busy,