WELLINGTON NOTES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18443, 29 March 1922, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(Special to “Chronicle.") WELLINGTON, March 27, FREIGHTS AND A FLAT RATE. There was an interesting little discussion at the Wellington Harbour Board meeting last week on the subject of freights. Mr G. Mitchell suggested that the Board should take action to induce the shipping companies to alter their present practice of charging a flat rate of freight from all ports, whether the port was a good harbour equipped with all modern appliances or a roadstead in which the produce had to be lightered out to the ship. He argued that the flat rate encouraged wasteful expenditure on the development of small harbours, when it would be much better to carry the produce overjand to the larger port, and, further, that the shipping companies could only maintain the flat rate by charging the expense of working the small ports against all cargo. Naturally members of the Board (which is the board of a big port) agreed with Mr Mitchell’s theory that it would be better for the Dominion generally to concentrate the shipping in the larger ports. The only exception was the representative of the shipping companies who held that differentiation would lead to greater trouble than the present system. Several members of the Board considered, however, that it was not the Board’s duty to take action, beyond charging a fair rate for the facilities that it afforded to shipping. If anything were to bo done it was the province of the general Government to do it. Accordingly no action was taken.. Had the Board decided to approach the Government it would, no doubt, have informed that previous governments have tried to deal with this question, and have had to support differential railway freights in the face of much local opposition.. Such interference is not popular.

ROAD VERSUS RAILWAY. There is ample proof that the Government is quite sincere in its promise to proceed with main road legislation next session. Arrangements are being made for a conference of motor interests and local body representatives to consider the measure before the session. Another indication of the mood of the Government is to be found in references to the competition between roads and railways. Reduction of railway freights will not dispose of this altogether, and the reason was made plain in a recent speech by the General Manager of Railways. What enabled the motor man to compete, he said, was the high rate of charges between the shed and the store at the other end. The railway had to expend £287 a mile for railroad maintenance alone, and the motorman had to pay nothing for the upkeep of the road. This appears to be one key to the position. If the railways were relieved of permanent way maintenance charges and interest on the cost of constructing the railways, they would be competing with the motors ou a fairer basis than at present. This fact has been placed prominently before Ministers lately, and it is realised that the main roads policy also touches the railways at a vital point—the point of finance.

HOSPITAL CHARGES. The Wellington Hospital Board has decided at once to fall into line with the Health Department’s request and increase It’s charge to 9/per day or £3/3/ per week. Hitherto the charge has been 7/6 per day. There w r as some opposition to the increase, led mainly by the Labour representatives, who argued that the present was not a time when any charges should be increased. Against this it was pointed out that the Hospital was no lon_jr an institution maintained by the tate for the benefit of the poor. It was patronised by many who could well afford to pay these charges, for which they received good value. Poor people were not pressed to pay. There is no doubt about the ability of some of the public hospital patients to pay. Even though Wellington is well provided with large private hospitals the equipment of the public hospital is so good and it enjoys such advantages in the skill of a selected honorary medical staff, besides having a most efficient medical and nursing staff of its own, that many people who can pay prefer to enter it to entering some of the private hospitals. The doctors recognise the advantages which so large an institution affords, particularly in the opportunities for specialisation. That is why the movement for the addition of private wards is growing steadily stronger.

REPRESENTATION BOARD. A distinctly interesting part of the interview with Senator Pearce which he gave to a Wellington reporter on his arrival here after the Washington conference was the reference to the necessity for Australian and New Zealand representation at such conferences. Speaking after personal experience he said that it was absolutely essential that the Commonwealth and the Dominion should have direct representation. Without any reflection upon their ability he said that no one in the United Kingdom could adequately represent the overseas dominions at such a conference. “Because of our environment” he said, “we have a different angle of view from the United Kingdom. It is not that they ate unsympathetic or do not want t > put our point of view but they do not see things from the same angle." The most important part of the work of the overseas representatives, from Senator Pearce’s point of vi-.-w, was the influence exercised on the other members of the Empire delegation. The members of the delegation conferred together and when the views came to be expressed to the conference in plenary session there was only one spokesman—-an Empire representative. This is interesting as there was some hesitation concerning the sending of a New Zealand representative to the conference. In some quarters it was thought that

after Mr Massey had so recently expressed the New Zealand viewpoint at the Imperial Conference there was no necessity for direct representation at Washington. It was only Mr Massey’s knowledge of the issues involved that caused him to make every effort to overcome the difficulties in the way of representation. GETTING DOWN TO BEDROCK. Wellington grocers are endeavouring to get their prices ba:k to bedrock. People who were content to give their orders all to the same grocer, without caring very much whether his prices were a penny above or a penny below those of his competitors, are now paying attention to the odd pence. The consequence is a renewal of real competition and the householder is benefiting. One result is that an endeavour is being made to cut out all prize competitions and discount coupons. One argument advanced for the elimination of these attractions to customers is that they tend to falsify the returns furnished to the Government Statistician with reference to the movement of retail prices. For example the grocer who sells a pound of tea for 2/6, and gives with it a discount coupon worth 2d might appear to be selling the tea for 2/6 net, thus hiding a part of the fall in prices. Probably far more is being made of the point than it is worth, for the Government Statistician is not content to accept prices from one grocer alone. His returns are made up from figures obtained from several sources. That is why people who buy only from one source think the figures misleading. Anyway a discount coupon for 2d does not always mean a reduction of 2d in the price of the articles, from the grocer’s point of view. The grocer pays out only on those discount coupons that are saved and returned —and very many are lost.