LABOUR’S LAND POLICY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18758, 11 January 1923, Page 4

LABOUR’S LAND POLICY.

Particular interest will centre at the annual conference of the Labour Party upon the revision of the land planks in the platform. During the recent election we exposed the impracticable and inequitable features of the party’s land reform proposals. The local Labour candidates refused to accept the accuracy of our interpretation. With the exception of one candidate, who, unable to defend the policy, was driven in the end to the amazing subterfuge involved in the assertion that a “printer’s error” had crept into the platform they with one accord attempted to justify the unjustifiable and assured the electors that the land reform proposals of the party were designed simply toprevent speculation in land. It is now authoritatively announced that a report by the executive of the party on the land policy will bo presented at the ensuing conference. If the land policy of the party is perfectly sound, as the Labour candidates were forced to claim for it, why should a revision of it be deemed necessary? If it is not a sound policy, why were specious assurances respecting its aim and purposes solemnly offered to the electors during the election campaign ? It is to be imagined that some -prominent members of the party will be placed in a position of some difficulty whatever the conference decides to do. If the conference allows the platform to remain in its present ill-digested and confiscatory form, future Labour candidates will be required to pledge themselves to a sot of proposals which are neither just nor practical. If the platform is amended the correctness of our criticism of it will be admitted and the prestige of all Labour candidates who upheld it should suffer in consequence. The proposed revision of the Labour platform emphasises the peculiarly insecure position which the Labour member of Parliament occupies. In each case a Labour candidate was pledged to the platform and whore ho was successful he will doubtless have claimed that his election expressed a public endorsement of that platform. Each annual conference may, however, amend the platform, and the obedient Labour M.P. must accommodate his principles to the amendments quite regardless of their form or effect. This procedure moans that though a Labour member may pledge himself to the electors on definite principles the animal conference may revise those principles without regard to the character of the pledges made by the member. It is a travesty on democratic representation, but is quite in accord with the manner in which machine politics are manipulated; and the machine must be obeyed.

Although the finance returns for the past nine months are not yet complete, the Prime Minister, when interviewed on the subject yesterday, was able to state from what he had already seen of the figures that they would be very eatisfactory. Mail matter consisting of 90 bags from the United Kingdom, Eastern States, and Australia, ex the Mamma at Auckland, will reach Dunedin this afternoon. An Australian mail ex the tjlimaroa, at Wellington, and another ex the Moeraki, at Bluff, should also reach Dunedin this evening. The next United Kingdom and American mail to reach New Zealand will bo by'the Makura which is due at Auckland on January 15 from Vancouver. The Dunedin portion should come to hand on January 17. The yarding of fat cattle at Burnside yesterday totalled 196 head, as compared, with 164 head at the previous sale. Tho quality was fair to good, intermixed with plain steers and cows. A good sale took place, last week’s improvement being maintained. Prime heavy bullocks realised 27s 6d per 1001 b, prime light bullocks 27s 6d to 30s, medium quality 26s to 27s 6d, prime heifers 22s 6d, prime cows 20s, and medium and aged cows 17s 6d to 18s 6d. There was a moderate yarding of store cattle, the quality of which was mixed. Prices wore unchanged. A couple of, pens of lhreo-year-old steers of mixed sorts,, out of some 25 head, realised £4 16s. The' others wore passed at auction, and the balance of the entry of 100 were sold at late rates. The entry cf fat sheep totalled 2129, compared with 2044 a week ago. The quality was good, except a number of recently shorn wethers. A few pens contained plain ewes. All but a dozen sheep were shorn. The values at last sale were secured in the early part of the sale, but for the last two pens rates eased Is a head. Prime heavy wethers opened out at 6d to 6jd per lb. but' towards the end of the sale recoded to sid. Prime light wethers 6d to 6id, prime heavy owes sd, aged and inferior 4£d to sd. The entry of fat lambs was 306. as compared with 318 at the last sale. Tlie quality ranged from medium to good. The demand was very fair, but butchers were not too keen. Exporters, however, lifted suitable sorts for railage to the freezing, works in North Otago and Canterbury. Prices were better by about Is a head. Prime lambs realised from Sid to 9id per lb, and light from 8d to 9d. There was 'a medium entry of pigs, which met with a fairly keen demand. Prime boconers realised about 6id per lb, and prime porkers about 7id.

The season of the Allan Wilkie Dramatic Company was brought to a close last night with a repeat performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Miss Frediswyde Hunter-Walls made a welcome reappearance as Titania, in which character she achieved a very decided success, and was accorded a most enthusiastic reception by a large audience. The other members of the company also met with a hearty reception, their efforts being highly appreciated by all present. Throughout season the company has achieved a distinct artistic triumph, and lovers of Shakespeare’s works will carry pleasant recollections of its visit for a very long time.

In conversation with a well-known Nelson sheep breeder, a Mail reporter was informed that New Zealand woollen mills at the present time were very short of fine halfbred wool. In support of his statement ho remarked that at the last London wool sales about six weeks ago his clip realised *24id; but a few days ago a representative of a New Zealand mill offered him 26id, f.0.b., for this season’s clip. This price is worth about 4d a lb more than the London price, when the freight Homo is taken into consideration. .

