NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 298, 10 September 1920, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

The plain citizen will be a little puzzled pnrhaps when ho reads tlio appeal of the Leader of tlio Opposition for enlightenment as to the meaning and effect of the provisions of the new taxing Bill. Mr. Wilford 6aya the Bill is a complex one and difficult to understand, and no doubt that is quite true. But if members of Parliament, as Mr. Wilford slate?, have not time to study the provisions of the Bill and its effect on their constituents and the country generally, what are they there for? Tho Finance Minister's reply to Mr. Wilford's request for explanatory notes showing the differences between tli* new and the present law also leaves one a little dazed. Mr. Massey did not think it was possible to get a memorandum on tho subject prepared before the Bill reached its aommitteo stage, but promised to do his best in the matter. The unhappy taxpayer will gather little comfort from this state of affairs. Are members going to vote blindly on these new taxation proposals involving as they do changes of far-reaching importance and in some cases plainly requiring amendment? Tho obvious thing to be done is to postpone the committeo stage of the Bill until members are fully acquainted with its provisions. We venture to predict that the Financo Minister himself will find it necessary when in committeo to modify and amend some of the clauses of the measure. * *. * *

An archangel from Heaven could not draft an Immigration Bill that would satisfy the Labour Party. In theory its members will no doubt admit that there is room for millions more people in New Zealand. That is as far as they get. We cannot recollect any specific proposal t<k introduce immigrants •to which they have not strenuously objected, The present Government Bill for the indenturing of boy immigrants as apprentices on farms they describe as "slavery." The other day, on the liberalising of the nominated immigrant system, the houßing shortage was the excuse for a chorus of Labour protest. It is a case of any stick to beat a dog. Labour waxes eloquent on the subject of land monopoly, but the champion land monopolists of New Zealand are Mr. Holland and his honchmen. Sixty-six million acres locked np as a preserve for one million peoplo seems to be their idea, and everybody outside to be scared off on one pretext or another. The United Kingdom carries' 358 people to the 6quare mile, and at present we have eleven to the same area. The extremist recipe for progress is to discolirage any more workers from oomjng in and to discourage those already in from doing any more work than can be avoided. If in the courso of this enlightened treatment once-progressive Now Zealand becomes the doadest of dead back numbers that will be a misfortune that cannot be helped.

There may be mora urgent things than tho production of reliablo and up-to-date maps of the Dominion, but there are many less urgent on which money is spent freely enough. The condition of things revealed in the annual report of the Survey Department is one that calls (or decided amendment. We are told, for instance, that the maps most frequently in demand are the county maps on a scale of one mile to an-inch. Thero are 130 counties; four or five are depicted in maps sot more than three or four years behind, but the maps of tho rest are from twenty years old upwards. It is stated that the Departmental staff to be doubled to catch' up on the mapping arrears. This is bad enough, but even more discouraging is tho announcement that completed maps have been lying awaiting the convenience of the printer for two years or mjiro. and thus promise to be out of dtlte before they see the light. Despite the enormous and continuing expansion in? thle numbers of road, \isere of recent years it is impossible to obtain satisfactory road maps. No distinction is mado for mapping purposes between a main highway and a "road" of whose Existence the) most exhaustive search will reveal no more than a few decaying survey pegs. It is no doubt important that a record of all dedicated roads should be preserved, but it should not be beyond the resources of the Department by some mettod of colouring or marking to distinguish metalled, formed, and "paper" roads. TJp-to-date maps on this basis are not only urgently wanted, but their production should be a sound commercial proposition.

The suggestion that municipal byelections should be done away with is a good one, and the principle might with advantage be extended to all local bodies. The by-elections mean expense, tlife interest in them is usually: minute, and the candidate eleoted cannot as a rule be said to represent anything or anybody. Much the best plan would be to draw as required on tho unsuccessful candidates at the last previous election, or if there are none remaining to let the members of the body themselves elect a candidate for tho vacancy. The matter, while hardly of sufficient importance to justify special legislation, might well be borne in mind next time the Municipal Corporations Act is under review " * * . * * At the Technical. Schools' Conference yesterday Mrs. T. E. Baume laid her finger upon one of the weakest spots in the educational system of the Dominion when she'pointed out how far it fell short of making adequate provision for th« vocational training of girls. The vocational training most girls need obviously is .that which will best fit and assist them to become in due time happy and efficient wives and mothers, and undoubtedly thero. is great scope for improvement on anything that has yet been attempted in this direction. It is a fair demand upon technical and other secondary schools that they should provide such instniction and training for girl pupils as will tend to give them a definite bent for homo .life and qualify them to grapple intelligently with its problems. Though idea 3on tho subject aTe expanding steadily, it is still far from being recognised as it ought to be tliit the education of future wives and mothers in the interests of sound homo life and all that it implies is worthy of tlio best andeavours of the State and other educational authorities. It Is not in doubt, however, that well-directed effort on these lines offers the readiest and most hopeful means of improving tho raee and promoting ita welfare,