POLITICAL PELLETS

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 15, 4 September 1930, Page 11

POLITICAL PELLETS

Man, watch thyself! or, verily and indeed thou wilt be superseded by that | most insidious of inventions, the electric button. Of course, I am not speaking of woman, she will ..always lead. . She led % her world in infancy; in the Victorian age the world tailed after her apron , strings; NOW, she tops the score with the rifle; No, she goes lip-in-thc-air and beats MAN-kind in a chivcy-ehasc round .space; and, there arc times when, ■vvitli feet iiw'ily planted, "she gaes-up-in-th<>-:tir"' and beats man with her tongue: Woman, the INVINCIBLE! God's helpmate. ' But MAN, deems to be heading «ti-:iight for the top-shelf. Machinery .put the horse on the list of '"not wanteds"; science declares that butter-can be plucked direct from the grass without the aid of the cow, so she too, will shortly be relegated: to the -crap heap, and" unless the politician is watchful, mechanical mechan-' ism will send MAN-kind to join the menagerie. . • . ,' s We touch a button and it drives shoals of. men-but of employment—we, touch a button in a cejitral office and typesetting in a series of distant -newspaper' nfficcs is accomplished by telegraph. The practical teletypcsefter, eliminates the telegraph operator, subedit or.s, ani.l -compositors,; and sets .type automatically. . The world is hi'the IRON- grip, it is the IKON age, and one wonders if humanity is to be exterminated by its own inventions? Are we arriving at the apex of man's limitations where a cataclysm awaits to once more reduce brains to bone and muscle? In the heroic days of yore, man batlied with, the elements, whilst sailing the ocean in vessels not much, bigger than a civilized bath, tub to deliver letters to those dear to us on th^ other side of the Earth, NOW, a ship can bo run by a TIN-man who, when a button is touched becomes uncannily ae--tive,. uncannily real, but —I don't -like you "Robot," you should have remained in the bowels of the earth. Another button is to be touched shortly and the United Government is going to inaugurate a Radio Telephone Service which, will enable us -wath the assistance of a few adroitly Manipulated kilowatts to do the trick much more cxpeditiously than of yore, j -Just listen: — /'Radio Telephone Service. Early inauguration, Communication via Sydney: —New Zealand will be able to converse with London by telephone in :about three weeks. An assurance that, it would be possible for New Zealand•ers to talk to Australia by telephone was given by the Postmaster General, Hon. J. B. Donald. The rates had not yet been decided on, Mr. Donald said, but preparations were well in hand for the institution of the trans-Tasman telephone service. You will be glad to hear that the Financial" Bill successfully ran the gauntlet of the House of Representatives last week and although rather pummelled remained practically intact, Defensive mechanism erected by the ■apposition was nimbly hopped over and aaßendments defeated. . "■['■'- discussing the film taxes the Member for Ohinemuri (Mr. Samuel) that section of the Bill, held ♦Ter. He understood that the film, eoin]»aaies were willing in the meantime, t* find the £50,000 which the . Prime, Minister hoped to secure as revenue^ it- s»*d not to passit on to the public. Mr. 4 E. J. Howard (Labour, Christ-«^uu-eh South) said the people affected fey the Bill did not have one penny inrested in New Zealand. And, Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (Independent, Egmqnt) considered the Film Tax proposals were the best part of the Bill. Not one of the big corporations could object to paying 3/- in the pound." ...••.■■'•• £50,000 at a glance seems a lot, but when compared with the millions of pounds that go : annually from New Zealand to America for cinematograph films £50.000 is a mere nothing; and, what sort of a return do we get for our millions, jt is beneficial, is it wholesome, is it up-lifting?' -

A few short weeks ago we" read in in the papers that the Member for Mataura (Mr.-David Maeßougall) wont with a friend to a picture'show; it

was Sunday night, the- kicking Avas high, the legs piebald—up-lifting truly, but not edifying? Davit was shocked!

Since then Davit has been caught napping in the House of Representatives and someone got ahead of hiiti for an extension time. Davit Maetoocall! Davit Mactoocall! why sleepest thou, hast thou not reeovei-ed thvrxy equilibrium? When a Scotchman is knocked out to that-extent it is high time the Government stepped in to the

rescue,

When discussing the Unemployment Bill in the House of Representatives the Prime Minister (Hon. G. W. Forbes) said the Bill had been brought

down to conform with a-'promise, and was founded :pn a valuable report of a representative committee. It had been Glosely investigated, and it was not to be wondered at that the committee oP the House had not been able to make any great changes.

Mr. Forbes said, '-They could not shut their eyes to the fact that if they could not find work for a man they could not let him starve.''

It would be the aim of the Board io provide work to put the unemployou on to. One would be very, bold to sv,y that the system of the direct levy woiild prove unsatisfactory, but that could only'be determined after ..a trial had been madQ.

An amendment to the Bill would be brought down by Govdrnor-GeneraL's message advancing to the Unemployment Board £100,000 tjp enable it to get to work immediately. '. That was an earnest of the Government's desire that something should be done as soon as possible," concluded the Prime Minister.

" .-Mr. ; -,G. C.. Huniisi,: chairman; of the committee, stressed that'the.Bill was a non-party one, and deplored that the party spirit had been introduced so much, during the debate. The Government would'be quite prepared to accept any amendment which would have the effect of improving the Bill. The measure was an experimental one, and it was the duty of every section of the community to help in making it a sue-