WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 February 1922, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE MEAT POOL. MR MASSEY’S RESPONSIBILITY. •SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. WELLINGTON, Feb. 10. Though Mr Massey has made light of the disapproval of the Chambers of Commerce of some of the vital features of his meot pool scheme, it is evident he is not quite comfortable in having the representatives of the business community against him in this matter. In th 0 House yesterday replying to a suggestion made by Mr T. M. Wilford, the leader of the consolidated Opposition, tion, to the effect that the consumers should be represented on the board of control, the Prime Minister admitted he was not satisfied that 1 under the existing system of representation the third porty was properly protected. He referred particularly to labour disputes, and asked members to think out the problem , for themselves during the recess. Meanwhile he wished it to be understood that the board need not consist entirely of farmers. As a matter of fact it need not contain a single farmer, though adequate representation of the producing interests obviously was desirable. Meanwhile Mr Massey has provided by an amendment to the original Bill for the representation on th e board of “stock and station agents” and this may be a prelude to the further broadening of the base of the controlling body. THE STATE GUARANTEE.

But the objections of the Chambers of Commerce have no been so much to th e constitution of the board of control as they have been to the pledging of the Stae credit in support of what is, in a great measure, a private enterprise. Here the representatives of the business community have the sympathy of many others than the mere political opponents of the Government. It is not at all probable, but just conceivable that some fine morning the public might wake up to find itself involved in a loss of three or four millions througn an unlucky turn in the market which the shrewdest business man could not have foreseen in time to avert a catasitrbphe. Such things have happened in the past, and they may happen again ; it, the future. But without contemplating any such disaster as that it is plainly intrinsically unsound, as the \\ cllington Chamber has put it, for the - Government to use the taxpayers money or credit m backing up a. scheme from which the taxpayers can expect to receive no benefit. It is no answer to this to say the risk is a very smalL one. Neither the greatness nor the smallness of the risk can affect the principle at stake. PAYING THE PIPER.

The “Evening Post” in elaborating this point makes it quite clear that it is anxious to see the farmers assisted in a legitimate way and that it has no wish to make party capital out of the Government’s proposals. “But we are Lot certain,” it says, “that the consumer both in New Zealand and overseas markets is giving the Government and its supporters much concern in their framing of this meat marketing scheme. The country should not be ir.!?od i.pen to pay more for its meat av.-.l at the same time back the meat

producers’ bill. With the pledge of the Government to make good any default the bainks might be disposed to advance up to 100 per cent, but that would not he for the good of the country as a whole, however beneficial it might be to a- section of the farmers. The credit of the whole country is pledged to assist a section of the people rynd yet the country' has but little say in the management of this great business scheme.” That, broadly, is the view of the man-in-t'ie-street, who, in his numbers constitutes the public. THE OPPOSITION. That there is something, more than mere talk in the revival of the old Li-beral-Labour alliance is - suggested rather by the attitude of its opponents than by the rejoicing of its friends. The local organ of Reform by its somewhat crude assumption of contempt for the numerical strength of the reunited parties betrays a concern for the maintenance of the sta.tu, quo, which is wholly inconsistent with its professions of faith in the electors’ attachment to the present Government. The whole truth of the matter 1 is that the frank Reformer realises as fully as any unbiased person watching the course of events must that the fate of the Reform Party hangs on the personal popularity and political achievements of Mr Massey alone. The present Government is even more essentially a “one man” affair than was the Liberal Government at the very zenith of Mr Seddon’s all dominating power, and deprived of its head it would fall to pieces much more rapidly than did the Ward Government, simply because it contains no other figure than would appeal to the country for a single week. Of course the Opposition is in much the same plight but the presont Liberals and labourites at least have th e advantage of not having tried and failed.