The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1933. THE BUSINESS MEN’S COMMITTEE.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18878, 23 February 1933, Page 6

The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1933. THE BUSINESS MEN’S COMMITTEE.

The Business Men’s Committee of Wellington have seized upon the talk of a quota for butter as an argument against the recent increase in the rate of exchange. Their contention is an example of muddled thinking very unworthy of business men. They say that the proposal from London for a quota was brought about as a retaliation for a moral breach of the Ottawa agreement. The P ro " posals from London come from those engaged in the business of selling Hew Zealand butter, and they are thinking of the price and not of Ottawa. As far as Englishmen are concerned the exchange has not so far affected them, and they will doubtless be glad of the opportunity of buying New Zealand butter for lOd per lb. The suggestion of a quota does not come from those who eat the butter, but from those who sell it, and the latter are quite willing that their correspondents should receive whatever assistance may be had. Those who are so perturbed about the moral aspect of the Ottawa agreement have failed to note that the London Times, referi’ing to our currency, never mentions Ottawa. It points out that Mr Downie Stewart had no alternative proposal to make, and it looks forward to British manufacturers obtaining some benefit from the increased spending power of farmers. The Times is more likely to represent British opinion than the surmises of the business men. This Business Men’s Committee resolutely shut its eyes to what is happening elsewhere. The exchange value of sterling is 30 per cent, below that of the dollar. Moreover, the financial policy is directed against any great rise in the exchange value of sterling. Exchange is a matter that must be decided by the internal conditions of any country, and we have had sufficient proofs of this in many countries in the last few years. On the question of the tariff the Business Men speak with two voices. They think that the Dairy Board’s suggestion that duties be reduced 15 per cent, is impracticable, and a threat to secondary industries. They also ask that the British Government be assured that the oustoms tariff will be reviewed in terms of the Ottawa agreement as soon as possible. The British Government are not asking for assurances, but would doubtless be glad to know that the review is an accomplished fact. The Business Men seem to think that a review of the tariff is necessary, but that if a reduction is made at the suggestion of the Dairy Board it would do harm. It is difficult to follow these Business Men in their reasoning. We asked once before that the particulars of this New Zealand Business Men’s Committee should be made public. How many does it represent, and are the manifestoes it puts forward the considered opinion of any reasonable number. Without holding an exaggerated view of the capacity of business men to deal with national problems, it is fair to admit their willingness to see things are they are. It is hard to believe that many of them have had any hand in the published views of the Business Men’s Committee during the past month or six weeks. At the present time, business men, and not only the committee, are determined to take a gloomy view. It must be admitted that there is little to cheer us, either in New Zealand or the world outside, but it is ever darkest before the dawn, and there are not wanting signs of change. Twelve months ago, nobody in America would have dared to question the merits of high protection. Now it is done freely, not only by financial authorities in New York, but also by farmers in the Middle West. If conditions in America change we may see economic depression lift, and attention may be paid to pressing questions of European territoi’y. What is still more pressing are the changes taking place in the Far East. It is a world agitated by troubles of all kinds and unable to consider anything but how to provide a living for those half employed and those wholly unemployed, and yet its thoughts are urgently wanted elsewhere. Boneath financial disorganisation lies political ineptitude, and beneath that again lie moral shortcomings. THE REVOLT IN ALWAR. » -<2>— Unrest has long been smouldering in the hills of Alwar and it lias now flared up into an open insurrection. It will need more than trainloads of troops from British India to extinguish it. Alwar is a small Indian State with a population slightly larger than that of New Zealand in an area about the size of Taupo County. The tribe of Meos who are now revolting against the rule of their Maharajah are a sturdy race with an old reputation for fighting abilities; they have long supplied a disproportionate number of recruits to the Indian Army. Moslems themselves in a predominantly Hindu population, the Meos are mainly agriculturists; their women do not keep purdah and are alleged to do better work in the fields than the men. The grievances which have led to this outbreak are both economic and cultural. The Meo villagers have protested that the taxation on the land is too high, and they remained unimpressed when their Maharajah told them (at a durbar held to commemorate the twenty-ninth anniversary of his accession) that the agrarian difficulties were due to general world causes outside his control. General world causes meant singularly little to the Meos; their refusal to pay taxes precipitated the outbreak. It is not at present clear how far the agitation has developed along communal lines; no doubt, however, the political trouble has provided a chance for attacks on the hated Hindu moneylenders; no doubt also the struggle of the Alwar Moslems is being followed with intense sympathy by thoir co-religionists without. Hence the risk of wider repercussions. The Maharajah’s promise in December to hold an inquiry into Meo grievances has not served to stave off this armed revolt. He has agreed to introduce Urdu (the Moslemused variety of Hindustani), along with more Moslem teachers, into the State schools; he has also consented to remit taxation on the Meos where it is shown to be necessary. But it is probable that he will have to carry through further reforms with any help that British India can give him, before Alwar has permanent peace again. _______________

RESPONSIBILITY FOR SKIDDING.

After prolonged proceedings in court, with many hearings and arguments offered on both sides, a German motorist has been awarded damages against; the City of Berlin because he skidded on a wet, road surface. The municipal authorities have been held responsible for his aceidont; in the viow of the court had the road been in better condition the accident would never have occurred.

German motorists are said to he highly pleased with this result, and their pleasure seems to he well founded, since the decision puts municipalities under a plain obligation to keep their road surfaces in a state that will make skidding as rare as possible. However, it also reminds the motorist Hint, ho, too, must do all ho can to avoid that risk, for the driver in question would never have won his ease if it could have been shown that his tyres were worn ami his speed excessive.

In this country also it is possible to hold a municipal authority responsible for acts of negligence which lead to accidents on the roads, hut the negligence would have to he undeniably obvious before the claimant could get his verdict. A large and unguarded hole in the road might bring about that result, hut an action for damages because the surface was slippery in wet weather would not stand much chance of success. Many New Zealand drivers, reflecting on the German case and its moral, may wish that (he position were different; there are many miles of road surface in this country which offer more encouragement to skidding than they need do, and many of them are found on busy main roads. By a “lop dressing" of clippings and some of the patent tar preparations it is possible to make old roads much safer both for motors and horses than some are at present, hut all local authorities arc not equally ready to apply the treatment.

For one reason or another the winter months bring their steady toll of that most uncontrollable of all accidents, the sudden skid in an utterly unintended direction. It' the German ease serves as a general reminder of one reason for those accidents its benelits will not be couliued to Berlin.