WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 February 1924, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

DEVELOPMENT LOANS. NEW ZEALAND'S APPLICATION. [Special To Tiie Guardian.] WELLINGTON, Jan. 30 In hi.-' speeches and interviews upon his return front London last week the Prime .Minister mentioned special loans that had been suggested by the Imperial Government as a means of enabling the Dominions to proceed more rapidly with their necessary development works. It was understood that the whole matter had been held up by the change of Government at Home and that it would he necessary to hear what Mr Ramsay .MacDonald and his colleagues had to say about it before any further progress could be made. But, yesterday Mr .Massey announced that before leaving London he had applied on behalf of New Zealand lor a special loan of £1,000,000 under the Scheme. Ho explained that the fate of the application would depend upon the attitude of the new Government towards the scheme and unon Ihe temper of the Imperial Parliament. Meanwhile he was not disposed to sayhow the money would he employed. Here there is a strong feeling that I lie most urgent need of the kind indicated is the completion of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway in both islands, and a mild agitation for the connection of Nanier with the Auckland line is airondv on foot. Probably the South Island will lie moving in due course. NO SENTIMENT. At the meeting of the New Zealand Instill]!" yesterday, the introduction of Scotch heather into the Dominion came up for discussion on a report, by the ex-ollicio represent a live of the In slilute mi the Tongariro National Park Board. "When the Park Board was constituted,” this report slated, "a considerable quantity of heather seed was on its way from Britain. purchased at the expense of the Robert Bruce Trust. The trustees have given the Park a donation of CTOOO. with a prospect of a further donation. Tin Board has given permission for the planting of the seed that was already on the way, and lias decided to consider the whole matter before any further planting is allowed.'' Dr Cock-

ayne, a member of tin* Institute and the highest authority in New Zealand on the subject, strongly opposed any further planting. “If it gets a good hold of the grass lands of the i-mith Island,” he said, "it will he Ihe means of reducing the sheep-carrying capacity by one half. They are trying to turn the Tongariro National Park into a Swiss Alps or a Rocky .Mountains, or something that does not cxisi on earth or in heaven.” Other members of the Institute spoke to a similar effect and a motion si riingly opposing the planting of heat her was adopted. PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT. The statement of the Mayor ol Christcliuroll. Mr .1. A. Elesher. tliui the South Island was lining politically dominated by the North Island, and that it was being denied opportunities to develop its own resources, probably will receive less sympathy in Wellington than it will in some other parts of the North: hut even here there are many people who believe with Mr l'li-shir that heller results fur the country as a whole would he obtained from a restoration, in a modified foriii, o; the old provincial -vsiein of government, than are likely to lie sei'llred fiom a rontimuinee of the present policy of rent rali-at ion. They do not blame the present Ministers of the Crown, nor unv of their predecessors since the abolition of the provincial form of government, for what is happening in this respect; hut they nuiini :iin stoutly that the (cut i ali-.aiior -.! administration hn< enormously enlarged the authority and powers of the superior Cu il servants, and that these gentlemen iu.-lcad of acting under the direction ol Ministers, now art on their own init.iatht and always follow the line of lea .1, rest:.lame which means the line most congenial to themselves. Such complaints, of course, come even more frequently from Auckland. Taranaki and Hawke's Ray than they do from the political capital. COAL AND OIL. Some inquiries made bv a representative of the "Dominion” yesterday brought forth front several authorities the opinion that the growing use of oil fuel.” one of these authorities said,

"is becoming increasingly popular with shipowners wherever tried. Several years ago the conversion of coal-con-suming ships to oil-burners was checked by tiie rumours of a possible world shortage nl oil. Rut the fallacy of that has been fully proved, and the only obstacle to (lie conversion of coalburning > I earners into oil-burners is tile first cost. There are many considerations besides the difficulties placed in the way of large coal consumers by labour troubles, which are influencing shipowners in this matter. Life on an oil-burner is a sort of little Heaven compared to the drawbacks of using coal. Cleanliness, for instance, is a great consideration. Then again, taking the Lylteton ferry boats as an example, a run over to .Miramar once a week is all that Is necessary to replenish supplies. Tii fact, it may not ho long before hunkering coal at Wellington will he a comparatively rare happening.