AT THE TEA TABLE

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11929, 24 October 1919, Page 5

AT THE TEA TABLE

SOME TOPICAL TALKS. - M 33 “What are we going to do to obtain domestic help.-"- . 4aerieo the Landlady in anxious tones. ‘ T see that some women’s organisations are asking Parliament to arrange for assisted immigration from the Old. Country. Do you think that will ensure a supply. ” “Not for long,replied the Critic. “In the first place if a thousand came they would be snapped up by the hotels and similar institutions, in which they usually prefer to be employed. Some would drift to the factories in the cities, because of the regular hours’and the greater oppor«, tunity fqr amusement. Others would sooner or later engage in the more agreeable occupation of matrimony. ” “1 am afraid that jmu will obtain no improvement, ” said the Sage, “till you do two things. One of t' '-se is to abolish the factory life, 8 > the other, which is still more de irable, is to lift domestic assistance to a higher p 1 ; ie. Domestic work ought to be th most sought after, but it is not. it is the one department where woman should find the best outlet for energy, but it presents features which are disagreeable, but which ought to be removable. Some seem to think that the solution of the difficulty 0 is merely a question of the rate of pay, but that is not the real reason why other occupations are preferred. The status of the domestic must be raised, but how this is to he done can be solved only by housewives themselves.”

“There is a good deal of talk about land valuations, and the difficulty of getting the work of revision performed because there aye not sufficient valuers,’' said the Scribe. “Judging from some of the values placed on properties I ahonld think the ‘judgment and capacity’ to which Mr Massey referred, are not essential qualifications.” “When the work of valuing has been done,” remarked the Sage, “it does not add one penny to the value of the land for the only purpose for which it is useful. On the contrary the higher it is valued, the less is its net producing value, for it ?' r «s then to bear higher rates, and *•

also helps to force up prices, so , ; when an intending user buys :• j is handicapped in his operations, “It seems to mo,” said the Cynic, “that if tbe aim of Government was to see that more profit was obtained from the land, it would not appoint more valuers, -hut would set the whole staff of the Valuation Department to work on the land. They would be far more beneficially employed. As things are we have a large staff earning salaries charged in the long run against the produce of the laud, and the only work they do is to make the working of the laud costlier to the real user, wh - finds that in their track they lea’ ■ higher rates and heavier taxes, N, body seems to inquire whether or noo it is politic or just to place -special, taxes on the chief means of production. ”

“While on the subject of the land, ” remarked the Critic, “what do you think of the Poverty Bay farmers and their ship-owning experiment? Are they not worthy of commendation?”

“I have seldom, ” said the Sage,’ “seen farmers or any other class succeed when they ventured outside their own special spheres of operations, unless they gave a free hand to experts. Moreover, it is clear that in this case, if they are to rely on things being done as they desire they should be, they should man the ship wich farmers, which in the language of one qf the exact sciences, would he absurd. But suppose that the sailors on the ships they own are members of a seamen’s union, as they are likely to be, and a general strike occurs, what chance have they of seeing the vessel carry their produce or bring their supplies?”

“It is evident that the Yankee soldiers who went to the war do not entertain any love for things German, ” remarked the Spinster. “I notice that an American Mayor had to stop further, performances of a German opera, in consequence of the violent indignation of a number of returned soldiers.”

“That is all very satisfactory iu one 'sense no doubt, ” said the Sage. “It shows that some Americans have learned to dislike what Germany did, but it is difficult to understand why it should follow that what is called German music is bad, or why it should be regarded as obnoxious. As a matter of fact most of Germany’s great composers were Jews, and the Jew has had no nationality since the destruction of the Temple. There are also Germans and Germans—Germans like the Kaiser and his criminal progeny, and Germans who are no doubt imbued with the same feeling as their great poet Goethe, who, when he was asked why he did not write some military songs, said ‘How can I write hate, when I do not feel it.’ ’’

“T may also remark,” said the Historian, “that the cables the other day brought news of the death of one of German descent who was honored by being made a British Viscount in recognition of great services to the Empire and his xm bounded charity. Viscount Astor was the son of a German born near Heidelberg, whose success in the fur trade in America enabled him to lay the foundations of the family fortune.”

‘‘‘l take off my hat,” said the Sport, “to that Australian Judge who decided that income from betting is not liable to taxation. But if this is correct in law, why should Governments tax the income from the bets made cn the tote?” “Don’t be too sure that the Judge’s dictum will stand,” said the Clerk. “Very frequently decisions are reversed, and circumstances alter cases.”

“Moreover, ” murmured the Cynic, “even Judges have been known to het, and why should they encourage the plundering of their income by the tax-gatherer?”

A JAYE PENNE,