WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 March 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

the voice of commerce.

(Special to “Guardian”.)

WELLINGTON. March 2:.*

The opinion expressed liy the. Attor-ney-General in respect to the powers of Government interfering with the decision of the Dairy Control Hoard has not given the quietus to those who think the proposed action involves considerable danger. The Wellington Chandler of Commerce is distinctly opposed to absolute control and at a meeting of the Chamber this week a lengthy motion on the subject was passed. The Chamber “ seeks to protect the fabric of commercial and mercantile activities, which makes production. transport and distribution possible. and which in turn makes the market what it is.” Discussing this matter with a business man who does not often appear in the limelight, he characterised absolute control as a dangerous scheme and one only likely to cause a great deal oi harm to those it was intended to benefit. The production of dairy produce was not the simple thing it looked. .Most ol the factories have to borrow from banks and businses houses. Many oi the farmers are indebted for their cream separators and milking plant, and the probability is that this source of financing will dry up, because neither the borrower nor the lender has any control over the produce, for that passes to a hotly of amateur salesmen and nondescript business men. 1 hen again the advances against shipments are to be obtained from London merchants, and is it to he supposed that these merchants will agree entirely to the terms laid down by the Hoard and not seek to lix terms of their own. And. if supposing in the second season of absolute control the London merchants refuse to make advances, what will he the position of the Hoardf Then again there is some doubt as to the power of the Hoard to make repayments. If that is continued, how is the, difficulty ter he overcome t The scheme bristles with difficulties and dangers, and the only sure thing is that some people connected with the Hoard will ho drawing big salaries, for which they will lie unable to render adenunte service. The whole question must come up for review during the approaching session of Parliament, and as members will he under no restraint there will lie some plain talk, and the belief that when the session ends the Dairy Control Hoard will fun! s it has no power ol

control. EFFECTS AS, A PREC EDENT.

This business man goes further and declares that all the “ control '' legislation established a very dangerous precedent. He illustrated his contention by pointing out that (he housing problem was a big plank in the Labour platform, and it would suit Labour extremely well to have a working precedent on which to base drastic legislation. Supposing extreme Labour managed to secure the Treasury lienehes at the next election, and desircd f to make some effort to solve the housing dillhulty. And suppose the Labour Government introduced a Housing Control Hill based on the principles involved In the Dairy Control Hill. Say it proposed setting up Hoards in the four centres and the larger provincial towns, giving to these Hoards the power to billet families in the larger homes whore there is room to spare. In Wellington the condit ions are shucking. for there are tour or five families living in lour or livo-roomed cottages, a menace to the public health and a menace to the public morals, so that oil public grounds it, would he desirable to put an end to such a state of affairs. Filleting these unfortunate people on (heir wealthy neighbours would he an easy way out of the difficulty. It may he objected too that

this is an invasion of the rights of pr

perty. hut ifie iad’our CmoMiaionl would have the precedent, say. ol (he Dairy Control Act. Fnder absolute control the rights of the producer in his property passes to the hoard, and under the Housing Board, the rights of the owner of a house over the house space not actually needed by his family Mould pass under the Housing Control Hoard who would let the rooms at such a rent as they may decide, collect rentals and band same to owner le.se. cost of collection, etc. There is nothing wrong in that if absolute control of dairy produce as provided in tho Act is right. And the ingenuity of a Labour Gnvermiviit would he equal to exploiting the precedent lor nil that it is worth. The dairy farmer has his produce to sell and the Reform Government has provided him with a Hoard to secure the best price for his produce. ’I he watersider has only his labour to sell, ami lie is just as much entitled to get the host monetary return for that labour as the dairy farmer has to get for his produce. A Watersiilers’ Labour Control Hoard based under the principle underlying the Dairy Control Act would he justified; at least there din he no sound argument against it. HI'S I NESS MORALITY.

It is somewhat singular that with high prices for wool, meat., butter and cheese and the expenditure of large sums of borrowed money that business should he as dull as it is.-Some people would he inclined to doubt this, but the same phenomenon is said to exist in Australia. Emphasis is given to this liv the bankruptcy returns ol N.Z. In February there were 57 bankruptcies. as compared with IS in February, 1924, 5(1 in February, 1023, and t:S in “February, 1.022. For the first two months of the year the bankruptcies totalled 104 as compared with 8.1 in the corresponding two months of last year and 101 in the first two months of 102:1.