The Voice of the PRESS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19933, 31 August 1927, Page 13

The Voice of the PRESS

idhat the papers are SAUinq

UNEMPLOYMENT POLICY In a country like New Zealand it is undoubtedly possible to prevent, and not merely paliate, unemployment, by using capital and labour to the best advantage. A complete and methodical survey of industrial and marketing conditions is necessary before the matter can be dealt with in specific terms, but undoubtedly it is possible to reach in this country a pitch of industrial organisation which would eliminate unemployment. Pending a complete survey of the whole position, unemployment may be relieved with much greater advantage to all concerned by putting special works in hand than by adopting permanent measures of palliation which undoubtedly would tend to make the trouble chronic.—Wairarapa Age. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY INDUSTRIES. To promote the advanaement of the country, and at the same time to supply local markets for primary products, secondary industries, with which towns cannot exist, are indispensable, and thus the interests of the primary producers are closely involved in the successful development of manufactures in the larger urban centres. Just as England has injured her agricultural and pastoral industries by concentrating solely on manufactures, so New Zealand may cripple herself in the future if she relies on one type of industry and one source of national income alone. The means by which the growth of secondary industries may be best secured arc, of course, still open to discussion. — Auckland Star.

OIL SUPPLY. The Dominion is dependent on overseas sources for the whole of its light and heavy oil fuel. The total imports of all kinds of mineral oil represent a value of between three and four millions sterling, and the bulk of them come from the United States. It is easy to see that if, through the utiiraetion of a low temperature distillation process, the country could produce nearly all our own maeral oils and motor .spirit, an immense saving would be effected. Moreover, there is the possibility that, treated by such a process, the lignites of New Zealand would yield an abundant local supply of good steam coal, sufficient, perhaps, to render the Dominion practically independent of supplies from Australia. That the process of obtaining oil from coal is now commercially practicable was indicated in a recent cable message which stated that the Royal Dutch and Shell Oil group was negotiating with a German trust fur the exploitation <f oil derived from coal. —Otago Dairy Times. OUR COLLEGES There are still many living who can look back upon the foundation of the first New Zealand colleges. No one of them would claim to have foreseen, or at all realised, the triumphs of science and the fruits of persistent study, which, thanks to the university systems of the nations, have made the world a whispering gallery, and united the interests of ail peoples. The same systems are responsible for modern miracles which comet-like each day are stirring our sluggish imaginations. What luturc triumpns will come about through the activities of the New Zealand colleges no man living can say; unless civilisation goes down before powder and evil gases, those triumphs must be very grout. They will be well worth what they may have cost if, in addition to practical values, they shall have raised the stan-dard of mental conception, and glorified, rather than dimmed, humanity. —Poverty Bay Herald.

MOTOR TAXATION Both the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister are inclined to place the blame of heavy taxation on to local bodies. This is scarcely fair. The Government passed the Main Highways Act in order to relieve counties and road boards of the burden of maintaining the main highways. Why boroughs should be trc.\ed differently is aot clear. The board has subsidised the counties, and paid part of the cost, leaving the local bodies to do the rest. Now the Ministers blame the local ' bodies because the rates are high and ' complain of their extravagance. They are certainly not always wise, but we j think it would be found that they get better value for money spent than docs the Government. The Prime Minister says motor-cars pay £3 annual liceuse, while the upkeep of roads costs £6 per car. But after all the Government fixed those fees, and also passed a bill which exempts the private motor-car from any payment to local bodies. A man who I drives a motor-loiV for business pays ! a fee to a local bouy, but a man who drives a car for pleasure pays nothing. If the Prime Minister is considering methods of obtaining more revenue from motor transport he might deal with this anomaly. —Waikato Times. —— OUR SECONDARY INDUSTRIES It is quite obvious that a large proportion of the community earn their livelihood by means of these industries, and this furnishes a conclusive argument against those who talk airily about abandoning protection. It would be impossible for our secondary industries to stand against the competition of the older countries of the world. It may be a pity that the Dominions embarked on the business of manufacturing, but having done so, and having developed the business as they have done, it is quite impossible to abandon a policy which has had such results. We shall have to be careful, no doubt, not to bolster up unprofitable industries in the interests of a few. But where industries meet a real need and provide employment for large numbers of our people, there can be no question of the right course to pursue. This year a 'Tariff Bill will be presented to Parliament, and we sliall no doubt hear a great deal about the value of his iuhistry or that to the community. In leciding these claims the Ministry and Parliament will have ©opportunities of exercising their judgment and common sense.—Hawkes Bay Herald.

