WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 July 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE ACTING PRIME MINISTER

REPLIES TO CRITICISM

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, July 27

Sir Francis Bell, long regarded as the most imperturbable of politicians, is becoming a little sensitive to newspaper criticism. A week or two ago, in bis capacity of Acting Minister of Finance, he handed the newspapers a, statement concerning the finances of the Dominion up to June 9th, and one; of the Auckland dailies noticing the lapse of time between its preparation and its publications described it as “belated.” Sir Francis takes exception to the term and explains—again, it will be observed, at bis leisure—that the statement was prepared early in Juno to meet certain, charges levelled against the Government by the Christchurch Labour members and then was with-held from publication in order to prevent it being used to the prejudice of the 1 04i h negotiations going on in London at the time. Had it subsequently been brought up to date it would bavei been still more confounding to the Government’s detractors, but it would not have been relevant to their charge* of a no nth before The explanation is adequate, but it would have been more effective bad it accompanied the statement. A FARMER'S PROTEST.

In bis presidential address, at the opening of the annual conference ol the New Zealand Farmers’ Union yesterday. Mr G. W. l.eadlov, a. stout-heart-ed agriculturist from Canterbury, whose fifty oclil years of battling with the soil have neither dulled bis eloquence nor damped bis ardour, spoke words Hint are seldom beard in 'Wellington. “So far as the Civil Service is concerned,” lie surd, in a plea, foi national effort and national economy, “the plain English of the position is (hat we are gradually building up a solid and permanent structure, whose weight and whose influence will he so powerful as to .successfully resist all attempts at reduction or reform in number, or in status or in cost. Let any ambitious, or reckless politician even now lead a crusade against the existing order of things, in so tar as the general multiplicaton of State employees is concerned, and his fate will be swift and utter annihilation.” Air Lead ley would begin his reform right at the top of the service, reducing the number of members of Parliament by imp half and cutting off other exeresencics with a. ruthless hand. But, as he says himself, men of his mind do 1 not ca t their opportunity. TOTAL ISA TOR LU ENSES.

As hi' expected, the Minister of Internal Affairs is being bombarded with protests against the proposals of the Racing Commission to withhold totali sater licenses from certain establish, od racing and trotting elutes. The Napier Park Club, which hitherto has hold four days' racing during the year. 1 ,.| o[|', its president, Mr \ ig ,,r Brown, M l’., telegraphing to the Minister asking by what authority be consigned the ( |„b to oblivion without Parliament having had an opportunity to consider the Commission’s recommendations. The Minister lias replied quite emphatically that bis legal authority to refuse licenses till Parliament has reached a decision is dear and that- he has no intom ion of altering his determination. The danger now to the recommendations is that the opponents of racing on general principles and the representatives of the disgruntled dubs will join forces in the House to reject them altogether. The big concessions to trotting dubs at the expense of long established racing dubs are not very popular here and tbis also may be a cause of dissension.

UNPROFITABLE RAILWAYS. The serious falling off in the railway returns during the current financial year is causing the Minister in Charge and the officers of the Department vciw grave anxiety. 'Hie official returns for April and May showed that the revenue per mile of railway in the North Island during the first eight, weeks of the financial year bad increased by only £OO7. compared with the revenue of the corresponding period of last year, while the expenditure bad increased by £930 In the South Island the position was even worse. Here the revenue per mile of railway bad increased by only £ll3 while the expenditure had increased by £034. The percentage of expenditure to revenue was 94.47 in the North Island and 101.03 in the South Island. The official returns fo r the later four-weekly periods are not yet available, but apparently there has been no improvement in the figures. The unsatisfactory position is attributed to the largo inoren.se in wages and the high cost- of coal and so far the niuthoritics have been able to think of no other remedy than the raising of fares and freights. The possibilities of this expedient, however, appear to be exhausted and the next step probably will be the discontinuance of a numlw of unprofitable services.