NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 212, 2 June 1920, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

Wellington is to have to-day th.i pleasure of welcoming an honoured visitor in the person of General Bibdwood, under whom New Zealand soldiers made their first entry into the war in Europe, and with whose command thoy were associate:! throughout a great part of the campaign in Franco. Genkiul Birdwood made his first contact with Australians and New Zcalanders in Egypt, and although ho had spent his life in the entirely different environment of the Indian Army, lie ,slio.wcd_ from fchn outset the keenest appreciation of the military qualities of our troops, and a sympathetic understanding of their polDt of view, r Through a groat'

part of tha trials and triumphs of the war he inspired and directed tho New Zcalanders, and his name will be for nil time linked with this Dominion's achievements in tho war. From beginning to end of that connection his attitude was that of a comrade and a brother, and it is with the warmest fraternal affection and regard that he will be welcomed by alt who had tho honour of serving under him.

The Hospital Boards' Conference will not have' mot in vain if it results in more effective steps to collect hospital fees from patients well able to pay them. Dr. Valintink's ideal of a cost of maintenance divided equally between Government, local bodies, and patients is placinga modest burden indeed on the patients and should be possible of attainment without bearing hardly on those who are not in a position to pay. From the figures emoted by Mr. Park yesterday, in addressing the conference, we compile the following tablo showing what would be the result of distributing the burden as Dr. Vaunting suggests:—

Equal At distripresent. button. £ £ Local bodies' levies ... 350,000 '257 000 Government subsidy ... 287,000 257,000 Patients' fees 135,000 257,000 The'amount received by the boards from the patients in different districts varies from 5 per cent, to 40 per cent. of.the claims, the average being about 20 per cent. It may safely be taken,; that the variation represents not so much differences in ability to pay as in efficiency of administration.

.The present epidemic of motor accidents and the prevalence of reckless driving again emphasise the need of a more effective control of the drivers of motor vehicles, As wo have several times pointed out, the existing system of licenses for cars and drivers is hopelessly inadequate/ and in some districts seems scarcely to be enforced at all. What is wanted is a national drivers' license, which must bo carried on his person by every motorist in charge of a car and produced whenever demanded by tho police, and on which any convictions for driving. to the public danger shall be endorsed. A license forfeitable for glaring or repeated offences should have a decidedly useful effect in eliminating grpss carelessness in driving;, now far too muciv in evidence on the roads.

Motor taxation is a tiling that must come before long in New Zealand. If the money raised from such a tnxwore expended by a Main Roads Board on tho maintenance and improvement of arterial roads and the local bodies left free to devote their funds to the subsidiary roads tho net result should be a vast gain all round. Figures compiled by the New Zealand Trade Review show that approximately 25,000 motor vehicles, exclusive of motor cycles, have been imported into New Zealand during tho last six years. If this be taken as representing somewhere near the number of motors now on the roads, it is possible to arrive at a rough estimate of the yield of a motor tax. In Britain the Chancellor of the Exchequer this year adopted an annual tax on the basis of £l per horse-power.., If the average horse-p.owcr per car be put at fiftcsn, which is probably on the low side, a similar tax in New Zealand would yield nearly £400,000 per annum. In view of the present state of the local bodies' motor registers, . estimates of the yield of a motor tax are conjectural, but tho figures quoted are sufficient to show that it would be feasible by such a tax to provide both islands _ with first-class arterial roads within a comparatively few years.

The Wellington Seamen's Union, sternly _ determined that its agreement with the shipowners shall be observed in every detail, has fined one of its members £2 for working from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. without taking time off for dinner. The circumstances of the offence were explained to the union, but they are not stated in the official report. It is a pity thatthc union has not taken the public into its confidence regarding its methods earlier. People who have suffered at various times from the dislocation of ferry services by labour stoppages in violation of the agreement might have been much less ready; to blame the union if they had known that it would discipline its offending members. Now that the precedent is publicly established, we may fairly expect to hear what happens to the next fireman who is guilty of a breach of the agreement. The members of the union doubtless will recognise that the man whose disregard of his union's undertakings inconveniences the public or; holds up a ship is 'a much more serious offender than the man who merely goes without his own dinner. The fine for postponing the dinner is £2. The amount seems large enough to suggest caution to the man who contemplates a more serious offence against the letter of the agreement and the honour of his union.