WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1516, 23 April 1919, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

NEW ZEALAND FINANCE,

INCREASED PRODUCTION NEEDED. ' (Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, April 21. The lion. A. M. Myers, the acting Minister of Finance,, is no less of an optimist than is his absent chief. Ho does not doubt for a moment the ability of the Dominion to bear the burdens it has taken upon itself in connection with the war. Rut he is urging afresh the urgent need for increased production. It is by this means, and by this means alone, he says, that the country can meet its additional obligations without being seriously embarrassed by the new conditions. Improved methods must be employed and greater efforts put forth, while there must be better relations between employers and workers, and further assistance and direction from the Government. The resources of the Dominion are inexhaustible; even its primary industries arc only in their infancy, and by cordial co-operation between Capital and Labour its annual income easily might bo sufficiently increased to meet its additional obligations twice over. THE ETERNAL PROBLEM.

The soldiers’ votes having turned the scale definitely in favour of Continuance, the contending parties are forgetting the incidents of the recent licensing poll in their contemplation of the next campaign. The prohibitionists are keeping their organisation intact, expecting the triangular duel between Continuance, Prohibition and State Control to take place not later than October, and it is understood their exchequer has been replenished by a number of very generous donations. It is estimated‘that the last campaign cost each side about £60,000, and that the next will be scarcely less expensive. U was thought at one time that the prohibitionists would join heartily in the agitation for the submission of the three issues to the electors under the system of preferential voting, but it is reported now that their leaders are so strongly opposed to the liquor trade in anv shape, they will do nothing likely to facilitate the adoption of State control. STATE CONTROL. As the law stands at present it provides no intelligent definition of State Control. The Act of last session makes plain enough what is meant by Continuance and by Prohibition, but it does not even hint at which particular brand of State control its authors had in.mind. It is being taken for,granted. that this omission will be repaired by legislation during the short session which must precede the general election, but so far Ministers have given no indication of their intentions m regard to the matter. The only system of State control yet seriously discussed in this country is one by winch the State would take over only the liquor trade, and leave the owners m possession of the rest of their business, paying them compensation, of course, foi such loss as they might sustain from the extinction of the proprietary interest in liquor. It is quite possible the Government’s scheme will be based on these lines. COST OF THE EPIDEMIC. The Minister of Public Health is still incurring a good deal of angry criticism from public bodies and private individuals/ that do not see eye to eye with him in regard to the settlement of accounts arising out of the influenza epidemic. " Tho truth of the matter is that a number of flagrant attempts to extract payments from the Health Department for which it was in no way responsible has compelled Mr Russell to move with very great caution. A motor company presented a little bill for £SOO odd for services which neither the Minister nor any officer of his Department had authorised, and scores of “voluntary” workers sent in claims amounting to several thousand pounds. Mr Russell has stretched all the rules and regulations in his desire to satisfy every reasonable demand, but without special parliamentary authority it is impossible for him to do more than no alreadv has done.