WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 November 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

RUTTER A XT' POLITICS. All; MASSEY'S DILEMMA. [Special To The Guardian.] WELLINGTON, Nov. 20. It is evident that the unexpected general election at Home is placing Mr Massey iff an extremely difficult and embarrassing position. Tie bad hoped that on the conclusion oi his labours at the Imperial Conference lie would be able to fix up the other business that took him to London in time to allow him to start out on hi.s return journey by the end of the current month. But now it seems that the big men of finance refuse to discuss the amount of money New Zealand shall borrow or the rate of interest it shall pay till the politicians have run their course and the electors have decided between free trade and tariff reform. Meanwhile Mr Mas.-.ey is kicking his heels on London bridge or in Hyde Hark, or somewhere else, with closed lips and averted eyes praying that ‘'preference” may come and yet not daring to articulate a word. To hold his peace to the deputation that waited upon him the other day to lea in all about the Dairy Produce Control Act must have Seen a herculean effort. But absolute neutrality is the only attitude lie properly can maintain. A Dominion. ’ Minister of the Crown must not poke his nose into Imperial 1 arty polities. LABOUR. AND FREE TRADE. The “New Zealand Times” this morning takes the New Zealand Labour I’nifcy to task for having thrown in its lot. with the English "Labour Party in opposition to the subsl itiou of “preference” for free trade. “This picturesque imagery of the Dardanelles,” it f ws, referring to the message dispatched the other day by Labour here to Labour at Homo, “has a meaning quite clear. It is that the New Zealand Labour Party has gone over body and soul to free trade. Their manifesto is a whole-souled renunciation of protection. The party lias dumped protection overboard into the once much-troubled current of till' Dardanelles. The dumping giound is far aw-iv certainly; but the dumping is not less assured on that account. The party now stands against, all tariffs. Nothing made in Now Zealand, or that, can he made according to their proclaimed belief, requires tariff assistance. Every industry, they have dei hired with clearness lmdiminished by its indirectness, is capable of standing on its own feet against all outside competition whatever, he it of low wages or of capitalistic manipulation, ft is a proclamation surprising as well as picturesque, and emphatic as it is picturesque.” This, it must he confessed, is mainly word-spinning and takes a good deal for granted. LABOUR'S VIEW. A sympathiser with the New Zealand Labour Party commenting to-day upon the assiiiiipi ions and criticism of the ••'I inn s” maintained that the paper was -ilher ignorant of the character ol ,Jv contest going on at Home or was anxious to discredit Labour at any price. Tt was not true that Labour had abandoned its principles or ieliciiiieed. its aspirations. It stood by lhole as firmly as ever it bad done. But ii did object strongly to the proposal t i impose additional burdens upon the workers at Home in order that, the piodurers here might escape competition r.iui fee assured of high prices for ■eii am commodities, ft w".i.-; ahl very v.el! to talk of fostering local industries and excluding foreign niiimiiactures, whether butter or motor cars, but such a policy would he justified only after the necessaries: of life had been assured lo the mass of the people at the lowest po.-.-iblo prices, having regard to the j,!-, t rewind of hot'll labour ami capital. S,i far as ••preference” could lie tiudor--ti ml al this distance from the scene of operal bins, it meant that (lie w orker-- at I hail ■ weie to pay higher prices !nr their food in order that the producers in the Dominions might obtain mine for their exports. POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT.

'1 in l new secretary ol the Post and Te legraph i). pni tmeiit Inis hern •••ajiing tilings move since he assumed office a

lew mouths ago. Having made a dying survey of the out-station.s of hi • Department so to speak, he called a i ollierenre of controlling oHie-ts in Wellington to consider (die whole position, .mil this conference hrs just concluded Us discussions. It was attended by the administrative and principal witters at 1 eadijinirters and by all district engineers. chief postmasters, and supoiinleudelits of telegraph offices. Mr Markham disclaims any intention of playing the part of the “new broom'’ and declares tiial the matters considered by Hue conference did not directly affect the public. He hope.-, however, ilia; ihe exchange ol ideas among expo l it need men wiM load gradually to the introduction of improved methods and to the gi-ator offi-'iency ol Hit' service. The I nsine-.s of the Department is increasing at such a pace that it is nece-'iu v to look well ahead, and the Secretary does not Hatter himself that by virtue of his office r.o is in pc?—-son ol all p o mailable information. He has ie reived much valuable assistance from ice officers who al tended .lie conference and la- hopes lo tni n Dos to no fount as occasion and opportunity nffei

