WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

Evening Star, Issue 14933, 20 July 1912, Page 12

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

The Racing Conference may be justly congratulated on their determination to appoint stipendiary stewaids. For years the proposal has been before the conference, but for one reason or another it was shelved. At the outset, of course, there was considerable internal opposition to the appointment of stipendiary stewards, but discussion and experience have finally broken down all opposition. Unquestionably the public have for some yeara now cprhestly looked for the appointment of stipendiary stewards, and without public support racing would be *enously affected, and the best way to avoid that contingency is to satisfy the desires of the suppo'.ters of the sport. All that now remains to be done is to see that the best class of steward—men of integrity, standing, and wide general knowledge of the sport—is appointed to fulfil the impo.tant, if disagreeable, duties allotted to them. The salary will have to be adequate if the scrv ices rendered are to he of any permanent use or benefit,. It is to be hoped that the preliminary work will be expedited, and that the stewards will be appointed at the earliest possible date.— Wellington 'Post.' -;;- -:t * Tho plaint of "no time" for Custom* revision' is obvious humbug. Befoie the promis-j was made Mr Mas-soy must have known what lie could do with the tariff. If he did not, then he had no right to talk about it: There is no obligation upon the Minis! rv to "a comprehensive measure of tariff reform." What it is expected to do is to sweep away some of the existing duties, and the .Minister is inviting ns to place a very low estimate inrleed° upon both his sincerity and hi? capacity when he assures iv that this reouires a vaft amount of labor ar.d prolonged consideration. If the Minister had gone to th-s Customs determined to camout his duty, he. could in a couple of hours have made out a list of articles f.om which taxation might be at once lifted, to the great benefit of the community. As it is, he appears to be spending a great part- of the "time" which he complains is not available in composing laboiious, unconvincing rigmaroles in extenuation of cynical disregard for pledges given to Unpeople. The Ministry is not asked to. "devise a Customs tariff in three weeks." It is asked to carry out its promise to cut down the charges on certain articles under the existing tariff—a very different proposition altogether.—Wellington 'Times.' The truth" is that New Zealand and Queensland were both compelled to go to the monev market at a time, when th? conditions* were particularly unfavorable to borrower?. What the Government organs are now savin? of Liberal fin-i-nc" in^New Zealand ill th's respect might he said witT added emphasis of Conservative financ in Queensland, but obvioudv neither the, one nor the other is to blame for the ?ircum?tanee? which have made monev dear the whole world over. To suggest at th:.-; junc'.v.ro that Sir Joseph Ward ar.d Mr Myers are responsible for the troubles that*beset the new M.nistei of Finance is a peculiar exhibition of the ir.triotic spirit by which the Conservative Press of thi-i country professes to be inspired. —' Lyttelton times.' * * * The care of the teeth is a striking example of the proverb that " a stitch in time- .saver; nine." The loss of the molars is a cause of many serious, maladies, and as children cannot be expected to realise this for themselves it is obviously the parents' duty to see that they receive such, attention as will cany them along with satisfactory teeth until they reach the age of wisdom. Should the New Zealand Dental Association succeed in achieving this much, they will have conferred an inestimable boon upon the people. Publicity in this matter is, however, veiy useful, for most of the carelessness in regard to teeth is the result of ignorance, and is not deliberate neglect.—Southland ' News.' * * * We should certainly have qualified dentists employed by the State, to inspect the teeth of all school children, and empoweied by law to send the children of parents who are in a position to pay to private practitioners for treatment, and the children of parents who cannot de fray the expense of private treatment to a public institution equipped and staffed for dental work. The matter is one of very great national importance, for it affects national health, and the Minister of Ilealth in the new Government will have an opportunity in this direction of taking up work that has been very much neglected, and of conferrinr; a great boon upon tho community.—Southland 'Times.' The present system of making appointments to the Upper House has its advantages to the party in power, and it is a wholesome, indication of the spirit in which the Massey Ministry has entered on its duties that it has in" its first week of office decided, without effort, to forego the spoils which in politics are supposed to fall to the victors, and to lay the foundation of an improved and strengthened Legislative Council. No suggested_ change in our governmental or administrative methods could give more appropriate proof of the sincerity of the rallying cry of the party now in power, for nowhere is the need" for reform so urgent or so widely recognised.—Auckland 'Herald.' * * * One. thing at least is ce.i tain—Mr Massev has attained his present position not bv the aid of the breweis, but in the teeth of their opposition. It is one of the standing puzzles of New Zealand politics that hitherto the Prohibition paity have apparently pinned their faith to tho party whom the brewers not only support-id, but to some extent financed.—Christehureh 'Press.'