NEWS FROM THE CAPITAL

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1926, Page 11

NEWS FROM THE CAPITAL

INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION OVER-ZEALOUS MEMBERS. DUKE’S DOMINION SUIT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Dec. 10. No doubt many curious experiences will befall Jjhe Duke of York during his impending visit to New Zealand. That was the experience of the Prinee of Wales when he was here a few years ago, and the heir to the Throne adapted himself so readily and so cheerily to the humour and the customs of the country that nothing less will be expected of his brother. The members of the Wellington Industrial Association, at any rate, are counting upon the Duke not ouiy accepting their hospitality with ready appreciation, but also assisting them, as a matter of course, in advertising their manufactured goods. If they have their way His Royal Hig.iness will make a public appearance in Wellington during his visit clad entirely in goods manufactured within the Dominion. Some doubts were expressed at Tuesday’s meeting of the association, to the possibility of procuring braces and studs of New Zealand manufacture, but the optimistic president was confident that sueh trifling details would be easily arranged. It would lie a fine advertisement for the Dominion, he said, to see His Highness in Dominion clothes. Another ardent advertiser urged, or seemed to urge, that every single stiteh of the Duke’s apparel should bear the trade mark of New Zealand enterprise. BEYOND A JOKE.. The only doubting heart at the meet* ing, so far as can be gathered from the newspaper reports of the proceedings, was that of a timid member, who readHy admitted the value of the advertisement, but was not quite sure of its good taste. “Yes, it will be good taste all right,” this diffident person was assured by the confident chairman, “and they’ll be good clothes, too, for as Von all know, gentlemen, we can manufacture things here as well as they can in any other part of the world.” The only public protest that has been raised against this proposed outrage upon all the proprieties figures in the Dominion’s comic cuts this morning. Here the Duke is depicted throwing aside English volumes that he may read only New Zealand literature; being refused bananas at table because they are not New Zealand fruit; eschewing picture shows except those screening New Zealand subjects; declining to ride in anything but a New Zealand-made car; smoking, with dire results, a New Zealand-manufac-tured cigar, and finally, appearing in the picturesque, though somewhat scanty, costume of the primitive Maori. Perhaps humour is the best weapon by which such a preposterous proposal as that of the Industrial Association can be squashed, but the authorities should make quite sure tbe Royal visitor will not be confronted by an invitation to become a showman. ANOTHER TRIPPER.’ In this morning’s papers the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, the acting-Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, explains why Mr. R. E. Hayes, the Secretary of the Treasury, is being sent Home. 'I desire,” the Minister says, “to correct the general tenor of the statement published as to the objects of tbe Secretary of the Treasury’s visit to London. From the statement, as published, it might appear that one of the main objects of the visit is to make further inquiries into the system of rural credits. This is incorrect. The main object of Mr. Hayes’ visit is concerned with general questions of the organisation of finance as between the High Commissioner's Office and New Zealand, and also as to the machinery in connection with the raising of loans. There arc also certain other important questions affecting the Treasury of a technical nature which will be reported on by Mr. Hayes.” The Minister went on to say that so far as the rural credits were concerned, the Government had obtained all the information it requires through the Royal Commission which reported last year. The Treasury had now only to arrange certain administrative details before bringing the Act of last session into operation. COSTLY EDUCATION. When the present Minis'.er of Finance says that a certain expenditure of public money is necessary the average Wellington business man accepts his word without grumbling. There has been, however, a good deal of talk here lately •in commercial and financial circles, as well as in labour circles, in regard to the number of public servants that are being sent to England, or elsewhere, to acquire information which, the critics think, could be obtained by correspondence, cable or some other* less costly means. During the last year or two. so the critics aver, thirty or forty public officials have been sent abroad to learn things which they already should have known, and on their return have brought back no more information than was available on the spot. Thia was so, they declare, with the rural credits Royal Commission, “a sop to the Farmers’ Union,” and it is safe to say other missions and commissions have been no more fruitful. The example set by the Government has been followed by the Meat Board and the Dairy Board, until the cost of travelling falling upon the community has become quite a material item in the taxpayers' burden.

THE TRADE RETURNS. The latest Monthly Abstract issued from the Statistical Office gives the trade returns of the Dominion for the ten months to the end of October. The exports for the period amounted to £39,020,207, as compared with £46.149,945 for the corresponding term of last year, there being a decrease of £7.127,1738. During the calendar year of 1925 the exports totalled £48,132.534. and if we are to get equal result for the current year, then the exports in November and December would require to lx* as high as £9,112,327, and that is impossible of attainment with produce prices as they stand. Wool is mainly responsible for the big decline in exports, the figures being £10,732,701, against £16,078,304. Frozen meat was also depressed. The exports of beef amounted to £490,806, against £699,614; frozen lamb £5,415,860, against £6,389/527; and frozen mutton £1,987,095, against €2,500,547. The imports for the ten months amounted to £41,741.128, against £42.989,176, a shrinkage of £l,200,000, which is insufficient. Tlic biggest item in the imports is motor-ears.