WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE IRISH PROBLEM

GOOD NEWS. I SPECIAL TO GUARDI AX. I WELLINGTON. Dee. 7 Though it is, perhaps, a little early to he jubilating over the settlement ot the Irish problem, people here, who have been following the negotiations as closely as the scanty messages have permit ted j express unbounded satisfaction at the good news published this morning. Recent visitors to the Old Country—some of them returning as lately as by the Tahiti yesterday—have brought back with them very doleful accounts of the prospect ol avoiding a resort to armed force. A majority ot the Irish people, they have said, would not he satisfied hy anything loss than complete independence and even Mr Lloyd George had pronounced this too high a price to pay lor peace, rho position was so threatening even dining the truce, that many public men had given up all hope ol a settlement by negotiation and were making preparations for the very worst development. Business folk were takiiig'niiich the same view ol the situation and ordering their affairs as best they could against an upheaval which would he oven more disastrous to tlicir intciests than the great war had been. RATS! It surely is hy tin- irony oi tale that an Auckland member of Parliament, ihe lion C. .1. Parr, has succeeded to the portfolio of Puhlie Health held by the linn G. W. Resell in the National Government. Mr Russell during the intlucii7.il epidemic bluntly told Auckland to clean up its slums and cca.se being a menace to the rest ot the Dominion. Now Air Parr Das come to Wellington and is telling the capital city to gel rid of its rats. Its task is likely to p)live the I In one. Urnhalilv the "O.ueeu City" had little dillirulty in getting iid of its slums -tin a time, at any rate. Hut Wellington s rats are quite another proposition. They are heic in hundreds and thousands, every quarter and block ol the ojiv being infested, and though the Minister illumes the City Council quite rightly for this state of atl'aiis, it itliilieull to say whore the cdlorts ol that supine hotly should licgin. Meanwhile the Mayor, from his place in the House, suggests blandly that all trade between Australia and New Zealand should he stopped ! MINISTER OR DEPARTMENT.

hi the House yesterday Mi C. L. Siuthum, the leader ol the Progressive Liberal and .Moderate Lahotii Party - rcpiesftnicd in the present Parliament by himself and Mr ami hoping tor a huge accession' to its strength at the general election moved to rcsliirt (lie poeor given to the Minister C the Ne-.I ( ii-tuiii . Bill to prohibn the importation ot goods ‘at his o" It sweet will." Mr Massey pointed out that the Minister was responsible to Parliament, but this did not satisfy Mr Statham. who pi "tested it was a ease of Pailiaiwont delegating all its powers to the Government. All .Massey re tort eel that Ministers were nut asking for this sort o| thing because they liked it. hut because it was necessary in the interests of the puhlie. During the war the Government had prohibited the export of jam. "Yes.” interjected Mr -Statham.

■•hut that was an export, not an import.’’ And then the .Minister took the House into his confidence. It was the head of the department that had asked t-n have the clause inserted and he would not have done so without good leason. "Government hy heads ol departments” was the llippalit comment with which the incident closed. THAT COMPANY INCOME TAX.

Though the business men of Wellington have not boon proclaiming their grievances I rout the housetops lately, lliev still are feeling very sore about the company income tax. “The income tax we have to pay.” said the chairman of the Taringamutii Totara Sawmill Company yesterday, "may bring iioiiie to some ol you the enormous levies now being made on public companies for income tax. Tlie rate we pay is 8s 9d in tlie C. It is grossly unjust. .Most of our shareholders are not entitled to pay more than about 2s, lan unfortunately the public finances have been got into siu-li a condition that pii Host is useless and little redress an lie expected. Wo are not evon allowed reasonable depreciation : in other words, we might ho heading lot bankruptcy, bit; still have to pay income tax.’’ Mr Massey, however, is not i|iiite so callous as this would make him out to he. lie really is trying Hi find relief lor the company shareholder. He has made a statement to ibis clicet more than once in the House dining tin- present session and it his economics are a’pproved he will he able In give ellei-t to his words.