NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 544, 26 June 1909, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

_ The other, day there was a little: rejoicing in one of the newspapers ovor ttai supposed fact that tho Arbitration' Act was triumphing, in clause and:principle, over the current depression. The rejoicing, it is now pretty plain, was a little proma'ture.i At Thursday's meeting of the Charitable Aid Board Mr. Mubdoch voiced the opinion, which many 'people know by experience to be correct,, that the labour laws. operate against tho roV lief of unemployment. The sharp strictions as to wages and conditions of employment have' made it .dangerous to give casual work to men out of-a job and anxious to earna.little money.' Of much interest and significance are somo of tho opinions'expressed by. a local unionist loader and reported lin another column. This gentleman,' in commenting on a sug-' gestion that unemployed seamen might bo put'to painting cortain of tho State's 'buildings, rather liked the idea, but •he added that— ; : ; : 'Ho did not wish to say or do anything that might Miijuro' tho' licst interests, of tho Painters' Union. '•■. For tflie sake of tho as-' sistaiice:that, might bo rendered to a, largo number-of the unemployed, he would bo ineh'ned to favourably consider any reasonable proposal to relax- some '.of. the-Testrietione- at prcsont in operation'; ; but such a'sten would have to bo very carefully. safeguarded, because it would; be;to somo.crtent dangerous.' ! i Coming from.a leading- trades-unionist, this very cautiously expressed recognition of the disadvantages of the Arbitration Apt and its rigid mandates is of some importance. _ No doubt, from the. 'Labour point of view, a suspension of the decrees made.under the Act is "to some extent dangerous."', But what the public will bo most interested \in is that suspension %of some .kind is.necessary. luo'Act is not, after all, so supreme over circumstances as a few; thoughtless pedple, imagine.'.

Thesweeping 'financial changes embodied mthe Budget proposals of the British,' Gpyerrimeiit seom. likely ,to overshadow, in public interest oven: the naval issue. ,The outcry which commenced'with the., bringing \ down ,of the Budget; has grown in volume.as time passed, and,the Chancellor' of the Exchequer's^.'explanations .:-,and modifications • fiavofailed to stem; the; tido of hostile feeling. The "enormous public, meeting" lield in London, as announced in this morning's cable news, merely serves to indicate the.attitude of a great part of the business popple., in the ,city. ,:,Party,., interests/and in;'order 'tomake .united protest' against; the ment's proposals. We have already: seen that; even.in. the.,ranks of the' Government'sfollowing- in Parliament the proposals have caused dissension. It is generally admitted that the increased burr dons' bf taxation proposed are'; .to be placed on .the shoulders of the' wealthy and fairly well-to-do—additions to -.'.- the income tax, extra stamp' duties, legacy duties, taxation' of. land,', royalties, dividends, etc. The; disputation begins .wh'on the effect of the new' taxation proposals is discussed—their, justice or . .injustice and their ultimate ■ inj ury to; the resources of the nation. , On .these points opinions differ so; widely;that, it '• is' impossible even : to .estimate bo : seemingly/ simple : ;an>:issue : ag thei "approximate yield, of rovenue' to be expected from the new proposals.';;. It would seem, howover, that' despite Itho ohtcry. from -the city ; magnates and tho dissension in its'own following, the Grovernmont;,'intendE to ; adhere in,the; main to; its 'proposals; &ndj gossibly,, to go, to the country on them, hould .it• determine;to 'take the latter course, it would at first sight appear, to hold, a'strong position/ Naturally, if; the taxation., is designed to .fall on- - the/ wealthy, 'it is reasonable 1 : to assume that the:mass of the peoplo williraise\no'ob- : jection to it ;i and will.sympathise father with the action of the Government. It is. open to doubt, however, whether the'Government'would he able to .make full use of this Reeling.. It lias 'already; been pointed out lby 'those protesting against the. Budget proposals that their effect' will not stay with those who actually, pay the taxation. Enterprise will be checked ,in ,a', variety of directions; capital taxed beyond endurance will bo driven into fresh fields, of investmentT-and who but * the masses, will suffer from this ? The Tariff Beformers,. moreover, would naturally ;.seize; the opportunity, and, endeavour: to divert the issuo from the Budget ; proposals to a 6traightout contest on the fiscal issue, which in view-of reoent byelection figures would: prove, disastrous to the Government. The situation? on thiß account is of special interest just how to the whole. Empire. ■■"'•'■ ■'■■■'.<■ ■ ,'

The opinion has often been oxpressed in these columns that,the constant drain by 'the .State on the pockets of the people byway of compulsory levy o£ special rates for charitable l aid:has operated' against the growth of private benevolence. It is interesting to : ,find,: therefore,, that the suggestion of a public appeal for funds to rolieve the hardships of the unemployed has opened a few eyes to this aspect of ."paternal".legislation. fOur evening contemporary realised last night that a 'course o£.compulsory benevolence is a bad preparation for such emergencies as require private enterprise to come forward and act. It is to. be hoped that there will be a liberal responsb to the appeal that is-to'be made for voluntary subscription's, for the benefit of the workless, but it is quite certain that whatever sum may bo subscribed,' a great ..deal larger sum would bo forthcoming, and would bo moreieasily raised, if the State had not drawn so heavily on the private individual and placed such restrictions on his conduct of his private affairs. The bulk of the money subscribed by the public in response to .'an appeal on behalf of the distressed must come, from those who pay rates and taxes. Thoir paymont of compulsory dues for charitable and other purposes not only discourages their payment of voluntary dues, but leaves them actually nriablo to meet the demands on their goodwill as fully as if the compulsory tolls had not been levied upon thorn. The public will not have forgotten Miss Kirk's and Dr. Valintinb's revelations of the gross waste in the administration o! charitable.aid. This waste is inevitable under a system of .State'"paternalism." For example, the money raised by the monstrously: severe scale of genera'] taxation has been so largely wasted that any new emergency'tax-would be highly oppressive Just mi the bast rwmlts arV

.obtained, and the best provisions made for emergency calls on the | nation, when taxations kept down, and the money, loft to fructify in the taxpayer's pocket, bo the best provision' for such a call as is now to be made on the public is the elimination of,the State from the collection or administration of charitable aid. '