WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 28 September 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES

DOMINION DAY. A SUPERFLUOUS HOLIDAY. [Special To Tin: Guardian.] WELLINGTON, Sep. 2d. Dominion Day, notwithstanding its high-sounding title, never has been a very popular holiday either with employers or employees, and this year -in Wellingi oil its recognition was confined almost entirely to the Government offices, the hanks, the large commercial generally supposed to have been designed houses and the professions. The " workers,’’ for w hom holidays are generally supposed to have been designed, Were required to go about their jobs as usual, and none of those in the

capital city seemed to be aggrieved It was put about early in the week that the members of the staff of the Post Office were not to he among the celebrants, hut representations made to the controlling officer brought about a belated announcement that the day would he observed as usual. It is suspected, however, that this is the last occasion on which the public offices will close in commemoration of an event of little historic or sentimental consequence. At -one time it had some political and party significance, the Government of the day claiming that the change from "Colony” Lo "Dominion” gave Now Zealand additional dignity and importance in the eyes of the world, while the Opposition scoffed at the tinsel and the parade of the new title. But all that has passed, Mr. Ma ss.ey having become as ardent an Imperialist as any of his predecessors in office, and the argument against the holiday now is that it is a superfluous interruption to the industries and business of the country. “HIDEOUS AND COSTLY FAD.”

Us hi- report to his Board, Air. J. 11 Howell, the very capable director of the Wellington Technical College, is refreshingly candid in his criticism of the policy ami administration of the Department of Education. Not content with pulling to picees in his latest report the Almister's figures in respect to the relative cost of the Auckland and Wellington Technical School buildings he proceeds to denounce in the very strongest forms one of the Department’s recent enterprises in the way of vocational training. "At the Kowhai School,” he wriles, “ I had an opportunity of seeing the portable buildings such as the Department recommended should fie erected at Alotint Cook to replace our present cookery room, hut which the Board has refused. Three of these room- have been provided at Kowhai fur cookery, science and woodwork. Thev are covered outside with iron with wooden battens over (he joints and are uglier than a plain iron building, f am informed that the three rooms cost over CfIOOO, while at I’ukekohe three ordinary rooms were Imilt in wood for

LlliliO. Ji may he a matter of opinion, but I can only regard these buildings, as a hideous and costly lad.” AYhat the Depart emut will say to this one can hardly conjecture, hut it is not lil-cd.v to he anything eomplimentarv to •Mr. Howell. COSTLY BUILDINGS. Bid whatever mar he said for the portable structures Air. Howell condemn- so emphatically, the Alinii-terV own statement- to the (.(inference of Education Board officials and a n hiteet' Cow -il ring here suggest- that Dmre i- a vast amount of extravagance ill the building undertakings of the Department,. The Department. Air. Parr said, was '•Pending on an average half a million pound- a tear on buildings. The average before the war was <2ft)l 1.000 a year. The building expenditure therefore had increased by over 100 per eeiii., infinitely more than the increase in the cost of living. li sometimes staggered him. the Al,blister weld on 1,1 sa >'. when he realised how little the >tate got lor its money. Two rooms in brick lor the inl'ani department cost L'.>.'l.,(i; -is rooms in brick CIO,020; six rooms in wood C(S,<SIO; a twelve roomed school 221,000. Schools were being' erected in New South Wales and Victoria at a Cosi of 2.1 to ill) per edit, lower than the cost of similar schools in New Zealand. The Wellington disD'lel held supremacy in high costs and Nelson, Canterbury ami Wanganui seemed in build more cheaply than the other education districts. "1 cannot be ennlcnl to allow the present conditions to continue "11110111 at least investigating tiler,” Air. Parr said in conclusion, "and the business of this conference is to join with me in getting at the facts.’ 'Hie result of their joint- efloiis will lie awaited with interest. PROFITEERING'.

