NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 34, 4 November 1919, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

A i>Ai!Ticui,Aiu,v unsatisfactory nosition in regard to the Imperial meat cominancleer, and one- to which New Zealand producers would be wise to give 4'ull heed, was disclosed in the House of Jlepresentatives yesterday. The Pjumf. Ministkk stated that in reply to his inquiry whether or not the British Government was willing to extend the purchase ot meat trom New Zealand he had been informed through the High Commissioner that the matter was being considered in connection with negotiations for the extension of Argentine contracts and the Australian contract, and that when these negotiations had veached a stage nearer settlement "the Board of Trade will discuss the question with the Ministry of Food and will communicate with you [the New Zealand Prime Minister] and His Majesty's Government.." Fuller explanation may modify the outlook, but the immediate suggestion is that New Zealand is badly, placed in comparison with Australia and the Argentine where meat export is concerned. Obviously if- the British Government arranged to take Australian and Argentine meat for a' further period and failed to reach a similar understanding in regard to the New Zealand output, producers in this country would find themselves at a serious disadvantage in regard both to price and to obtaining insulated snipping space. It seems hardly likely that the Imperial authorities would treat the Dominion in this fashion, but at its face value the cablegram from the High Commissioner suggests that the interests of -the Dominion are not being considered as they ought to be. Prompt steps must, of course, be taKen to have the position cleared up, aiid producers for their own sake ought to do what is possible to strengthen the hands of the Government in the matter. * * * » What the .plain everyday citizen thinks of the closing rush of Parliament as recorded during the past few days would be worth hearing. The one great anxiety of Sir Joseph W,ard and his associates appears to be to scatter as widely as possible substantia), benefits in the- form of increased payments of one kind and another to public servants, and to generally assume the role of a beneficent providence—all at the public expense Of course something of the kind was to be expected, it being election year, but if the proposals of the Leader of the Opposition for the current session had been given effect to. the total probably would have staggered even so prodigal a financial genius as the exFinance Minister. What the plain citizen thinks about, it all. can only bo guessed at. hut it is a pretty safe guess that tho politicians who arc so blatantly bidding tor his vote have under-estimated his intelligence if they imagine he cannot see through their very obvious electioneering. Whether the plain citizen realises as dearly that he would bo the person tr> "foot the bill," that all these promises, if fulfilled, would have to lis met out of his pocket, is not so certain. But such is the case, and the curious thing is that the politician who at election times professes his readiness to so lavishly distribute other people's money looks expectantly to the people who pay for approval and support. « » a • Pensions for members of trie Police Force, arc the subject of .a particularly commendable section in the Finance Bill which was submitted to Parliament last night. The proposal is that pensions on the Avar scale should be paid to, or in resnecr. of. members of the Force injured or killed in discharge, of their duty. This, no doubt, will meet with general and whole-hearted approval. The arrangement is not liioro than just to the men who risk their live* in maintaining law and order and fo the dependants of these men. At the same time it' is a very great improvement upon the practice 'hitherto in vogue of making a grant in the shape of a compassionate allowance to injured policemen or to the dependants of'those killed while on duty. Widows' pensions also are liberalised under the provisions of the Finance Bill, but while a widow with children is now to receive a pension in'addition to that paid in respect of her children, no provision at all is made for the childless widow. Even with the session in its final hours,,it may not be too late to insert an amendment granting a pension to such women where, the, circumstance* warrant it. There is, of course, no suggestion of giving a pension to all childless widows, but the concession is certainly warranted in some eases. In particular, where a widow without children and unprovided for is advanced in years, though not yet eligibile for the oldage pension, the provision of a pension is a simple act of justice. A fair indication of the trend of Labour affairs in Japan is given in the news that large numbers of workmen at Yokohama sought \v prevent the departure of Mr. Masumoto, who has been appointed to represent Japanese Labour at the International Labour Conference. This can only mean that the demonstrating workmen consider that they are being saddled with a representative who will not rcllect their views. Available information goes to show that in Japan the Government and employers, though they are making a surface show of concessions to Labour, are in fact pursuing a shortsighted policy of evasion and suppression, lit is by no means unlikely that in the present ease means have been found of putting forward as the representative of Labour one who has no real right to speak for the Japanese workers. The Tokio correspondent of the New York I'iveninij Post reported some time ago that it was considered virtually certain that Japan would contend at the International Labour Conference that she should be excluded from the operation of the proposed regulations providing for an eighthour day and prohibiting the employment in factories of children under fourteen years of age. It is argued by Japanese employers that the Japanese, child, owing to the difference, in climate, is more mature than, the child of .the same age in Europe and America. Anti-child labour advocates, according to tho correspondent already miotjd, say that this contention is absurd. They point out that the Japanese climate is very much like that of great areas of Europe and America, and that as a matter of fact the Japanese child is physically less developed than tho European or American child of corresponding age. , Mil. Sanji. Muto, who is to represent Japanese employers at the International Confeiv.wo, recently put forward a remarkable argument against the. application of the eightLhour law in ' Japan. He declared

that when a reduction of working hours was tried in certain factories it was found that the girls had too many idle hours, which led them to over-cut bjtween iineais, thereby making themselves ill. Such contentions will hardly bear scrutiny in an international assemblage. The consideration' of industrial conditions in Japan on their merits will not be made easier if the workers of that country, as is suggested to-day, have been denied effective representation, but one result of the. deliberations of the International Conference ought to be to bring strong exVernal pressure to bear upon Japan to effect the improvement in these conditions which already is being demanded insistently within, her own borders. So far as the attainment of fair .wages and working conditions, including Hie due protection of women and children, is concerned, the sympathy of the American and European democracies and their offshoots must, of course, be given whole-heartedly to the struggling masses in Japan.