WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 7 September 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES

BUTTER- CONTROL POLL. THE CONTENDING PARTIES. [Special To The Guardian.] WELLINGTON, Sept. 5. Now that the poll of factory suppliers to determine the fate of the Butter Export Control Act, passed during the dying hours of tho recent session of Parliament, lias been fixed for October 17, renewed activity on the part of the leaders of the contending parties may be expected. The supporters of the Act, with its compulsory clauses, practically have never relaxed their efforts since the postponement of .the measure last session, hut they now are organising a fincu rally by which they hope to confirm the decision of Parliament by an overwhelming majority. Their strong card is still the extinction of the “middleman,” whom, their speakers say, is pocketing large profits out of the producers’ labour without making any adequate return in the way of service. This, of course, is ail old story and withal a plausible one ; but the “middleman” still seems to have his uses in the industrial and commercial life of the country. The opponents of the compulsory clauses of tho Act. which, of course, constitute the only real bone of contention between the parties, arc not at present so active as are its supporters, but they are by no means downhearted over the position and do not expect the suppliers to follow blindly the lead of the factory di-

vertors. PR OPORTIONA L REPRESENTATION.

Tho absurd message distributed by the cable agent stating that the system of proportional representation employed in the Irish election was certain to lead to much vote-splitting has moved Air P. J. O’Regan, a persistent advocate of electoral reform, to a mild protest. “Permit me to point oul,” he writes lo the “Post,” “that vote-splitting is impossible under the proportional system. The necessity for adopting it arises mainly from the fact that vote-splitting is a necessary incident of the single-member constituency. That- such a nonsensical message should have been sent does little credit to our cable service, and. in view of the immediate and practical importance of the question in issue to this country, it is necessary to reiterate once again that the proportional system makes vote-splitting impossible. Had the Irish elections been conducted in the usual single-member constituencies, the Government, as representing the strongest of several parlies, would have obtained a majority out of all proportion to its real slrengtb in the country. The result shows ihe real strength of all parties, and by giving its proper share of representation to each makes the new Parliament really representative.” Of course this is an accurate statement of the position and it shows the need lor a vigorous educative campaign, il the country ever is to lie aroused to the importance of electoral reform. LATE POSTAGE.

0 There has been much grumbling for years past at the early hours at which s letters have to be posted in Welling ton to catch 'the outgoing mails. At the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday some light was thrown ! on the subject by members of the Cham bet who had visited the central Post Office at the invitation of the authorities, and seen the letters and packets pouring into the various receptacles just before the closing hours. As n result of the visit the Chamber had urged commercial men and linns to post their mail matter earlier, but there had been no material improvement upon the practice of leaving correspondence till the last few minutes. If the late posting continued the authorities, one speaker said, would have no alternative to closing the mails still earlier. They wished to avoid this if possible, hut could not do so without the co-operation of the business community. The Acting Postmaster, who was present .at the meeting by invitation, said that it was anticipated that when penny postage was restored there would he a large increase in mail matter, if this really were the case it would ho impossible to handle it without insisting upon still earlier postage. ADM INISTRATIV E EXPENDITURE. The Prime Alinister’s inability to reduce the income tax by the full amount lie had led the business communitv to expect, has turned attention afresh to the continued growth of administrative expenditure. The critics, while admitting that savings have been effect- ' ed in many directions, maintain that there still is much unnecessary expend it lire in others. They mention the Education Department as a particularly “horrid” example.” Here the \ expenditure from the Consolidated j Fund has increased from £1,207,982 in. 1 1915 to 92,514,991 in 192.3. The gross t expenditure, including, that is, revenue ' from endowments, superannuation J fund, building grants and .so forth increased from £1,499,992 to £3,268,- t 000. During the same period the cost of education per scholar, including the cost of new buildings, grew from £8 t 3s 8d to £ls 7s lOd. Of course the f increase in population has nothing to do with the increase in the cost per scholar, unless it is to reduce the amount hv the wider distribution of the total. Figures like these are being quoted to discount ihe Govern- y ment’s savings. v