CASUAL NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 100, 27 March 1936, Page 10

CASUAL NOTES

(By "The Watcher.”) OUR LATE KING. In the magazines arriving recently from Home tliere are some very interesting articles regarding the life and character of the late King George. One of them is entitled “lyingship in Britain.” John Buchan, now Uord Tweedmuir, Governor-General of Canada, has pointed out the transition from Edward VII to George V was that from “The King’s Majesty” to “The King’s Grace.” Majesty implies power; grace, sweet- reason, and it was in this respect that the late King shone. Though devoid of apparent power, the office of King is full of real power. Almost before King George ascended the Throne there was a conflict between the two Houses of Parliament which under some circumstances might have ended in civil war. It was a controversy as to respective powers between a Conservative House of Lords and a Liberal House of Commons. It was settled by a promise of the King to create, if necessary, a sufficient number of new peers to overcome opposition in the Lords. More recently, in 1931, when the Labour Government resigned, a National Government was formed, and it is the general belief that it was not the King who acted upon the advice of his Prime Minister, but the Prime Minister who acted upon the advice of his King. The subsequent election proved how correctly His Majesty had gauged public' opinion. The writer says the supreme test of government in Britain is that “it works” —not only in , the Home Country but also throughout the Commonwealth of Nations that are called the British Empire. They, in Lord Balfour’s definition of 1926, are “united by a common allegiance to the Crown".” This it was that made King George “King of all the Britains,” the father of a scattered but united family. PARLIAMENT: AND BUTTER-

Before these notes are published the first .session of the twenty-fifth Parliament of New Zealand will have been opened with all due ceremony, according to ancient custom, in conformity with the usages of the “Mother q 1 Parliaments.” It is colloquially known as “the-Talk-ShopThat may be, but it possesses a lot of power, as we shall soon find out with a Labour Government in power backed up by a huge majority. If the Prime •Ministers promises materialise into fact there will be no delay in getting to business. It is not likely the Opposition will waste time over debating the Address-in-Reply, or that they will want to move votes of no-confidence. In England, a good many years ago, a big circus used to be opened nightly by a speech from the manager. The boss was a bit of a character and one night he cried out, “Hey! Cut the cackle and show ’em tlie. ’osses !” Mr Savage appears to be like that. Now he is the head —it makes a lot of difference, you know! —he wants to cut the cackle and. get on with the Bills ! And so. say all of us! Bring them down, and let us see the good things which the Labour Government have got ready for New Zealand. BANKING. ' One secret that lias leaked out is that the Central Reserve Bank is to be turned upside down. It was originally established as a hauls that was to be tree from Government control: henceforth it is to be the financial expression of the Government's ideas, just -as much as the railways, public works, post office, and other departments are under “control” of the Government of the day. Tins is the first great measure of Labour’s, financial programmes. Upon it every tiling else nangs. They must have the money lor guaranteed prices, public worlss, and so oil. it the present Reserve Bank authorities disagree, well, Mr Semple, will ho doubt, provide them also with their “running shoes!” BUTTER PRICES. It may take a month to get tlip. banking legislation through, and then will come the guaranteed prices lor butter and cheese—the sop or Cerberus to the dairy fanners. All that has leaked out so far is that from August 1 ail butter made is to be purchased by the Government at its own price, lor which tile producers will receive cash at the guaranteed price. The Government will in turn sell locally or export as the case may be. It is this point which attracts the interest of the present writer, viz., at what price will tlie Government sell to the people of New Zealand the “best” butter made, and also, what will be done with the “second” quality which is rejected as below par tor export? The changes arising out of this- revolution in our butter trade will be enormous. Will the Government endeavour to secure the goodwill and continued custom of buyers, both in New Zealand and Great Britain, who have been handling out products on the Home markets? If they are wise Uiey will do so. If, on the other hand, they start putting on big boots and 'adopt a “take-it-or-leave-it” air, the Dominion may wake up to find that the English market is _a ticklish proposition. However, we wiii hope tor tire uest, but this is a case where the utmost tact and circumspection are required—at any rate for a start. We may here express the hope that at all hazards 1 the Government will keep the local I price at parity with English prices, j and not endeavour to pay guaranteed prices from local sales. AVIATION. Taranaki is the least significant ot the provincial districts, but it has walked into a front seat in aviation. That was a really fine pageant it staged at New Blyihouth last Saturday, and leaves the big centres gasping. Not least was the fine collection taken up for the memorial lund to the late Squad-ron-Leader McGregor., AVe .may now look upon ourselves as an “airminded” people, and hope ( for developments in that direction. Seeing our utter isolation, aviation must provide' for our first line of defence in ease of. attack from the sea. On that path there is a long way to go before this Dominion can be considered safe. A beginning should be made at once. THE CENSUS. Like every other paterfamilias “The Watcher” is glad the census is over. Somehow it seem* to be easier than ! it used to be—it is ten years since, the ’ last—but still one wants a cool .head) for a start. I rather pity' the proprie-j tors of large hotels, boardinghouses, ■' etc., at having to write up the records i of all who slept' under their- roofs' on I census night, and what kind of a job would it be for managers' of" hotels, old people's homes, hospitals, . not .to speak of masters of ships or controllers of mental hospitals! I-see that at April 1, 1935, the Government Statistician credited Palmerston North witlra population of 22.250. I think the figures of. the census will reveal a substantial increase, and that the city has a great future before it when its industries get into their stride. EUROPE AND HITLER.

The war-clouds which se*emed to he gathering over Central Europe have lifted, and there appears now to be every hope that war will be averted. Hitler has gone as ‘far as he dare go at present. He has militarised the zone which the Versailles Treaty declared was to be unoccupied by troops, and there they will stay. Will lie be con-

tent with this? Probably-yes, for the time being, but: sooner or later more demands will be made until everything that can possibly be wiped off the slate of Germany’s defeat ln?s been erased. England has taken a magnificent part in endeavouring to maintain peace, and we may well be proud of the Mother Country. It is not peace at any price, but—anything rather than war I She leads the world to-day.