Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star SATURDAY, AUGUST 14th, 1920. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star SATURDAY, AUGUST 14th, 1920. THE WEEK.

It was cheerful to read this week that Governor 'Cox, Democratic nominee for fhe United States presidential election, ha# pronounced definitely iff fflYor of America entering fctes Lfteg u . e .^ a " tions, and generally taking it _gA°' v P up person’s share in all that t)u» Irt-4-t v (,f Versailles implied. The fact that Senator Harding, the Republican nominee for the presidency, in announcing his platform, proposes to FSBWMJ- out " side the League, brings the great ifc sue of the war outcome to a definite point. The American people in voting will now be able to pronounce a clear verdict upon the humiliating policy of detachment from international' affairs which has been imposed upon them as the result of' a political wrangle in which the actual merits of the Treaty pf Versailles and the League of Nations Covenant jyere to a great extetot ignored. It is »o tengOt ’ n doubt that Treaty ratification will stand out as <i. njirdinal feature in the election and ther.e are sppie grounds for holding that recent developments, as they heap on the divisions over f}ompst4 o questions, .are in fayowy of those who advocate of support W/xteftufteP. 8 ? c0 ~ operation. A Democratic yjutwy which would bring the United States jnt.Q fhe League of Nations cannot be confidently looked forward to, hut it is by no means unlikely since of the two main parties jtke Democrats are showing themselves to bo decidedly the more progressive in their general /iim s - This is made particularly clear in the .attitude taken up by Mr Samuel Gompers, still the most influential .figure amongst those who lead organised Labour i?t America. Mr Gompers has expressed a distinct preference for the Democratic Party, and the definite grounds for this preference exist, though they ai e at best vaguely ii)tdip<! t fcd in the respective party platforms.

Parliament lias had a- very quiet wpek, Many members have been away WO d i,ubt at the Grand National in Christc/iur.eh—for all work and no play makes Jack a very ,duJJ. boy! But Parliament itself will require to be shook up if it Wishes t,o escape the charge ,of The failure to debate the Budget was a reflection on tbs three parties in the House and seems to confirm the general belief that financial acumen is not strong in the present Parliament, There is thus some measure of wisdom in any taxation proposals being referred to a Finance Committee to weigh the issues carefully before bringing them forward as a definite policy. In committee it is possible to consult outside .authorities with a special knowledge of the sUikjhets, and if the Finance Committee is itsejf repesentative of the parties in the House, ,there would be some hope of the essential pros and cops being considered by those best able in the country to advise on. such matters. The fact of Parliament having a quiet time at this juncture suggests that there is no need for Mr Massey to drag the session on for six months as ho once said would bo the ease. It is clear he has the strength behind him to- advance the business of the country rapidly if he will but produce his policy measures!!. The most the Opposition may do is to debate them at no great ’length—and the hills will go through. Mr Massey thus has a remarkably dear field to fulfil his hustings promises, but

ho is- not showing a great anxiety m that direction. It must take a lot of money to keep Parliament running in session, and One of the economics the Premier could avail himself of would be to hasten rather than protract the sittings’Mf the Houses. Several thousands of pounds might be saved in this way, and the Premier has the opportunity of affecting it, if he has any real inclination in that direction. His Budget Speech contained much good advice on thrift and economy, and hero lis a way in which ho can practice I what he preached and point at least I to one actual saving he is able to make. I Seeing the leisurely way in which ParI liament proceeds a curtailment of the 1 duration of the session would be quite 1 to the public tastes under all the cirI c umstanceß.

In referring to the goldniining industry the other day, a reference was made to Mr Massey’s desire to make a success of the portfolio of Mines. The light honourable gentleman is making a good effort in that direction. He is about to increase the prospecting subsidies This i,s a step in the right direction, and if the alluvial miner is going j out of existence, it will be an encouiagement to him now to take liis pick, I shovel and dish and set about seeking I for the precious metal again. A fresh I alluvial rush would help settle many lof the problems which present times 1 have become heir to. It would be diffiI cult to imagine any one on a new rush, I for instance, holding forth about the I housing question on the new goldfield. I Tents and carivastown would settle that land housing would still perturb only I the town dweller. A rush would not lie I overmuch troubled with the high cost of | living. However remote the held, the | enthusiast would get there quickly,

and making himself at home and comfortable under tent and fly, would provide himself quickly with the necessaries of life. Yes, a. gold rush would put new life and vigor into the country,

and there need be no expensive adver tising nor setting up of officials to promote an immigration scheme. Bla-zen the news across the oceans, and the rush would set in. In the light of these considerations to help solve our domestic problems, it is certainly worth while I for the Government venturing on a forward gold-mining policy to seek to discover new fields. A gold rush would infuse greater vitality i(nto the life of the country than any other aid the Government could expensively devise. Mr Massey is on the right track in enI couraging prospecting, and ho still might go further and equip State par- | ties ip approved regions under scientiI fic leadership to fpljow up tile indica- | tions which suggest t-<> the geologist | that the effort would he worth whjle. I Goldfields have been found by good I luck, but pending a friendly visitation I of that character it would be worth I the Government trying to find the minI eral deposits by scientific research, and | in that .way proving or disproving eerI tains blocks of territory bejjeyed to lie I mineralised. There is much scope for (this enterprise in Westland.

DugiNp flip wpek the Auditor-General in ;i report to Parliament, sfated that fhe amount of the Public Debt of New Zealand as defined in section 2 of the Public Debt Extinction Act, 1910, was £104,121,598 on March 31st. test, The definition covers all public debt for which sinking fund is not provided in any other way. The average rate, of interest .earned by the sinking funds during the last tlirpp yenrg was £4 16s (id per annum, an.d the sum re.quirto be invested at this ratio in order to extinguish the debt in 75 years is £152,295. This provision to wipe out the nation debt of the Dominion was a scheme propounded by Sir Joseph Ward, our very able financier, in 1910. It is intended in this way to provide the funds to repay the existing public debt and future borrowings. The fund is administered outside the Government, the money being invested in loans .to settlers to workers and to local authorities. The money may not be invested in any New Zealand Government securities. It is a very’ wise provision, and Dip capital sum which is accumulating stands, /jow at over a million and a half. In the years to jipme the foresight of Sir Joseph Ward in regard to this financial pojlicy stroke will lie regarded with more favour than in this day and generation. Recognition will come late hut it will be very pronounced.

The Westland C&pntjy Council fhis week adopted a- definite lino of policy in regard to heavy traffic on’ roads., ft now proposed that those causing serious damage to the roads through heavy traffic Wifi contribute a proportion of the cost of repairs.. The. ,sawmilling industry is expanding rapidly, apd the transport of tile millions of feet of timber of the roads must of necessity cause considerable wear and leaf. The Coun-_ cil pl'oposes to deal with the matter in a reasonable way. Instead of enforcing the heavy traffic bylaw which would c ut out transport operations for fiyti months of the yanr, and of course holdup Ihb industry, or else force the milters to construct'’ pnijriways +.o avoid the roads, reasonable use of tie roads will be granted upon application, and a guarantee to contribute one hajf of the estimated cost of repairs specially involved by the heavy traffic. Tho proposal should not he a hardship and will .enable the industry to be carried out through tho year without an enforced stoppage. The scheme is to be given a six months’ trial, and that will be a reasonable period to nofo how tlie new arrangements will work.