While digging operations were being carried out on Saturday in connection with the "Newlands affair (says -the New Zealand Times), the police officials who were working near the old road that leads lo Newlands, were disturbed by an unsavoury odour that was issuing forth from some shrubs further down the cully. This seemed a likely clue, and as soon as the sergeant had called together his men they set out on an expectant trail. When they came to a nook that seemed to be the developing point of this stench the sergeant entered, and a moment later his comrades were surprised to fee him rush out es fastas his legs .could carry him. The nook was the last resting place of an old dog whose corpse was in an advanced stage of decay! ‘‘There seem to bo too many people in Tiniaru at present with music hall tastes and inclinations,” said a lover of Caroline Bay to a Post reporter the other day. He described the ordeal that surf-bathers had to go through during the recent holidays as being on a par with the experiences of chorus girls on the vaudeville stage. ‘‘One’s appearance in leaving the shed to enter the water is greeted with a battery of curious eyes,” said the complainant, “and not n few crude remarks are passed as to the shapeliness (or otherwise) of one’s limbs and the ponderous proportions or deficiencies of one’s body.” The opinion was expressed that, until this host cf unwelcome loungers removed itself from the precincts of the bathing sheds, a great, many devotees of it ho bay would go without, their swim rather than face so shameless a crowd of spectators.

John Bonnifnce, a shunter, mafiried, had both legs and several ribs fractured through being run over by a truck in the Lyttelton railway yards last night, and ho later succumbed to his injuries (says a Christchurch Press Association message). Ho was riding on the cowcatcher of an engine, and whilst unhitching the truck in what is known as- a slip shunt he fell off, and the truck passed over him.

Mr J. P. Murray (Assistant Director of the National Canadian Exhibition at Toronto) interviewed the Prime Minister in regard to the representation of New' Zealand at the Canadian Exhibition. The mutter was fully gone into (telegraphs our Wellington correspondent). Mr Massey expressed his sympathy with the project, Mr Murray*is convinced that the Prime Minister believes , that, if it is possible to take the matter tip comprehensively, it will be in the best interests of both countries. Ho is delighted with the consideration showm to him by Mr Massey, and feels considerably strengthened in his desire to see the project through.

Our Wellington ' correspondent telegraphs that a project is afoot to get about 200 American tourists over to New Zealand next summer on a personally conducted tour. Captain C. Macdonald, M.C., of the White Star Association, has the matter in hand. Mountaineers, anglers, and others will bo specially catered for.

Referring to the proclamation gazetted on December .21, 1922 (says a Wellington Press -Association message) declaring notes of certain banks to be legal tender until January 10, 1925, the Minister of Finance states that this is merely follow-ing out the provisions of section 66 of “The Finance Act. 1917,” wherein it is enacted that notes shall be legal tender till a day fixed by the Oovernor-in-Council. sjch a date not to be earlier than five years after the termination of the war. The official date of the termination of the war was fixed by a proclamation gazetted on February 23, 1920, as January 10, 1920. The last proclamation declaring notes to bo legal tender was gazetted on December 4, 1917. and covered a period of five years, which expired on December 31, 1V22. A proclamation extending the period' to January 10, 1925, was therefore necessary to carry out the direction of Parliament ns enacted in 1917. The legislation was the outcome of an arrangement with the Associated Banks of New Zealand that year, when £12,000,000 worth of war loan tends was placed on the market, wherehv in considernt on of the banks underwriting at least £5,000,000 of the loan and making advances to their clients to enable them to invest in tlie loan, the Government agreed to introduce legislation to increase further the limit for the issue cf bank notes. The extent of the advances to clients for investment in the war loan enabled bank notes on the basis of the extended issue to be made legal tender for a period of five years after the conclusion of the war.

The official assignee (Mr W. W. Samson) has compiled the following bankruptcy returns for the Otago and Southland district for the Inst quarter of 1922. (he figures for the same period of 1821 being given in parentheses Number of bankruptcies: Otago, 1 (4); Southland, 7 (4). Total number in hand: Otago, 28 (17); Southland, 25 (27). Total amount of assets realised: Otago. £1261 5s Id (£1325 2s 2d); Southland. £BOI 19s lOd (£1270 3s Rd). Total amount paid in dividends (including preferential claims): Otago, £2935 14 s 3d (£2160 12s 3d); Southland, £1029 11s Cd (£1506 lls lid).

A petition is being circulated in England, asking tho Government to give facilities for the introduction of legislation for the suppression of Socialist Sunday schools. A writer in tho London Daily Telegraph furnishes the following illustration of what is happening in the United Kingdom:—At the funeral cf one of the little girls who attended the Walworth Socialist SundaySchool, in January, 1922, a group of her. fellow Scholars wore marshalled round the grave, and the teacher, pointing to the skies, said: “Don’t look up there, comrades; there is no God or angels up there.’’ Then, pointing to the little coffin in tho grave, he continued: “Don’t look down there ; there are no devils or anything more —it’s all over.” £SO Reduction: 1923 model Harley-David-son motor cvcles, fitted with carriers, lamps, pump, tools', Goodyear tyres; best value offering. Remember, £SO per machine reduction. 1923 models now on view.—W A. Justice and Co,, Imperial Garage. Princes street. Dunedin. —Advt. Our success with “No-Rubbing” Laundry Help 1 as been quite phenomenal ever since we have bed the pleasure of handling it. owing to its wonderful labour saving and perfect washing qualities.—Warded Bros. — Advt. The always-busy tailor, the tailor that has set Dunedin buzzing—G. S. Roberts,. Stock Exchange Buildings. It’s the material in the garment that gives the wear. See that it is good.—Advt. Buy your Christmas gifts now while wa have the large selections. —Moliisons Ltd., corner George and Frederick streets, Dunedin. —Advt. The nip for nippy winter weather, Watson’s No. 10. Fine old Scotch whisky.— Advt. A. E. J. Blakeley, dentist- Bank cf Australasia, corner of Bond ana 'Rattray streets (next Telegraph Office). Telephone 1859. Advt. Xmas Jewellery.—Just landed, large selection diamond rings, watches, brooches, pendants, and silver ware. Compare values.— Peter Dick, Jewellers, 490 Moray place.— Advt.