NEWS AND VIEWS.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 20 May 1922, Page 2

NEWS AND VIEWS.

FROM THE CAPITAL CITY, (From our own Correspondent). WELLINGTON, May in Business men here are not surprised by the failure of the deputation from the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce to obtain the concessions it sought from the General Manager of Railways. Their own experience is very similar to that of their Southern friendfe. Mr McVilly is courtesy itself to everyone who comes to interview him, and nobody questions his ability; but, having made up his mind on a subject, neither arguments nor eloquence will move him. Being obsessed, with the idea that declining revenue must be repaired l by increased charges, he refuses positively to entertain any other suggestion. He always is ready to confer with the Chambers of Commerce and other bodies of the kind, but be rarely shows any disposition to accept their recommendto tions. Just whjit his attitude towards the new system of administration will be remains to be seen, but the Minister and the Advisory Board are not likely to have things all their own way. The statement Mr Massey made th© other d'ay seemed to imply a return to Ministerial control, and this change inevitably would affect the status of the General Manager, but he still would remain the commanding figure in the management. POSTAGE CHARGES.

The Postmaster-General’s announcement at Dannevirke to the effect that the Post Office has had a good year and that in consequence it may be possible to provide the public with a cheaper service has been received with general satisfaction in the city. But business men and others compelled to make extensive use of the post and telegraph offices are very far from admitting that the best means of restore ing the revenue have been adopted. The greatly increased charges, they say, have had the effect of interrupting the natural growth of the activities of the department, and, in addition, have inflicted quite unnecessary loss and inconvenience upon business houses and the general public. The first rise may have been excusable, in the very special circumstances which existed at the time; but the second was intolerable and at once was reflected iff the revenue. Simply the public was taxed beyond its capacity to respond and many thousands of pounds were turned away from the departments. The business community will be satisfied with no reduction that does not take the charges back to the early war rates.

A FORE-RUNNER The meeting to be heldl in the Wellington, at which Mr H. E. Holland, M.P., will expound the policy of the official Labor Party, is being boomed as the biggest event in the history of

the party since it first declared its political independence. Curious people unassociated' with the movement attended’ in considerable numbers a meeting addressed last night by Mr A. C. Willis, the secretary of the Miners’ Federation, in anticipation of hearing something of the impending announcement from the speaker’s chief. But they were disappointed. Mr Willis spoke mainly on the “socialising of finance,” and told his audience that if the Labor Party was to be of use the first thing it should do was to “liberate the workers from the vicious circle of financial international creditors” and replace them by the representatives of the people. “The New Zealand and the Australian Labor Parties,” he added with emphasis, “have not the courage to say what is true, but I will. You will have to get down to fhe question of financial credits.” Probably few members of the audience understood what Mr Willis was talking about, but the majority of them applauded his remarks vociferously. THE LABOR PARTY.

If Mr Holland touches upon the ques, tion of “socialising finance” at all at his meeting he probably will handle is more tactfully than did Mr Wilhs. He is not entering upon the approaching election campaign with the idea entertained by the secretary of the Miners’ Federation, that if this were made the »ne question at the polls his party would -be well consoled by the amount of educational work it would, do for the loss of every seat. Mr Holland has had opportunities of observation his friend has not enjoyed. The years he has sat in Parliament have

brought him to distinguish between the practicable and the impracticable, arid to look with less than his former contempt upon the half loaf when offered as the only alternative to no bread. Apparently there is no truth whatever in the story that he is coquetting with the new Liberal-Labor Party, but it is fairly obvious he and his colleagues are anxious to spread their net a little wider than they did at the last general election.