NEWS AND VIEWS.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 16 May 1922, Page 2

NEWS AND VIEWS.

FROM THE CAPITAL CITY. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, May 13. At the end 1 of last month the Minister in charge of the Government Printing Office, in pursuit of the Cabinet’s policy of economy, decreed that such official as the Statutes, Hansard', Journals of the House, and the Gazette should be no longer supplied free of charge to public libraries, with the exception of those in the four chief centres. The result has been a loud outcry from the provincial' libraries which argue, with some show of reason, that country people, perhaps with only a limited newspaper service, stand! much urcently in need of these publications than do the town people. Had the Minister included the four big cities in his economising effort he probably would have escaped much of the criticism that is being heaped upon him, but the discrimination he has exercised! has set two-thirdis of the members of Parliament bombarding him with tetters of protest and it is quite on the cards that in the end he will have to give way. REPATRIATION. There has been much talk lately of the continued' expenditure in connection with the Repatriation Department, but so far as can be gathered from official statements the cost of this effort on behalf of returned soldiers is being rapidly reduced. There can be no doubt, however, that at one time the activities of the Department got somewhat out of hand. With plenty of money available the District Committees gave free play to their very natural and proper sympathies, and in some cases made advances which never will be recovered. The Minister, however, is now giving his personal attention to the business and the staff of the Department, and its expenditure will be largely reduced at the end of next month. Speaking generally, the repayments have been well maintained, most of the men making commendable efforts to keep faith with the Department, but, as was inevitable from the first, a certain number of bad. debts have been incurred, and these in the ordinary course will be added to the cost of the war. THE POOLS. The meat pool is. already being followed by a more than halffledged" butter pool, and now there is a timber pool in sight. 'What Mr Massey will make of his babies is a matter for the Prime Minister himself to decide, but it is a little surprising to find a large section of the Labor Party rejoicing over their birth. Mr Massey long ago claimed to be the best Liberal in the House of Representatives, and by his adoption of Liberal measures he has done a good deal to justify the claim, but now many of the workers profess to believe he is on a fair way to becoming a good Socialist, well disposed towards the nationalisation of the means of production, transport and exchange. Of course it is an extravagant fancy, put forward in jest, but it reflects to some l extent the fears of Mr Massey’s political friends who are not yet reconciled to his excursions into State trading.

P. AND T. OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION. The delegates representing the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association who gathered here last week to consider the position created by the Postmas-ter-General’s veto of the Association’s proposal to affiliate with the Alliance of Labor still! are, sitting in conference. -The Executive of the Association interviewed the Minister on. Saturday in private, but it is understood little progress was made towards a settlement. Rumor has it that the Executive suggested' the Association in return for abandoning its idea of affiliation should be given a special tribunal to deal with its grievances, and that the Minister declined to consider the suggestion till the Association definitely submitted to the ruling of the constituted authorities'. The delegates met again this morning and probably will see the Minister this afternoon with an alternative suggestion. The popular opinion now is that the Association will further modify its demands and find the Government disposed to make some minor concessions.