THE SHIPOWNER. IX HIS DEFENCE. WE!ri.IXHTOX, Nov. ‘_’B. A notable article ia defence of the shipowner appears iir the editorial columns of the “Mercantile Gazette” this week which deserved wider publicity titan it is likely to obtain in a purely business man’s paper. "Of all the interests engaged in serving Xe" /.oilbind” the writer sav.-. in opening hi- ca-e, “none has received so much criticism as that of the shipowner. He lias been the target of aspersions—he has been attacked vigorously, viciously and violently, mainly by the Fanners’ Ring. Scarcely a meeting of the Dominion Executive of the Farmers" Union ha- passed. Ina what the shipowner has been charged with wantonly exploiting the community. Figuratively -peaking, lie has been hanged, thumped, and kicked, and all because he is in the habit of doing his best to mind his own business and carry on under conditions that are never favourable or even satisfactory. I he direct services, that i-. the lines trading between the l nited Kingdom and New Zealand, have been the butt of the most vicious attacks by fanners and their union officials, and quite recently the President of the I‘armors Union, in referring to the election ol members of the Dairy Control Loaid. expressed the hope that the Board, when set up. would attack the ‘'Shipping Ring." The indictment of the critics, u will be seen, is fairly sweeping. THE IMPERIAL SHIPPING COMMITTEE. Blit the writer floes not confine himself to mere assertions. ‘‘The fane-

iod grievances of the farmers against the direct shipping services originated,” he continues, “during the slump of 1920-21 .when produce prices crashed. and costs of transport were relatively high. The criticisms then levelled at the ship-owner were so pungent. and the denunciation oi his alleged greed so pronounced and insistent. that oil February 18th. 1921, the Government of New Zealand, through the High Commissioner, requested the Imperial Shipping Committee which came into existence in 1920. following a resolution of TinImperial War Conference of 1918 to investigate the following questions: (a) Whether the current freight charged by the lines trading to New Zealand are reasonable, or otherwise; (b) Ii they are not reasonable, to what extent are they excessive?” The Committee set up consisted of ' fourteen members, of whom only five bad any monetary interest- at stake, and its report entirely exonerated the shipowner from any charges levelled against him. It stated, in effect, that he had dealt honestly and squarely with the farmers and had not attempted to exploit any section of the community. PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND STATE ADVENTURE. The writer admits that the shipowners may have made handsome profit.-. during some period of the war; “but,” he adds, “the Exeesss Profits Tax and the income tax quickly stripped them of such profits and lott them beggarly.” After quoting some of the aspersions east upon the shipowner, the writer proceeds to show their incongruity. “It must bo obvious to the meanest intelligence,” bo insists, “that if shipping profits are excessive, keen competition would immediately develop. The Governments of the United Stales, Canada, and Australia apparently hold similar views to the farmers, for they rushed into the shipping business, and are now anxious to rush out of it alter having lost millions sterling of public money. The Poverty Bay Farmers Meat Company was enterprising enough to buy one steamer, the ‘Admiral Codrington' on terms. 1 here was a brilliant banquet on board the steamer when it reached New Zealand, and the po.st-pranilial oratory was ol that fulsome and noisiire nature, characteristic of politicians and people who fancy they can see through a brick wall. That venture in shipping helped to break the company, and it is now in liquidation.” These facts never have been seriously challenged, and as they stand they seem to justify the writer’s contentions. IN CONCLUSION.

After referring to high port charges and other costs borne by the shipowner. the writer slims up decisive!; against hi? disgruntled critics. *'\\ her the whole shipping position is examined i arcfully. calmly and dispassionately.” he say-: “One cannot help arriving al I lie conclusion that tic shipowner has served, and is serliilg Now Zealand in an eminently satisfartorv way. It is but sufficient- to mention that last year the shipping companies despatched 9:.’ steamers I rom New Zealand to Great Britain. Ibis furnished practically a steamer every fourth day. hut the seasonal trader called for more vessels at one time ol the year, when the meat, wool, butter and cheese are available, and ieve, vessels in the late winter anti early spring. H is really time the tanners I- lined to table the. services of the shipowner r<> New Zealand at Hicir true worth. He lias done his share, and a big share it lias been, in developing the resources of the Dominion. At all times, except when circumstances were beyond his control, as during the war, he has provided for the oversea carriage of all the goods and commodities that we desired to export and import, and his services bate not- always been adequately remunerated,'' This is the ease the president of the Farmers’ Union and his friends aiv invited to answer.