THE VOICE OF THE PRESS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 38, 16 February 1929, Page 5

THE VOICE OF THE PRESS

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY* CURRENT EVENTS REVIEWED, ( I.: 11l ' i ' .Ia.iLLOANSjfAND EXPENDITURE. There is a great deal of wisdom, bfoltih theoretical and practical, pin the remarks on public finance made publicly by Professor Copland at Christchurch yesterday. As Dean of the faculty of Commerce at Melbourne, the professor naturally speaks with authority, and the advice that he has given on public borrowing and expenditure is obviously based upon sound principles. That public borrowing for the promotion of settlement and the development of national resources should be required to justify itself on commercial or financial lines” is a fair argument as far as it goes. But it appears to leave Out of account the immensely important indirect effects of such expenditure in stimulating the growth of the young nation and of it's commerce and industry. For example, the value to his country of the railway system initiated by Vogel’s Public Works policy nearly seventy years ago, and built out of loans, is «ot to he measured by reference Departmental balance-sheets or profit and loss returns. —Auckland Star. UNEMPLOYMENT. The Main Highways Board exists to construct, improve, and maintain, roads. It is no part of its duty to collect funds which it cannot gpend or to accumulate revenue not required for reading—except - insofar as it 1 may build up a fund for works which are definitely planned. ' Neither is it the Board’s function to undertake special relief works. Its funds are for roads. If those funds can, without economic loss, be applied at such a time and in such a way as to afford relief itoi unemployment, a double benefit will be given to the community. On general principles it is to the advantage-pf the road-donsit'ructing authorities |to work in such a way as t G give this relief. The wise employer will always put work in hand, when labour is plentiful, if he has the funds. It will pay the Main Highways Board to do the same, hut this should not he carried to the extent of dissipating funds on unnecessary works. The Highways Board is a trustee for the people from whom, its revenue is derived,' and its first duty is tb see that they have value for their money.—Wellington Post. FAULTY LEGISLATION.

A reently eleted member of the House of Representatives, who delares it was the bane of regulations by Order-in-Counll that first brought he sympathised with Mr Wright, the him into public life, states that while late Minister of Education, in his, dilemma, he could not understand why the Reform Party driven to make such extensive use of Ord-ers-in-Council to give effect to its legislation. To, say that the retention of those orders was due to the exigencies of tire war was simply absurd, h e contended. The late Government had had ten or twelve sessions of Parliament since the conclusion of the war in which fid repair it's faulty laws and yet it was only during its last month or two in office that it even talked about tackling the job. This authority admitted that he had not been in the “business” long enough Boi learn much about the procedure of Parliament, but already he was satisfied “regulating,” as he .understood it, was much overdone. —Manawatu Times, , 1_ i | SUBDIVISION WANTED. . The purchase of an estate between Palmerston and Feilding for closer settlement is an earnest of the inmention of the Liberal Government to put land settlement in the forefront of its programme. This estate is only a beginning. It will be subdivided into ten or twelve dairy farms and will provide a good living forj that many new settlers. The North Island’s greater suitability for dairy farming has undoubtedly tended greatly towards an increase of pouplation in that quarter, and it is probably that the subdivision of estates will take place chiefly where dairy farming is possible. But the market for all of i our primary products is so well established that' land settlement in \ every part Of New Zealand must he looked to for the solution of most of our economic difficulties, and a courageous policy of subdivision should be embarked upon.—Christchurch Star.