The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times.” TUESDAY, MARCH 22nd., 1921. THE FERRY SERVICE.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 March 1921, Page 2

The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times.” TUESDAY, MARCH 22nd., 1921. THE FERRY SERVICE.

'1 iiis community is as much interested in the ferry service between Wellington and Lyttelton as any other pa-t, oi the Dominion, seeing that it is toe vehicle three times a week each w.iy to provide quick and regular means of communication and traffic bteweeii t,.e North Island and the West Coast am! vice versa. The dislocation of tile service is a loss and inconvenience to tiepeople, and there is a growing desire to demand that the Government should end the condition of affairs which crops up front time to time causing the sudden and unexpected dislocation of the sen ice, and its unknown duration. The service in the main is the connecting link between the twj Islands and it is certainly of Dominion importance that the service should be regular and dependable. Ihe cure of the position seems to be for the Government to take over the service and run it in conjunction with the railway system. This has been suggested very often, but no Government ha; bad the courage to carry out wliat after all is really an obvious necessity. It was m the last programme of Sir Joseph Ward, ajul the present Government would do well to appropriate the plank and make it their own by actually adopting it as something practically accomplished. The failure to make the connection is a serious loss all round. Business is dislocated, important missions are suspended, and urgent nun matter is held up and unduly delayed. These are factors the ,4fect of which is felt in all quarters, and directly the bulk of the population are affected by the manner in which the service v-i conducted. The service is well found in ships, but the successful staffing of these is the difficulty. If it is not the seamen, it is the stewards, and if it is not the stewards, it is the stokers, and so on. In the present instance there is a grievance alleged for which there should be no grounds for complaint. The fares for the trip have been advanced again and again of late years and the volume of traffic suggests that the ships should not be run at a loss. Such being the case there should not be grounds for complaint respecting food supplies and particularly lack of water for both supplies. There seems to be a screw loose somewhere,, and as it is so often tb,. case of late, the time is one for action now on the part of the Government as representing the people as a whole, to enforce remedial measures to avoid toe condition of affairs so often recurring. Tlie Lyttelton Times in commenting on the same subject says it hits a suspicion that if the ferry service were not a monopoly, and if these frequent dislocations of traffic involved serious loss to the shipping people, it would not be long befoiq, whatever legislative sanction was necessary to a better system of organisation was placed on the statute Book. IVe think it is time that the Union Steam Ship Company was told that its duty is to keep the ferry service running, and that if ’ts labour arrangements are such that frequent dislocations occur 1 , tlien it should alter those arrangements. We do not know whether tne company considers it important that its service is at th e mercy of a few casual stokers or not, but it. is a matter of great consequence to New Zealand, and ike company in its own interests and m the interests of the community, ought to make a determined effort to end a situation which has now become intolerable.

Ai/nioocni Mr Massey said in the House he was impressed with the idea that New Zealand was struggling un dor a load of taxation far more than the country was able to pay under existing circumstances, from bis late announcement in the House, be is not going to make much reduction in his taxtion proposals. The land tax is to stand, and a reduction of ten per cent only is to he made in the income tax. Thes 0 are the two principal features of the Finance Bill before Parliament and they do not contain much comfort for the principal taxpayer. High taxa-

tion is a barrier to enterprise, which suspended bjlooks progress and pi “Ti perity. It is therefore a serious mdter for the country if taxtion is to j be maintained unduly. The unfor"inate part is that this taxation is being used to maintain expensive and costlv j departments, the size and extrav manoc of which are spoken of so fre- , qucntlv of late. The money for public works has also to come out of revenue now, but that is a condition of affairs which cannot continue for long, and in any case it is wrong in principle. Posterity should bear its share of the cost of public works and ! is usually made to do so by consolidat I in or the cost of the works in long datI ed” loans. ■ Mr Massey now realises he cannot borrow within the country, and j he has damaged the self-reliant spirit 1 grievously by his failure to carry out ! the law of compulsion in regard to | th 0 soldiers’ settlement loan. But he | hopes to borrow five million at Home for public works. Half of that am- ' ount would go hack to the consolidated I fund and the remaining half .would he J used for further work. He will have to pay a high price for the loan or go ' without, and as the latter alternative would be a serious matter for Dominion finance, no doubt the I extra interest will be paid j and taken out of the people in loiig- ! sustained taxation here. Iho financial policy of the Government was always very inadequate. Now under the stress J of testing circumstances it is proving j how inadequate it really is. In point of fact it is the most costly Government New Zealand ever had.

Tub producers are naturally much concerned with the position being created by falling prices. What is happening Ik •(* is a reflex of the American experience and elsewhere, only the event has been later in reaching this far. The commandeer and the Imperial purchase of staple commodities has ceased, and as so often happened the folk were content to enjoy life in the sunshine of good times and were blind to see that more stringent, times could over happen along again. We do not know that the folk wer 0 even grateful to those responsible for the good times particularly to John Bull who wanted our commodities and took them under Imperial purchase at a price which showered in millions of money in n ■comparatively sdiort time. But a!! things are falling now in value. Giltedged securities are dropping also, for holders requiring the cash, have to put them oil till’ market aiid supply and demand exercise their inexorable methods as to prices and value. Morn-v has grown dearer scarcer and to

/ tempt, it from it* hoarded places more I must he paid for it. This is happening all over the world, and in this corner I of the globe we see how stock are falling in value, and naturally there is (much iconcern over the drop in prices. The position is the passing phase of supply and demand working their part lin the economic situation. During war time there was an artificial position created. The war had to he won, and goods and what not. required to win had to be purchased at any cost. Credit was created to do so, and now with the war won we are left with a huge debt, and facilities to create mor,> credit are now exhausted. A new order of events has to he met. Changed conditions have to he faced. As in wartime courage and resource are necessary to win through and these in sane use and implication the victory is just as assured, lint there will he no winning through without som 0 sacrifice. Much must bo given up, as in war time, and producers, as well as those who help and co-operate with them in the work of production, must all adapt themselves to the new order and accept the new conditions. In this spirit the task of winning through will he more cheerfully accomplished.