WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 October 1924, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

GOVERNMENT AND THRIFT. (Special to “Guardian”.) WELLINGTON, October 10. The President of tlio Employers’ Federation (Mr T. Sliailer Weston) invariably makes an interesting address at the annual meeting of the Federation, and his opening speech this week contained matter of considerable importance, which is certain to provoke a great deal of comment and close discussion. In dealing with the exchange problem he referred to the establishment of a central reserve bank which had been suggested a.s a pallitive, and pointed out that such institutions in Australia and South Africa had failed. Acording to .Mr Weston " Pending the universal return to a gold standard by English speaking countries, the only practical relief, and this only partial, available to New Zealand and Australia, is suspension

of Government borrowing in London. Hence the extreme importance of a campaign for thrift among us all so that the amount of national savings may be largely increased during the next two or three years.” This looks remarkably well on paper and no doubt sounded sonorous and inspiring, but Mr Weston failed to inform his audience that the fixed policy of the Prime Minister is to keep down the price of money, in other words to penalise thrift. Why should not an individual be free to obtain the highest rate of interest in a free market for his savings, just as the farmer expects to get the highest price for his produce in a free market ? The Government cannot (loaf a loan in Xeu Zealand to-day at o per cent., indeed it is unable to retain its Post Office savings bank deposits. The idea of treating credit as something different, and capable of being regulated by Act of Parliament has been the cause of much of the trouble experienced iu New Zealand in recent years. Had the rate of interest been allowed to rise and fall in accordance with the laws of supply and demand, much land gambling and other vicious speculations would have been avoided and the soldier settlements would not have involved the Dominion in the loss of millions sterling. THE LEGISLATIVE C'OrNCfL. There is a disposition on the part of many to belittle the Legislative Council and to regard it as an excrescence on the body politic, but .Mr Howard Elliott sees considerable good in the revising Chamber and in a letter to a newspaper he says, “'the most careful acquaintance with the legislation attempted this session by the House of Representatives will prove that a revising Chamber, such a.s the Legislative Council, is an unmixed boon and

blessing to New Zealand. I cite but two instances—there are others which might be quoted. The House of Representatives passed without discussion and without amendment, a bill to amend the Medical Practitioners Act. The Hill proposed revolutionary ami excessive powers for a body to be known a.s the Medical Council. It proposed to create that Council an inferior Court, with judicial and juridicial powers. Jt propos'd to permit the council all the powers of an inquisition to charge medical practitioners on suspicion, and to require any man so charged to prove that the Council’s suspicious were unfounded. It aimed at

creating a permanent commission ol inquiry with plenary powers, such as are held by no other body ol men outside the judicature, Courts and Parliament. The Hill established a precedent in granting to members i t a trade union —the Hrilish Medical Association—full powers to line or suspend a medical practitioner on any one of an undefined and indefinite number of charges. In other words it introduced into New Zealand legislation of the Holshevist join eiple that the union of vor!:ers in an ruin-try ha- a right to discipline its nn-iobon, n'ti'o'll t'lei cnee to auv outside legal authority. A proposal so revolutionary, that to establish the precedent would have been disastrous. 'I be Legislative Council luul operated on the liill anil removed the worst elements ol malignancy—hut not all.” LEADERSHIP AND DEVOTION. it is diliiciilL to uiiilcr.-laiid what Mr F. (I. Dal/iell of Wellington hopes to achieve by his new theories ol liie lor which lie seeks legislative recognition. There are apparently three essentials, tin’ first being gooil leadership. F roin whence is good leadership to come and how are we to judge its merits, and who is to judge? Apparouty Parliament, if so Mr Da/.eiell should read Lord Hryce’s opinion of New Zealand members id" Parliament, The second essential is devoted service on the part of the leaders and of the rank and file to the success ol the organisation, flow is this devotion to be obtained by Act of Parliament? Devotion is a matter of degree, and who is to fix the measure cf devotion to lie given b,v the rank and tile. Mr Dalsdell had the support of some hard headed business men, Mr W. I). Hunt, managing director of .Messrs Wright, Stephenson and

Co., for instance, anil Mr Hunt subin it toil fourteen points in support of the claim that human progress could only ho attained by following tho laws of nature. Surely it was not necessary to enunciate that, for it is a selfevident fact.- Disregard of the laws of nature brings speedy retribution. Mr F. X. Harlram asked what was the good of telling him that butter was 7or sale in the shops, if ho were unable to buy it, and Mr Hunt retorted that if lie (llartram) could not get the pound of butter it was pretty good evidence that he was not rendering the same value in service to the community, but supposing the butter was purchased with money inherited, for which the purchaser had not rendered any service, what is the position.-' Oi supposing, being unable to pay for it, ho takes the butter, what is to happen? Apparenty Mr Dalziell's scheme is just a new brand of socialism to follow out which would require a very much superior breed of human being than exists in the world to-day.