The Otago Witness WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1926.) THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3764, 4 May 1926, Page 51

The Otago Witness WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. (TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1926.) THE WEEK.

“Nunqnrwn allud nUor% allad aapientia dtarik* —Juvenal. “Good nature and good Beaae must ever join.”* Pops.

The Exhibition Cletes.

When, following months of eareful prcparation and systematic organisation, tlie Dunedin and South Seas Exhibition was opened on November 17 last, scarce a soul could have been found optimistic enough to predict the triumphal procession of its weekly and monthly progress, and even the liveliest imagination would have failed entirely to picture the wonder of the closing scene on Saturday last. A total attendance of more than twice the population of the Dominion is in itself an amazing fact, which, cabled all over tue world, will undoubtedly give New Zealand and Dunedin fame and a recognition not otherwise accorded to them. The gracious message from the King and the presence and speech of the Prime Minister " the Dominion lent the final touch to the closing ceremony, making It an occasion long to be remembered, the glory of which " ill be rehearsed and repeated to the generations of New Zealanders yet to be. -The Exhibition President (Mr J. Sutherland Ross), in acknowledging the presentation to himself and to his fellow-directors from the citizens of Dunedin, in recognit ' of their unremitting labour and un- -"d zeal, struck the right note when lie declared that the success of the Inhibition was due, not to any ten men, but to one of the finest things on earth—a first-class community.’' And Mr Coates sounded another true note when he said that the whole of New Zealand is -~>- eerned in the Exhibition, since through the work of the directors and the lo ilty of Dunedin and of the rest of New Zealand, this country has moved steps ahead, and lias taken a more prominent position than ever in the . world s nffairs.” Fitting tributes were paid to the men of the Railway Department, where well-organised and arduous efforts resulted in the safe transport of so many thousands of Exhibition visitors. Nor were tho trnmwaymcn forgotten,

their fine service winning uni versa) praise. Time and space would l»e insufficient to mention the names of the many who have helped to make the Exhibition not only, as Mr Coates remarked, the largest in the Dominion, hut the most strikingly successful in New Zealand’s annals.

Some Secrets of Success.

When the splendid success of the Exhibition comes to be carefully analysed, it will bo found that a large number of factors have harmoniously mingled to bring about so magnificent a culmination. Prominent amongst these factors should be placed the loyal support of the people of Otago, Canterbury, and Southland, not forgetting the folk from the West Coast. It is true that the residents in Dunedin and its suburbs have from first to last been consistent patrons of the attractions at Logan Park, but, loft to themselves, all their efforts would have been hopelessly inadequate to command the success sought for. The people of the Nortli Island have helped in a degree, but undoubtedly it is from the South Island settlers that the strongest support was duo, and to whom credit should certainly be given. In this connection praise must be paid to the railway authorities for the facilities provided in the shape of exenr- ' sion fares, thus enabling settlers from a distance to make the trip in comparatively J inexpensive fashion. But the enthusiasm i displayed in taking advantage of these 1 trips, involving many hours spent in day and night travelling, besides a tiring day at the Exhibition, marks a record in the history of the Dominion. When everything else has been allowed for, and every in- 1 fluence discounted, the plain fact remains that the success of the Exhibition is duo to the all-round excellence 6f the Exhibi- \ tion itself. There lias yet to be found / the visitor who came away from a round ' of the courts, the Art Gallery, or the Amusement Park, filled with a sense of disappointment. On the contrary, the. best advertisers *of the Exhibition have been those who visited it in the first weeks after the opening. When the real history of the Exhibition comes to be written, there will be revealed hundreds of instances in which the return home from Logan Park of some one person more adventurous than the rest and breathing joy and delight over what he had seen heard, has set the signal for the trek Dunedin wards of the majority of the folk in the district. In a - real sense it is team work which has triumphed right from the start, and which, persist in# to the eud, has silenced all those petty jealousies and hindered those needless frictions which too often mar and ruin enterprises on so large a scale as the Dunedin Exhibition.

The Coal Crisis.

