THE EXPANSION LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 287, 30 August 1919, Page 8

THE EXPANSION LEAGUE

Sir,—The movement that has beei started in Wellington' to form aa Expansion League is ali excellent one. - May I suggest that this leaguo bo called, the Wellington League, and it' be 'formed" on ■i 'broad basis, making it the most progressive institution of its kind in the Dominion ? At present the leading society of its kind is the Southland League, with its headquarters in Invercargill. You will note that they do not use the words progress, ■ expansion, or development. These are descriptive words, that are really not necessary. The dignified title, which does* not tend itself to ridicule, the Wellington League, is ample, and quite sufficient. For instance, notices in the way of artistic advertising could be !i£cted in prominent places all over the Wellington province: "The Wellington , League. Are you a member P" The constitution of the Otago Expansion League, which is the product of the best minds of Southland and Otago, could be used with slight adaptation to make it iit our needs.■ ■ I can speak very highly of this constitution, as I know it from A to /•■ It was chairman of the Constitution bubCommittee which drew it up, and had a - twelve months battle with an influential and conservative element in the Otago Expansion, League before it was eventu-ally--julopted. It is really based on that of the Southland League, but when we got to .'grips as to what we should adopt we found many faults in the constitution of the Southland League which we rectified. When the committee's work was finished, we.felt that we had drawn up a constitution that might be used right through the British Empire, starting, say, from London to the outermost ends - of our far-flung Dominions, developing same on progressive lines. I strongly recommend the Otago constitution to 'lie attention of thoso concerned in the. orniation of the Wellington League—l 'flirt, etc.. W. STUART WILSON. THE UNKNOWNWOOUALAN®■, ' Sir,—He the Unknown Wool Balanc vour correspondent "A Producer,' \ letter appeared in a recent issiio ot ,<•_ paper, desires information . about above, he should now ask his teprese • tive in Parliament, to apply to Mr. r>t;. man, M.P., who asked us to assign it, under what has turned out to be a complete misapprehension of the amount involved. Failing him, perhaps, the late Acting Prime Minister, who supported the request,-and under whose direction the circular letter to farmers was evident 1 - sent, will vouchsafe a reply, as nms who have committed themselves wou { like to know about later developments. It may not be generally known that the Imperial Government Wool Commission, after admitting that our,wool had been obtained, under the commandeer, at a sum fixed here, which was much less tii.jn its fair value, voluntarily surrendered half the profit on any sold for civilian use, and as all of it is now 'being sold for'that purpose, there is the very wide difference between present-day market value, and commandeer price of Is. 2|a. per lb., which'cannot be termed 'infinitesimal," and which we were led to understand this unknown balance would be. • . . ' . The commandeer price lor our wool as one of many mistakes made during the absence of Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, and in view of the frank admission made by the Wool Commissioner in his report for 11118 to the Home Government, quoted nbove, it is up to one or both these gentlemen to revise, and it possible correct, the mistake, now computed to amount to seven and a half m'llion pounds sterling per annum, a sum which the Dominion cannot afford to lose in these times. One-half share of profit may or may not amount to the lastnamed sum, bat it is a tidy contribution to any fund, and far more than any ot the donors ever intended to'give. ir tne offer of 45 per cent, over pre-war Home prices originally made by the Home uovcrnment under the commandeer is repeated and accepted it would cancel al assignments of balance, and place _tno matter under a proper business if> otin jF; Sir James Allen, in his dGsire to benefit the farmer, closed for 55 per cent, on New Zealand • pre-war prices, which are purely speculative. Hence the error.—l, am, el:C " PRIMARY PRODUCER.