DOMINION AT HOME

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1929, Page 9

DOMINION AT HOME

EOTARIAN ADDRESSES

SQUEEZING A VISITOR

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 24th October.

At the -weekly luncheon of the Richmond Eotary Club the Eotarian who ■was to have spoken did not appear, and Mr. G. Cruikshank, S.M., of Invercargill, offered to fill the gap and give a talk on New Zealand. The offer was much appreciated by the club, and the comprehensive description of the Dominion and its trade was listened to ■with much interest.

Botarian D. A. Ewen, a past president of the Wellington Club, addressed the Watford Eotary Club last week on the subject of New Zealand, and dwelt on the subjects of Maoris, migration, and sport. Mr. Ewen mentioned that the Wellington Eotary Club had carried out a housing scheme with Government funds which had proved to be a successful pieco of service. He gave the members of the Watford Club the cordial greetings of his club in New Zealand. POSTER FEASEE STOEY. Writing in the "Empire News," Manchester, Sir John Foster Fraser recalls hia vicissitudes on his lecturing tours in all parts of the -world. He refers to his troubles with the income ,tax people in. New Zealand. When I reached Wellington (he ■writes) the authorities at once demanded £30 from me. "What for?" "Income tax." "But I have not earned a shilling hero yet by lecturing, so why should I pay income tax till I've made an income?"

"Well, so many Australians come over here and do business and skip off without paying income tax that we have a rule of making them pay £30 when'they land and wo can adjust the matter when they leave."

My retort was ' that although I would not allow New Zealand officials to treat me as a suspected fraudulent person, 1 recognised I ought to pay tax on the income I made, and I would give my word of honour I would pay ■before leaving; but if they insisted I plank down £30 as a guard against subsequent cheating on my part, they could go to blazes; for I would cancel all my lecture engagements and then I would not have a penny to pay.

There was a shrug of the shoulders and the demand lapsed. • Of course, before I left New Zealand I called on the inland revenue officials with my accounts and paid income tax. I was squeezed to tho last sixpence, and I had difficulty in getting allowances for expenses. AH EDITORIAL MISTAKE. A paragraph in the "Yorkshire Post" shows how even a journal of high standing can make peculiar mistakes about the Dominions. The paragraph refers to the now Australian Premier, and says it is difficult to gauge what attitude his Ministry is likely to adopt towards the important question of migration -agreements between Australia and the Home Country. In a recent speech he is reported to have said that " although the Labour Party believed there was room for many more people in Australia, they held it their duty to provide for those in the country before inducing others to come from distant parts." "This suggests," says the "Yorkshire Post," "an intention to cut down immigration grants as a step towards the solution of unemployment, a policy ■which was adopted—by, the Labour Government in New Zealand three years ago."

Possibly the editorial writer of the "Yorkshire Post" has in mind that none but a Labour Government would be capable of taking such a course.