TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 53, 31 August 1926, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Frenzied denunciation of the Prime Minister will not help to settle the licensing problem. To suggest that Mr. Coates has been "duped or doped" or is likely to act in. obedience to the liquor interests is quite unreasonable and wholly unworthy of advocates who boast tho righteousness of their cause, and thank Heaven that they are not as other men '' even as this publican.'' For the purpose of licensing legislation the Prime Minister is an ordinary Member of Parliament. He promised to introduce legislation and he has kept his promise. We would have preferred to see a Bill brought down earlier in the session, and with more adequate proposals for reform of tho traffic. But wo recognise, and the public should recognise, that the Bill as presented is only a framework. Parliament has full liberty to take anything out of it or to put anything in. The party whip will not be used. Indeed, it could not be used, for opinion upon the licensing issue cuts right across party lines. If the amended law as it emerges from Parliament is a distorted and unreasonable measure Mr. Coates must accept his share of the blame; but that share will be no more than that of any other member of the Legislature. If the legislation is not what the public desire and have the right to expect, tho fault will lie with the Members of Parliament and the advocates outside who are wasting time and making calm consideration impossible by substituting unjustifiable abuse for reasoned argument.

Wellington cannot be accused of attempting to advance local works without regard for their national importance. For years the new railway yards, a new station, and the Tawa Flat deviation have been planned, and it is not unreasonable that the Minister of Public Works should be urged to accelerate the construction. This may be done upon sound economic grounds. At present two stations and the inconvenient railway yards add considerably to the cost of transport, and the heavy running to Johnsonville is a tax upon all Main Trunk traffic. The sooner these handicaps can be lightened the better it will be for Wellington, for the immediate districts served, and for the whole island. The Tawa Flat deviation is of local importance because it will bring a new district within the suburban residential radius; but it is of national importance because it will reduce haulage costs upon every ton of traffic to or from the north. The new Kaiwarra reclamation is now proceeding apace, and it has several times boon urged that it would be wise to commence the tunnel part of the deviation as soon as possible so that the spoil may be used for the reclamation. How far this is possible it is for the engineers to say; but we hope the Minister of Public Works will give the subject his early attention. If the two parts of the railway scheme can be worked together there will be greater progress and lower cost. '

The Now Zealand apple export, which is the subject of an article in this issue, has reached a critical stage in its development. The quantity of apples sent to Britain trebled last sea-

son, and for the first timo was dividod about equally between London and other ports; but: notwithstanding this and other improvements in the method of marketing, certain adverse circumstances—particularly the strikes —reduced the growers' returns. But thoro is ample evidence that Now Zealand apples as a wholo are able to stand up to the test of normal sea carriage and normal storage prior to reaching tho consumer. Over-storage arising from speculation, or through an excessive rotail price cheeking consumption, is another matter. Tho export has reached a stage at which Now Zealand is vitally interested iL any protection that Britain may bo inclined to give against tho competition of tho export surplus of the American crop. The Imperial Conference will surely bo not unheodful of the fact that New Zealand's primary industries do not gain by tho existing rebates on sugar, dried fruits, tea, eof-

fee, etc.

As a result of his own investigations and of representations made to him, the Minister of Labour has agreed to extend tho rent restriction legislation to August, 1927. While %ye aro firmly convinced that this legislation is harmful to tenants generally, wo recognise that its lapse would probably involve hardship to individual tenants. While granting an extension, however, tho Government should prepare some plans for meeting these cases of individual hardship. The moratorium on mortgages was extended much beyond the term whon it was economically warranted for just the same reason; and rural finance suffered in consequence. AVhen the moratorium at last ceased it was found that there was not the genoral and hardship that some advocates of extension had predicted. If the Government will use the interval between now and August in planning methods of helping house-tenants it should be possible to remove this item of War legislation from tho Statutebook also. The Minister of. Labour has .promised a thorough investigation, and if this is mado and followed by the devising of appropriate relief measures there should be no call next year for granting a further extension.