The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times.” FRIDAY, AUGUST 19th, 1921. A DOOMED REPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1921, Page 2

The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times.” FRIDAY, A UGUST 19th, 1921. A DOOMED REPORT.

I'lioM all accounts tile Kaeing Commission's report is doomed lor ultimate rejection at the hands of Parliament unless Mr Massey when he returns can mollify the contending parties w,.

. a compromise to meet the situation. I Our Wellington correspondent in his I letter published earlier in the week reviewed the position rather concisely and his estimate of the situation seems j to be fairly correct. It would appeal' that the Government has brought more trouble on their hands than they expected. Th,. Minister of Internal Affairs made a tactical blunder in publishing the report if he did not intend to act upon it and that apparently he was barred from doing by the Prime Minister’s promise. Having published it, Air Stewart then took a line of action, from which he had to change again, presumably at the behest of Air Massey who in turn was bombarded by cablegram from centres where the recommendations of the report pinched. Tt is interesting to note at this stage how the country is being run. Apparently nothing decisive be done while Mr Massey is absent, if any one influential enough cares to cable the Prime Minister. There was the same state of affairs in regard to the School of For-

eslrv. AluckJaml was dissatisfied at the school being centred at Christchurch and was able to pull a stiing strong enough to influence Mr Massey on the other side of the world to intervene. So with the Racing report, sections in Auckland and Hawke’s Bay pulled the string look like getting their way, and so a democratic Government goes on. When the report goes before Parliament the whole subject will be in the melting pot. The report is so constructed that to tinker with it. is to destroy its whole force aim! effect. Already Mr Stewart is allowing meetings banned under tin report to go on. This seems to seal the-gate of the report as a whole, for if it cannot be adopted in toto. its part adoption would- be an abortion giving worse results still. The chief point which will he taken against the report is that old established clubs are to go by the board. Tt was hardly intended under the directions from Parliament that redistribution was to he an essential factor in the order of reference. But so it was made. Redistribution has penalised many places. (>n this Coast, Kuntara is the only club affected and under the report that permit must go to Motueka —where there is not even a registered club. Yet while giving Motueka a permit, established and registered clubs at Murchison and Takaka are over looked. “The square deal” appears to he lacking in this instance. tn the report itself there is a special reference to conditions in Westland, where it is held to l>e necessary to retain permits oil the suggestion of the employers of labor. But instead of following up this conclusion, the Commission cuts the district down a day and awards the permit to a remote locality ..where , there is not a registered club in existence: These and similar anomalies will go to discount the report as a whole when it is before Parliament. Tlie report lias to run the gauntlet of both Houses and Mr Massev will have his work cut out to save the "osition for those districts wjhjgh are being favoured with new permits. A sad bungle lias been made over the whole business and the Government will have to corry the blame for it all in the end for there will he disappointment all round.