The Daily News. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1920. NEED FOR PROGRESS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1920. NEED FOR PROGRESS.

A' sapient naturalist once remarked that "one man walks through the world with his eyes open, another with his eyes shut, and upon this difference depends all the superiority of knowledge whioh one man acquires over another." It by no means follows, however, that superiority of knowledge is all that is needful in administering the affairs of a country; it is the application of knowledge in a practical way that enables progress to be made—the expenditure of a ceaseless, well-directed energy that counts, for thereby alone can a man's usefulness to his fellows be accurately measured. However sound may be the intentions of our rulers we all know whither the pathway paved with'good intentions leads. It is accomplishment—the recognition of needs and the overcoming of all obstacles to their attainment—that is so essential to progress. In no branch of State activity is this fact so true as in the development of the railways. In the past much goo'd work has been accomplished in this direction, but some serious errors have been made that call for rectification, while much remains to be done. Just at the time when a vigorous policy is needed, inertia is painfully evident, except in tho direction of increased working expenses. The great prosperity of the country and the large spending power of the people, together with the increases in fares and freights, have caused a marked increase each year of late, the gross earnings last year being over five millions and three quarters, and it is estimated that the current year will produce at least six millions. The working costs, however, have been advancing at an even greater rate, with the result that the percentage of profit has fallen in the last four years from 5.30 per cent to 4.53 per cent. The public are not much concerned over the earning power of the railways, though it is only right that the railways should pay, and that the charges should be equitable. The policy that has been looked for—as yet in vain—is one of businesslike energy and a complete linking up of all t'he railways so that settlement might be facilitated. Incidentally it is thought that the application of the .true principles of economy would be beneficial, and that when the errors in construction due to the blunders of the past are rectified a great saving will be effected. Labor and material, it is true, have been scarce and expensive, but this fact should have moved the Government to concentrate on .the most essential workSj

leaving the minor undertakings until things become more normal. As a matter of fact this policy was vigorously advocated when the Reform Party was in opposition—and an admirable policy it was—but when the opportunity came to give effect to the policy the Government prefers the line of least resistance, and continues the old wasteful and unsatisfactory policy. In New Zealand to-day the | most urgent and the most important public work is the completion of the Stratford Main Trunk line. Its completion would give access to a million acres of good land, it would tap extensive coalfields, and the heavy loss now made on the uncompleted line would at once be converted into a substantial profit. The Stratford line finished, the Government could then concentrate on the East Coast line, and so' on until all the main railways were completed.

a wise precaution: The action of the House oil Thursday, in agreeing to the amendments made by the Council in the War Regulations Continuance Bill, will he generally endorsed by all rational citizens of the Dominion. The war revealed the fact that there were some very undesirable foreigners in the ranks of Labor, not only in New Zealand but in other countries, who were capable of committing 1 dastardly crimes, particularly connected with shipping. The chief amendment was to block these foreigners from taking part in the loading and unloading of ships, unless a permit was obtained from the police. Many of the extreme Laborites are hand in glove with those who resort to direct action and openly avow their anarchistic tendencies. They are quite welcome to the comradeship of such men as those against whom the amendment is to 1 operate, but the Government would have been lacking in their first duty—safeguarding the public—had they not taken the action they did. It is the dangerous men who are spreading themselves throughout the world from whose machinations protection is necessary. Having satisfied themselves that the clause vjas necessary, the Government asked the House to make it law, and there was no hesitation in complying with .the request, it being carried by o4 votes to .7. That such a law should be necessary is one of the unpleasant signs of the times. The recent outrage in Wall Street has demonstrated how necessary it is to take all reasonable precautions against the operation of a section of workers whose presence is a menace to any country. The net cannot he too tightly drawn round these advocates of terrorism, and there is no doubt that the next step may be to have a general clearing out of all those who are fostering industrial unrest.