While throughout the Dominion can yet be heard the reverberations of the excitement created by the close of the Exhibition and its attendaut joys and delights, there is a sense ot gloom in the Homeland —a ?’ ' s t by the shadow of the crisis in the coal industry All efforts at mediation on the part of Mr Baldwin to effect a settlement between the miners and the mine-owners having failed, the people of Groat Britain! are faced by what threatens to be the most hiahlv organised and protracted industrial struggle in the history of the Empire. Coal is one of the key industries upon which much of the nation’s activity depends. Over a million men are nally engaged ill it, and it directly supports ono in every twelve of-the entire population ill the United Kingde- The ficntions of the industry are widespread : it is essential to the iron and steel, the shipbuilding. and the engineering trades, ami » it enters to a greater or lesser extent into J well nigh every department of ’-'■■try.! The total coal output of Britain is set down as valued at fnoo.noo annually, / and it constitutes a tenth of 1 - "—m of British exports. Tims the fatal announcement, “The coal strike has begun.” spells the gradual and growing paralysis of the trade and manufacture of the Homeland / and the daily and weekly increase to a. large army of unemployed. There is every prospect of the trouble developing into a j general strike, in anticipation of Melt the Government has laid its plans for safeguarding the food supply and other necessaries of life. The King has proclaimed a state of -mergency, and movements of troops into the disaffected districts are reported. The outlook at the moment is at its blackest, and it is diffi- ; cult to see where relief is to bo found,* A fight to a finish, with mutual —’mustion as its outcome, is a national disaster,*yet the leaders of the Trades Union Congress are taking steps in that direction* “We are selecting certain trades,” said' Air Bevin, “to bear the first brunt of the contest.” and these will inch"*- ' -ns of transport, the print!-- trades (including the press), and. in fact, almost everything save the health, food, and sanitary services. The prospect is appalling, lmt apparently the die has been cast, and tlio worst may be feared.

The British Budget.

The Budget introduced to the House of Commons by the Chancellor of the Exchequer 'Mr Winston Churchill) Ims aroused no enthusiasm, and this mainly because no reduction in’ taxation is provided for; on the other hand, several new taxes are proposed, including a tax on betting, which, however, is strongly opposed by the Liberal ami Labour Parties. The most notable feature of the Budget is what Mr .Chur' ,M n describes as a remarkable achievement inC debt reduction. During the past six years the national debt has been reduced by, £75,000,000 annually, and perseverance ia

the same direction is indicated, in winch tespect Britain is setting a splendid example to the other nations. On the whole the Budget may be described as a document of caution, and this in view of the coal crisis, the subsidy on that industry already being responsible for a deficit of £14,000,000. The attitude of the Labour Party towards the betting tax has been voiced by Mr Philip Snowden, who stigmatised the Chancellor as at the end of his resources when “he degraded the revenue by a tax on one of the greatest present-day evils.” To which criticism it may be retorted that in New Zealand the totalisator tax virtually amounts to the same thing, and it is questionable whether it leads to an increase in betting. The Chancellor’s proposal to stabilise Imperial preference by incorporating ten years’ preference in the Finance Act had its critic in Sir John Simon, who remarked that he wished it to be clearly understood that any future Ministry could sweep away the whole protective system recently created. Indeed, despite Mr Winston Churchill’s expostulations, it is difficult to see how stabilisation can be guaranteed where articles of fiscal faith are clearly involved.

Trouble In Australia.

The action of the New South W ales Legislature in creating a 44hour week, thus overriding many of the Federal awards, is creating serious industrial trouble. The employers of New South Wales have decided to discharge all employees who refuse to work for 48 hours, a decision waich will affect between 30,000 and 40,000 employees in the ' engineering shops of the State. Mr Bruce : has promised to take action as soon as the Federal Parliament is in session, and j to introduce remedial legislation; but it , is feared that in the interval there may be serious developments. If the members of the unions affected are not allowed to ! work when they present themselves there is likely to be concerted industrial action. On previous occasions there has been friction between the State and Federal Parliaments, but never before has so serious an impasse been created. The unions, backed by the New South Wales Legislature, make a formidable force, and Mr Bruce will have all his work cut out to effect a satisfactory settlement.