NEWS FROM THE CAPITAL

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1926, Page 14

NEWS FROM THE CAPITAL

TROUBLES OF CONTROL THE LONDON MANAGER. CABLEGRAMS FROM HOME (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Nov. 2. Some astonishment is being expressed here at the publication this wii. jig of a cabled message supplied by the Press Association’s Invercargill agent in which the opinion of Mr. Stronach Paterson, the Government's representative at the Dairy Board’s London agency, concerning the board’s London manager is set out with brutal candour. Having strongly urged that the board ■‘should dispense with the present manager” who, in his judgment, “completely lacks the confidence of the trade,” and “can never secure the trade’s goodwill and co-operation,” Mr. Paterson proceeds to commend to the attention of the board and the Government a successor to Mr. Wright. “An eminently suitable man of great experience and of the highest standing in the trade,” he says, “is prepared to negotiate for the position if and when it becomes vacant, but declines to allow his name to be disclosed unless and until the board creates the vacancy. In any case, anticipate no difficulty in replacing Wright by a more suitable man.” This statement is' made all the more startling by the fact that Mr. Wright, who for many years has been associated with the New Zealand butter trade, was the nominee of the large interests favourable to absolute control. He was eulogised as the only man capable of filling the very desirable position he now occupies, and was reported to have dictated. the terms of his engagement. “WHATEVER THE COST.” The more astounding part of Mr. Paterson’s message is that in which means are suggested for getting rid of Mr. Wright at a minimum cost. “I believe firstly,” he says, “that in view of section 2 of the Act, it is at least very doubtful whether Wright has an enforceable contract against the board; secondly, if he has such a contract and the board decides to dispense with his services, the measure of damages would be salary for balance of period, less what he might reasonably be expected to earn during the same period, but on these points the board will doubtless take legal advice before a final decision. In the event of deciding to dispense with Wright’s services, I would suggest that the board should authorise agency at discretion to arrange amicably the best terms, or alternatively notify Wright on board’s behalf of termination of services, and if board decides it is advisable to make any payment in lieu of notice, such should be made with a denial of liability. Whatever the cost, believe change of manager essential.” The climax of the whole matter is reached when Mr. Paterson concludes his indictment of the present London manager with an intimation that it is being forwarded with the cognisance of the Prime Minister, which may be taken as an indication that Mr. Coates approves of its contents. On the face of these facts it looks as if the unhappy Mr. Wright, who seems to have had greatness thrust upon him, were entitled, to some sympathy. NEW ZEALAND AND AVIATION. Some years before the outbreak of the Great War, which did so much to accelerate the progress of aviation the world over, Sir Henry Wigram, then a member of the Legislative Council, made urgent appeals to the Government to give serious attention to the approaching conquest of the air and its occupation. But the Government paid little practical attention to his representations, and even when he and his personal friends spent thousands of pounds in establishing the flying school at Sockburn, they obtained little encouragement and the barest recognition from the authorities. By this time, Mr. Coates, a private member of the House, was off to the war, and so need not be associated, with the apathy of his predecessors in office. But during the discussion of air communications at the Imperial Conference the other day, he had to confess on his own behalf, as well as theirs, that New Zealanders had not a flying sense because they had not had an opportunity to develop it-. If an air line were established with Australia, he added, it would give New Zealand an objective, but the country could not pledge itself to expenditure upon an air-mast. It is messages of this sort coming from London at the present time which makes the Prime Minister’s friends doubt if he is being adequately reported. To quibble over the cost of an air-mast on an occasion like this is not in keeping with Mr. Coates’ customary attitude towards Imperial enterprises. NOT SO BAD. The Dominion thinks the Prime Minister has been altogether too modest in his confession. “The discussion on aviation at the Imperial Conference,” it says, “would, seem to suggest that we in New Zealand have been rather backward in developing its civil side. Even Mr. Coates had to admit that Canada has made extensive use of the aeroplane for surveying and for patrolling the forest areas on the look-out for fires. In Australia, according to Mr. Bruce, aviation has become part of country life. Mr. Coates told the Conference that New Zealand so far had merely cultivated the aeroplane for its utility in the defence of the country, not for commercial purposes. We have really gone a little further than that. According to the annual report of the Defence Department, presented to last session of Parliament, the military air service did useful work in surveying the Waimakariri water-shed and the southern glacier region, and also conducting a survey for a North Island aerodrome. We are also building up, slowly, a small air fleet of fighting and ordinary machines.” The Dominion, it is to be feared, protests over much. There are no fighting machines, worthy of the name, in New Zealand, and the ordinary machines are just ordinary.