WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 February 1924, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

favours; for farmers. ( I*lilt ISM OF GUVKRX.MK.Vr. [Special To The Guardian.] \VK 1.1,1 XCTOX, Fell. ”5. The " Evening Post,” assuming the rule ol ihe candid friend, puts it to tin; Government that it is rather overdoing the part of a special providence to the agricultural _and pastoral interests of the Dominion. There is a feeling abroad, growing stronger day by day, it says, that the present Government “ is of the farmers, by the i'ann»rs. for the farmers all the time.” By wav of avion its face, the “Post”

suggests Unit the feeling may he altogether unjustified, hut having conceded so much to consistency it pro-

em ds to 1-01111, -rate some reasons for the popular b-Jiel'. There is, it remind' it, read -vs. the financial liability a.slimed by the Government under the Meat Expert Coolltrol AcL: the pay out last vein' and the vear ho lore of

ome thousands of pounds under a uarantec to the fruit growers; the

" deplorable embargo ” on imports of wheat and flour for human consumption. and so soon and soon. £pn the lop of all this the “ Post ” has the special and particular grievance of the exemption of the farmers from income lax. which it regards as the proverbial straw upon the broad back of the long suffering commercial coomnuinity. Il wants to know what Mr Massey is going to do ahuiii the matter. A BURNING QUESTION. So far as the farmers’ income tax i,s eoncenied. Mr Massey probably will remind his critics that the farmers were specially exempted from the income tax when the land and income taxes were substituted for Ihe t) |i| property lax nearly thirty-two years ago. They enjoyed tliis exemption from 18l>8, when it represented a very material concession to them, up to 101.3, when in the first War Budget they were brought under the operation of the Act purely as a war measure. Mr Massey will he fully justified in saying that by retaining to ante helium conditions after live par- of peace lie was merely discharging a promise given and accepted in guild faith. Rut as regards the re-.t of the indictment recited by the " Post ” he may iitul bis justification ■i little more difficult. No one ipiite knows what financial responsibilities the Government lias assumed in connoelion with the Meat Bottl'd and the Dairy Board, but. its obligations under its guarantee to Lite fruit growers and the burden it lias east upon the rest of the eouiniuiiitv bv its amae.tng con-

cession to the wheat growers is plain for everyone to sec. When the " Bust ” is moved to protest, public feeling must lie running pretty high, ft will lie Parliament's turn next. DOMESTIC HELPS.

A correspondent of the, local evening minor thinks that an undue proportion of the girls brought out to the Dominion under the Government's auspices for domestic service are not sufficiently well qualified for the work they are reasonably expected to undertake, lie catalogues i lie shortcomings of the Overseas Immigration Department, which he holds responsible for the unsatisfactory results, in the following order: “(]) apparent neglect to impure into tin; qualifications of applicants, or a total disregard as to their ability or otherwise; f-’) apparent neglect, to sup ply intending emigrants with essential information regarding colonial employers’ actual requirements; (3) leaving emigrants to assume- a roseate state of affairs in this Dominion instead of being acquainted with the actual facts.' 1 The .Secretary of Immigration does not think that auy of llic-se sins of omission ami commission can fairly la; attributed to the authorities ai Dome. The applicants for free passage are medically examined, are

required to produce suli-i'actoi y refcreneos mi'l arc informed of what will he required of them at this olid. All this seems to suggest that the. utmost- ca e is tiilceii in London io secure the right class of laris; but. it is inevitable that an odd one here and there does not readily adapt • herself to “ colonial conditions. TUI r.M i’ll KOH CO-OPER ATTOX. Mr Robert Semple and his party have practically completed the piercing of the Ovougornngo Ipuntol, which is to fin nisi) Wellington with an additional supply of water, and are receivin'; 'he warm congratulations of their friends upon their achievement. They me seven months ahead of contract time, having hewed and bored their way through the hard rock of the Orongorongo Range in two years and five months, and are expecting to hand over tile completed work to the. City Council at the end of the present weelc. Mr Semple—who, by the way, remains as ardent a Socialist as ever, though obviously a more judicious one than lie was a decade ago—is delighted with the work and with the zeal and loyalty of the men associated with him. tie speaks highly of the ability

of the engineers who designed the tunnel and prepared the working spec-idea-lions and of those who superintended the progress of the work. In short he regards the whole achievement as a great triumph for sane go-operation and for the principles he has been enunciating from the platform during the last quarter of a century.