THE PILLAGE PROBLEM The most disturbing feature of the recent revelation in connection with losses through the pillage of cargoes is that by far the heaviest depredations are discovered in the trade between Australia and New Zealand and the Old Country. Shipowners in three years paid £176,000 to satisfy claims for losses in this trade, or about £59,000 a year, and it has to be remembered -nit this sum as well as the cost of fighting this form of thieving falls in the long run on the freights aud therefore penalises both the exporter who sends goods to the Old Country and the importer who brings in goods for sale in New Zealand. This means a substantial increase in the cost of living, because the sum involved is very much higher than, that represented by the settlement of claims. In addition the uncertainty introduced by these robberies has a serious effect on trade, penalising the people of this country and Australia in the long run. Evidently no definite proposals for combatting this evil have been made by the committee which has been investigating the subject, and die most that has been done is to make it more difficult for the thieves to open the cases, but this is not likely to provide a remedy. It may reduce the losses, but pillage will go on, whether on the boat or in the store, until there grows up a stronger morality which will convince every man working on the steamers, on the wharves, or in : he stores that their responsibilities extend beyond mere neutrality.—-Southland Times.

ARBITRATION QUESTIONS We strongly support the extension of a system of payment by results which will give the workers a direct interest in increased production; but the Court has power now to make awards, including piecework provisions. It has done so in some industries and it would probably extend the application of the principle were it not for the opposition of workers’ unions and the reluctance of employers to stir this opposition bypressing strongly for piecework awards. Parliament cannot make piecework general ami compulsory, and it is now permissive. Preference to unionists, though it may be a subject for great agitation by those who understand least of the workings of the Court, is not a root cause of present difficulties. It is now included in many awards by consent of the parties, and actually the employers’ organisations have not opposed it strongly. If the Court were now deprived of the power to include it, the effect would be felt not by the. strong militant unions, but by the weaker organisations which, stand in some need of protection.—Evening Post (Wellington).

THE SAMOAN COMMISSION Much will depend on the personnel of the commission and also on the order of reference. Unfortunately we cannot command the services of many men with first-hand knowledge of Island problems, and, of course, the work will be quite removed from the politic.il sphere. What probably would satisfy the people would be a commission empowered to investigate every aspect of the governance of the territory, with ample opportunity for hearing the view.of white residents and natives, as well as those of the officials entrusted with the work of administration. The object of the commission should not be limited to an investigation of the things of the past. What is wanted, above all else, is that a basis should be found for ensuring the willing co-opera-tion of all sections for the steady development of the group, and the betterment of the native people. Mr. Coates, when questioned, would not give an assurance that the drastic power recently acquired would not be enforced, pen cliug the report of the commission, but probably it will be found that the decision to appoint a commission of inquiry will have the result of maintaining the position as at present until the finding is made known. The real need is not so much to apportion praise or blame for the developments of recent years, as to indicate a course which will ensure the peace and prosperity of Western Samoa in the years that he ahead.—Lyttelton Times.

THE NEW POLITICAL PARTY It would appear that the new movement is inspired by members or friends of the old Liberal Party, and that its purpose is to gather in everyone who is dissatisfied with the Administration, then the party could laugh at anyone who should say its name was too long and too pretentious. But it cannot hope to do anything like that, for although a section generally and hitherto well-disposed towards the Government may have reason to dislike the Government’s policy in some particular, it will not necessarily support the Government’s enemies. It is one thing to feel vexed with the Government’s handling of some matter of policy of administration, but quite another thing to register that vexation by supporting a Party which will vex ten times as much. This Mr. Coates doubtless realises quite well. His strength, that is to say, is the disinclination of the people to trust his opponents. The hostile Parties can hope for nothing more than a slackening of the keenness with which the Reform supporters will work and fight for the Government. They have persistently striven to keep the moderate majority of electors devided in the face of the Socialist challenge, and they believe that this dangerous fissure can be widened by an exploitation of the mistakes the Government has made. It is not a patriotic or even sensible policy to follow, since it can only be advantageous to the Reds, who, although they are not making muck noise, are neither asleep nor idle. — Christchurch Press. DAYLIGHT SAVING BILL The debate upon the Summer-Time Bill, which was so tragically interrupted by the death of a Minister, his followed the beaten traek of former discussions. Not a shred of fresh evidence has been adduced by the supporters of the Bill to show that dairy farmers and their families are mistaken in thinking that the proposals of the Bill will entail unnecessary hardships upon them. As the Prime Minister pointed

out, a great number of settlers have just about as many’ difficulties to struggle with at present as they cun hope to overcome, and to add unnecessarily to their strain is almost a callous proceeding. The additional strain, moreover, is sure to affect the wives ayd daughters of the farm most of all. If some of the advocates of the Bill could learn at first hand what the life of the womenfolk on “wayback” farms really’ is, they would be less assured of their advocacy of any measure which will add to the burdens of women who are already accepting the hardest of conditions with cheerfulness that is in cases little short of heroic. Much is said about the need for cooperation between town and country. The townsman has now an opportunely of showing his regard for the man on the land, for if support for the Bill were withdrawn by the towns the proposed measure would soon be decently interred. The opposition in the House has shown no sign of weakening since last year. On the contrary, it is better organised and is putting up a better fight. The fact that exemptions have been agreed to in the case of miners and others shows the inherent weakness of the Bill, and that the demand for it is not unanimous even from workers in the towns. In these circumstances it would be far better to withdraw it altogether, or at least until conditions throughout the 'Dominion give cause for less anxiety than is the case at present. —Taranaki Herald.