WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 September 1922, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE GOVERNMENT’S ECONOMIES. A DOUBTING FRIEND. SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. WELLINGTON, September 5 Til*- “Dominion” through anxious to lie convinced, is not quire satisfied that ali the Prime Minister’s promised economies are yet in sight. “It is manifest,” it says referring to Air Massey’s claim to have effected savings amounting to £5,100,419 a year, “that some of the economies are not yet in full operation, and that others are a saving, not of past expenditure, but of expenditure that otherwise would have been incurred. Making allowance for these facts, however, if is difficult to reconcile the Budget statement of present and prospective economies with the Finance Minister’s estimate that expenditure for the current year will fall short of that of last year by less than £300,000. As they stand, the figures are not as convincing as they should ho. The most obvious explanation is that the. Minister of Finance has erred on the side of caution in estimating his expenditure.” If Mr Massey has failed to satisfy the official organ of his party that his economies are real savings it is little wonder that the newspapers on the other side of politics are making merry over his statement of the position.

THE OPPOSITION FAILURE. The marvel about the matter is that not a single member on the Opposition side of the House laid his finger confidently upon the weak spots in Mr Massey’s argument. Mr Sidey, Air Masters. Air Forbes and one or two others of the Liberal-Labour group delivered very excellent speeches in the Budget debate, but none of them ventured very far into field of finance. Probably it was their failure in this respect that induced the “Dominion” to assume the role of the candid friend and admit its inability to find any tangible evidence of the Government's frugality. There should he. however, no misunderstanding on this point. The Government. has affected very considerable economics. ’ and though many of them may be. as the "Dominion” puts it. “savings not of past expenditure, but of expenditure that otherwise would have been incurred. ’’ they nevertheless give earnest of its desire to place the finances of the country in order. No doubt the approach of the general election has stayed its hand to some extent hut politicians of whatever colour are. after all. only human. THE LICENSING POLL.

The licensing question still seems to he very much in the background, except in the advertising columns of the newspapers, where the Trade and the Prohibitionists are contributing generously to the revenue of the proprietors; hilt there is a feeling abroad that “No License” again is going to give “Continuance” a very close run. “It is in the air,” said a business man to-day when discussing the question, without any bias, as he claimed. ‘The soldiers’ vote which saved the Trade three years ago will not he present in such force this year, and fewer votes will be thrown away on State control. Tho fear of increased taxation may counter balance those two factors, hut most of the people that have voted prohibition in the past will continue to vote prohibition and probably a majority of tile new voters will go that way. It s going to ho a great tussle.” Both the Trade and the Prohibition workers expect this to he the case, and the Trade which is the hotter equipped with funds, is making very strenuous efforts to maintain its position. Yet the public appears strangely apathetic about the whole matter.

THE EDUCATION REPORT. The annual report of the Minister of Education this year is remarkable rather for its length than for its breadth. It consists of many pages and covers much ground, but it contains little that is new, and nothing that is very inspiring. The Minister is at much pains to show that education in New Zealand last*year cost no more per head of population than education in England and Scotland is estimated to cost this year. , The value of the comparison cannot he determined without fuller information than the report supplies, but £2 los 3d per head of the population is not mi excessive amount for the Dominion to he spending upon this essential of civilisation provided it is obtaining value for its money. On this point the report is not illuminative, though the stereotyped tables show that the usual number of children passed through -the various standards at the customary age and at rather more than the average east. The system is still hampered by the dearth of trained teachers and pnsi tively disgraced by the huge size of the classes. These evils, it seems, can be cured only bv additional expenditure and so far for the present must be endured.