A business mail with la rue interests in Ijntli Xfw Zealand anil Australia r»lerrin.g this iiioiiiino; to Mr. Parr's remarks upon the high cost of huifiling in tile Dominion said that he was not the least surprised at the figures the figures (he .Minister had quoted. New Zealand was recognised in Australia, he declared. ;is the happy hunting ground of the profiteer in almost every class of business. I Ids firm had been supplying from Melbourne an article in extensive me to retailers in Xew Zealand at JSg a dozen and lie found it marked up in 'lmps to-day at prices ranging from 17s (ill to 20s. in drapery he had seen in Wellington ladies knitted dresses ticketed at from 0:; t 0 os which could ho bought wholesale in .Melbourne at from Ass to AOs. V. ith these and mauv oilier facts of the same kind within his own knowledge this, authority did not wonder at the prices obtained by builders from the Government. Many of them had been exploited themselves and naturally they exploited ill turn.

r.Aßnrn and immioratiox. a re XT. AVELLINGTOX. Sept. 2A. Addressing a meeting in the Empress Theatre here. Air -T. Wignall. a member of the British Settlement Commission, now on a tour of investigation through the British Dominions, divested himself of his responsibility a- a nominee of the Imperial Oovenuneiit. and spoke his mind freely to a large gathering of workers. So far as that meeting was concerned, he said, he was going to speak simply tis a Labour man. and as a representative of the great Labour Party at Home. lie felt at liberty to do this because when lie was invited to join the Commission, lie-first sought the approval of the Labour Party, which was given unanimously-, and then gave the British Government to understand that he would come out as a T.altour representative pure ami simple, looking at questions from the Labour-point of view and gaining information from Labour sources. The Government had approved of this attitude. and lie thought he might say without egotism that his independence

had enabled him to secure a vast amount of information that otherwise could not have been available to the Commission. Labour was the important element in the immigration question. and it must stand first in any satisfactory solution of the problem. FREEDOM FOR THE WORKERS. Having made his position on this point clear. Air AVignall went on to .say that although great seas divided New Zealand and Great Britain, the Labour people of the. two countries were as one, and were fighting side by side against their thraldom. The members of the Commission had heard many funny things during their tour, but the funniest of all had been the statements made at a meeting of representatives of the Farmers’ Union of the previous day. One of the representatives had stated that the best class of immigrants were Scandinavians and Russian Roles, and had expressed the hope that the Commission would be instrumental in sending out men who were as good. The Chairman interjected that he would lie satisfied with men "half as good.” This Air Wignall confessed, laid made him boil, and he told the farmers that Ik looked upon the chairman's interjection as an insult to the British workers. Did the fanners, he asked, think that all the Weary Willies and Tired Tims came from Great Britain I Air AVignall believed in land settlement if there was suitable land for the people hut they should ho given a fair chaimo and an opportunity to reap the benefits tile authorities advertised. ALL BRITISH.

Ji'i noticing the little passage ol words between Air AVignall and the President of the Farmers’ Union the "New Zealand Times” this morning calls a plague upon both their houses. “The quality of the immigrants raised a question which ought not to have been raised.” if says. "Something vasaid about Russian Poles, who do good work among us. It was said in a rather tactless way by Air Poison, of the Fanners’ Union, and it was taken up l>v one of the emissaries who is a Labour A1.1’., not too tactfully. Bui improper conclusion must he avoided. AA'e must preserve belief in our own race, however Mr Poison and the tootouehy and rather narrow Labour AT P. limy have blundered. If the AT.P.’s hope of salvation depends on his belief in his mistaken view of ATr Poison’s statement, his damnation is assured. Lot him go home and repent. Repentance or otherwise, he will have hard work to deny the truth, which is that this Dominion believes in the greatness of the race that made it; that proved its greatness in the war; and is Die race which it wants to come out here and complete the work of the pioneers who made this country what it is. and wlnwe kith and kin will bring it in due course of development to its great destiny.” This florid statement embodies nearly enough the popular view of the situation. GEN IT]XH BETTI.F.AIENT.

A candid friend of the Government discussing immigration to-day said the faults of previous Governments in this matter were being perpetuated by All Afassev and his colleagues. If the opportunities awaiting in New Zealand for young, strong, capable people were made known at Home, lie said, there would he plenty oi intending emigrants of the right class giving their preference i otliis country. But the official idea appeared to he to import workers who would remain workers all their lives and never aspire to the independence which should he the goal of every new arrival. Canada attracted emigrants from the Old Country, not merely because it was nearer to" the .Motherland, hut largely because it offered .something better than lilcloug drudgery to the young men and women who dared to go abroad. Let New Zealand adopt the same policy, say- this authority, assuring the emigrant of his opportunity, and standing scrupulously hv its implied contract, and it would not lack the additional population it tequirts. This e. the opinion ot a large cmph.uer o! labour who practices wlnil he preaches.