Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

NOTES OF THE DAY

There was a Gilbertian touch aliout one phase of the proceedings at/ the deputation from Otago University which waited on the Minister of Education yesterday with a request for financial assistance. ■ The Otago members of Parliament had rallied to the support of the University authorities, and Sie James Allen,' Minister of Finance, was included in their number. As the proceedings developed it came to light thiittlw Finance Minister as ii deputationist was waiting on his colleague to_ press a matter which he himself, in his capacity as controller of the country's finances, had already assisted in deciding. The Minister of Education no doubt enjoyed the situation irhen, with a proper gravity, ho informed the deputationists (including his colkaguc) that all cjuestions relating to educational expenditure for the year had already been settled between himself and the Minister oi Finance. The members of the deputation should have appreciated it also, for it is something to know that you have on your side at least one of, the powers that determine the fate of such requests as they had advanced. As to the request itself, which involved the betterment of conditions in the medical branch of the University's work, it may be said that the deputation made out a good case for increased assistance from the, State. The matter, ,of ccursc, is not one concerning only Ctago; it concerns.flu whole Dominion; and the deputation, had it desired it, might havn secured an even mr.ro powerfjl hacking than that of the Otago members of Parliament.

As a matter of simple justice the; Government should endeavour to deal this session with the. question of the pensions of retired . Civil Servants. Many of those who vere superannuated on small ncnsions must have gontj through a very Dad-time undcf the onji<litio™ arising out of tho war. and there is no immediate prospect of any material drop in the cost of living. In practically all other directions recognition has been made .of the extra drain on the household pinw, due to tho hi.srh -nrices rnlinir.: Oldage pensioners have had their allowpnccs increased, Strife employees of all kinds have received bonuses nr Increased pay, but retired Public Servants have been ignored. The case for those who retired on substantial nensions may not call for redress, but the least the Government should do is to provide at once, preferably by way. of bonus, some supnVmentary grant for those whose pensions do nit exeo»d £150 a year. Lfter- on the- whole question might be reviewed.

Any movement having for its object the dissemination of accurate information concerning economic conditions relating to cost; of production, distribution, and sale is .to be welcomed in thesj days of exaggerated grievances and very real hardship. For this kason the decision of the Farmers' Union in favour of a campaign of publicity on • the question of the exploitation of the primary producer.and the consumer by_ the much abused "middleman" will' no doubt excite a good deal of interest. But what should prove of still greater interest will fco the outcome of the proposal that the. Farmers' Union should call into collaboration in its literary efforts the "representatives of Labour." The "representatives of Labour" as we know them in New Zealand today are the representatives of the extreme section of Labour, and they have spared neither printer's ink nor plntform oratory t;o make their views known. And those views if Riven effect to would make the farmer's lot even a le:;s happy one than that of the operatic policeman. Those members of fche Carmine community who are under the delusion that the Labour-Socialist extremists may be converted to the farmer's point of view have a lot to learn. If moderate Labour really had a representative organisation with an articulate voice them might be something in the idea. But when the farmers talk of linking up their literary propaganda with that of the Labour extremists, for that is what their proposal amounts to, they are placing themselves in a somewhat similar position to the young .lady of Riga v?ho went for ,a ride on a tiger. The young lady, we are told, finished up badly. Her little experiment, however, proved very profitable to the, tiger.

While the whole question calls for comprehensive treatment there is perhaps no more hopeful line of attack on the cost of living problem than that indicated by Mi Downie Stewvwit in the Home of Jleprcsentatives on Tuesday. Pointingto the need of an , improvement in tho means of distribution, he said that he had been told by an expert that the price of poods ('imported from abroad) was doubled between the shin's side and the shop counter. Mil. W. Duthik made a'somewhat eimil.tr statement at the. iheotinr* of the Commercial Travellers' Association a few evenings ago. Mb. Stewart said a saving of from 30 to 50 per cent, might be effected by a bettor organisation of distribution. i\ T o one who has given the nuostion any consideration will regard this, estimate of possible savin's a? extravagant. As compared with existing , conditions, an economical system of distribution would imply efficient methods _ all along the line, from thn unrestricted use of labourpaving devices on the waterfront to such an organisation of warehouses, shops, and delivery arrangements

as would ensure that labour and capital would nowhere be employed wastcfiilly. That there is enormous scope {or economy on ilmse linos is self-evident, and the benefits, of course, would tell as heavily in the case of goods manufactured within the Dominion as.. those imported from abroad. How far reorganisation on these lines is possible in view of the popular tendencies of the day is another question. What evidence is in sight hardly encourages the view that the change is possible, at all events by any rapid process. It has been demonstrated, for instance, that the local watersiders look with a decidedly unsympathetic eye upon the utilisation oLlabour-saving maehincry > in loading and unloading operations.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190918.2.14

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 303, 18 September 1919, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
990

NOTES OF THE DAY Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 303, 18 September 1919, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 303, 18 September 1919, Page 4

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert