ECHOES of the WEEK

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 114, 11 February 1928, Page 17

ECHOES of the WEEK

PRESS OPINIONS ON :: NEW ZEALAND TOPICS

It is not by the imposition of harsh conditions, even if they be lawful conditions, that prospecting for minerals is to be encouraged, Another positive discouragement to prospecting is contained in the scale of fees that has now been brought into force. The charges have been so increased that, it is complained, persons of small means are prevented from prospecting. This is a matter of which a great deal more would no doubt be heard were it not that prospecting has, so to speak, gone out of fashion, partly, it may be inferred, because it does not receive the official encouragement that is merited by it. But a policy of supersession by the Department of functions that have been discharged in the past by Wardens’ Court, while undesirable in any circumstances, is rendered distinctly objectionable if it is to be accompanied by the imposition of conditions that are in conflict with the provisions of the Mining Act.—-“Otago Daily Tinies.”

We have done something in New Zealand to fulfil our obligations to the Maoris. We are making an honest attempt to help the Samoans. But we do not always, or often, remember that we have obligations and entanglements far beyond our own shores, and that it would actually now be possible for us to undo much of the Homeland’s work for half a century, Mr. Amery’s exposition of internationalism was a little vague, because the thing itself is vague. But it led to the fine and true remark that we have not a walled-ill .Umpire, or an Umpire seeking advantage for its own people alone, but' the first practical instalment of internationalism in its highest and best sense, that the world has so far seen. If the Empire were weakened the whole world would immediately become less secure, and it is this conviction, far more than the idea of selfish gain, which governs even the discussions of the Marketing Board.—“ Christchurch Press.”

The Maoris are asking that they should be placed on an equal footing to the European, They enjoy the same privileges, and make use of all the amenities that are provided by a rating system, so there is no reason why they should not bear their share of the responsibility. If they wish to cultivate their lands, the Maori should have the same facilities of finance as the pakeha, but their lands will have to be subject to the same conditions of mortgage as those lands owned by the Europeans. If the Government is not prepared to do this, which must be the final solution, however long delayed, then in common fairness to all, it should pay these outstanding rates from the consolidated funds. This may appear drastic, but is only equitable, and if carried out, would at least make southern members of Parliament take an intelligent interest in a problem which is holding in pawn enormous areas of idle land that can be made productive if properly treated, and thus add to the general wealth of the 'Dominion.—“King Country Chronicle,”

It would be well for our Australian neighbours to be cautious in creating a spirit of retaliation, for if it conies to a tariff battle between the Commonwealth and the Dominion, Australia may discover that ,New Zealand holds the master key to the situation. A prohibitive duty on imported coal would hit Australia badly, and that is not the only direction in which this country could strike back effectually. We in New Zealand have no desire for a tariff war with our neighbours, and prefer to deal with them in a rational and not unfriendly manner, but we are not superior to provocation, and may be roused to action by unfriendly treatment. —“Oamaru Mail.”

There is a certain class of politician, not always belonging to the Labour Party, who consider that the functions of government should be increased. They point to what can be done by cooperation, and apparently think that Government action is the same thing. There could be no greater mistake. A large part of the activities of the departments consists of struggles with other departments and correspondence and long-winded discussions. It is safe to say that any work carried out by a Government department will cost very much more than if done by private enterprise. Municipal control may be better, but very little. There are great economies to be made by working on a large scale and by cooperation, but these things are distinct from State business, which is never successful. It is only when they have a monopoly that Government enterprise can make any showing; it is lost when compared with private enterprise of any kind.—“Waikato Times.”

It would be riskv to assume that the country as a whole realised, until a week or two ago, how last election saw the return of a House pledged to the full prohibition objective, in particular, the bare majority. It cut far too completely across ordinary political faiths for realisation to be easily possible. The result is confusion. The moral is that if by any means the perpetually disturbing influence this question exerts on politics and reasoned appreciation of public affairs could be removed, the country would be the gainer for it, The ideal would be the return of a House pledged to nothing but dispassionate, judicial consideration of the licensing laws, with a view to making necessary amendments by the sole criterion of the country’s greatest good, disregarding extremes of feeling on either side. _ It is an ideal, the realisation of which seems very far away. How far, has been learned by the' Prime Minister perhaps “New Zealand Herald.”

The day is gone when haphazard business methods will ’■suffice on the farm; they are as much out of date as haphazard'technical methods. Farmers themselves recognise the change to an increasing degree, as is shown by the tone of many discussions when they meet in conference Wider recognition by the whole community is necessary. 'the work of the farm, in its fullest sense, deserves to be rated higher than it usuallv is. Until it is generally appreciated that the modern farmer, to be successful, must understand business methods as well as the technique of his craft, the demands bis calling made on him will not be fully realised.—“New Zealand Herald.”

It is obvious that, just as the railways still continue to be essential for the carriage of some, classes of transport, so the cable will continue to be essential for the transmission of some classes of verbal communication. In neither case, however, do these classes of business at present promise to pay working expenses and a fair return on capital invested. The most obvious recourse, in order to preserve these still essential old services, is to effect amalgamation with the new and spread the joint earnings byway of return over tile joint capital. This, however, is not a proposal that is easy to carry out in either case, and more particularly perhaps in the case of road and rail. Doubtless a way out will in each instance eventually be found, but at present it is by no means clear what it will be.—“Hawke’s Bay Tribune.”

To get down to the practical, what this country wants ■ is a lang policy which shall encourage and reward the improver of occupied lands and discourage anil penalise the non-improver. Only by raising the productiveness of our occupied lands can the progress and prosperity of the country be ensured, To raise the productiveness of the country it must be made difficult for holders of unimproved lands to continue holding them in that condition. The country needs legislation under which such holders would be forced to improve or to sell, and a substantial land tax to apply specially to unimproved lands would bring that about. There is nothing revolutionary here. All that is involved in it is to be found in germ in Mr. Massey’s alteration of the law. Its only fault was that it did not go far enough. Its real virtue consisted in the fact that it pointed out the road the country should travel if it wishes to increase its productiveness.—“ Napier Telegraph.”

Our Government realised that saturation point in the matter of immigration had been reached early last year, and discontinued the granting of assistance in the matter of passages for some months, so that there should be no accentuation of the swamping of the labour market. But it is plainly the duty of .the Government to go further and apply the curb to the missionary zeal of the High Commissioner’s Office in respect of flowery and sometimes very misleading representations to those contemplating a move from Britain and its difficult conditions of life to those in illpaid employment or not in any employment at all. 'There appears to be a sort of rivalry between the High Commissioners of the various dominions as to who shall beat the big drum the hardest and entice the biggest shiploads, It strikes us as lowering such office to the level of the “spruikers” for the sideshows which frequent the grounds of our agricultural and pastoral societies.—“ Dunedin Star.”

The all-round development of the Dominion would add to the strength of the Empire, because it would make this a stronger unit. There is need for concerted action by the manufacturer, the retailer, and the consumer. Jly giving preference to goods locally made, we build up our industries, ensure that market which will lead to industrial expansion, and make each year a record of sound progress 11l these days of intense competition there is every reason whv the individual cbould study the probable effect of his choice when making a purchase. And, whenever possible, it is a plain duly to assist our own industries first.— “Lyttelton Tinies.”

There is something wrong in a country the size of New Zealand when such, a huge sum is wasted annually through fire. If <ne word could sum up the cause of the biggest proportion of fires that word would be “carelessness.” Hundreds of fires annually are due to carelessness and nothing else, and it is high time something more were done to educate people to take greater precautions against fire, We are aware the Government has not been inactive in this matter, nor have certain local bodies But a much more intensive campaign is necessarv, and there is scope for very effective work _in the schools. The interests of public safetv no less than the interests of economic welfare demand that local bodies, fire boards and insurance companies should co-operate to check this increasingly serious menace.—“ Southland limes.”

People in the Dominion .will have no right or reason to complain if Britain, in her next important forward step in trade policy 1 , elects to protect primarily the industries in which her people find employment and allows to stand over the question of imposing such duties on foodstuffs and raw materials as would enable her to grunt a substantial measure of fiscal preference to the Dominions. Instituting the protection of manufacturing industries that appears to be necessarv to her own prosperitv, Britain would at the same time be able to offer the Dominions a better and more assured market for their produce. Meantime, it should never be forgotten that Britain is doing a great deal to foster Dominion trade by expending much money and effort on the improvement of transport and marketing organisation, the advancement of research, and other measures which in their total effect may eventually do much more than mutual tariff adjustments to facilitate the economic co-op-eration on which the future of tile Empire largely depends.—“Wairarapa Age.”

As prices of produce cannot be. manipulated according .to circumstances, the remedy lies in an increase in the volume of our exports, which calls for land settlement and intensive cultivation. To effect this a new system of valuation must be put into operation which bases land values on productive capacity, The result would be a materially reduced appreciation of what land is worth, and an end to that speculation which was the source of all the country’s troubles. In looking for a policy which will act as a corrective the fanner should disregard the matter of prices, which he can onlv regulate fo the extent of selling the very best article, and must demand that farming shall be considered a business in which profits bear a relationship to economic conditions. There should be only one price for land, and that is what it is worth; if owners claim also a selling price, those who follow them will suffer as a consequence.—“ Southland News.”