PRESS COMMENTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 May 1926, Page 3

PRESS COMMENTS.

Everything the Prime Minister says in favour of creating municipally-owned motor buses may be perfectly sound, but in all other respects his arguments in support of the bus regulations sl’ow that he is quite out of touch with, oublic opinion and has not realised their full effect, in giving a new lease of life to an old form of transport that ought to he gradually eliminated. There can he no justification for the prohibitory nature of the new regulations, and nothing the Prime Minister can say on the subject can justify them. One of their great weaknesses is that in almost every ease the licensing authority is the authority that it charged with the direct management of the trams. — Christchurch “Star.” Presumably the University Senate at its forthcoming meeting to consider putting into effect the recommendations of the Reichel-tnte Report, which strongly urged the need for a higher matriculation standard, will then decide this as well as many other questions ; hut until the standard is raised all round, in every subject, it would be

a grave error to raise the standard in mathematics. Boys of a certain level of attainment and intelligence are in present conditions considered fit to take the examination. It would be a n|inifest injustice if, while other subjects remained easy, boys who are a little slow in mathematics, and perhaps in mathematics only, were handicapped by the increased difficulty of that subject.—Christchurch “Press.”

It must not Joe overlooked that in spite of the /alleged low price of wool the Hocks of this Dominion have increased. The remedy does not lie at the other end, but is to he found in New Zealand. Land values are not on tin economic basis, and until l 1 *tv are there wilt he trouble. There is another point, too, and that is the ability of the. farmer to farm his land succesfully and economically. Wool is n world commodity. Other countries produce the staple, and if we cannot produce as cheap we must not complain of losses, but find mays and means of reducing costs.—“Wanganui Herald.”

11l most of the motor accidents that occurr, from whatever cause, the pedestrian is usually the victim, and while it must he agreed that he slill retains some rights to the public streets, he is undoubtedly often blameworthy on account of his own carelessness. A new older of tilings has arisen with the daily increase in street traffic, and it will take some time for pedestrians to accommodate themselves to the changed conditions, but oil them is a responsibility, equally with Hie drivers of motor vehicles. Public opinion would support the authorities if they took immediate stops to prevent, as far as is humanly possible by regulation find supervision, this loss of life- and serious injury.— “Lyttelton Times.”

The county elections which have just concluded show little variation from the general average of that apathy in local government affairs which characterises the Dominion as a whole. . . On the whole the Dominion has been fortunate in the character of te men who have given their services in local affairs, lnit a general stimulation of interest, disclosed by the exercise of the franchise, would undoubtedly have a beneficial effect, even if for no other reason that that it would make it clear to the successful candidates that they were under observation and were called upon to justify the confidence imposed in them. The eleetion polls afford an infrequent opportunity for the citizen to demonstrate his public spirit; it is a pity that the opportunity is so poorly used “Auckland Star.”

A hoard which undertakes the erection of hospital buildings and their equipment for a highly technical service would surely he gravely negligent if it failed to secure the advice of the profession which is to u.se them in their joint public service. It would ho ! well for all concerned and for the larger public to hear constantly in mind the fact that.the medical profession performs an immense amount of honorary work in the hospitals, and that gives its members, apart from professional qualifications, a greater right than ordinary ratepayers and taxpayers to offer criticism ami advice mi the management of the hospitals.— “New Zealand Herald.”

New Zealand has been under protection for many years and the industrialist is entitled to say that this protection must he effective, hut before any increase in the tariff can he made the Government must be thoroughly satisfied that this increase is the only method by which competition from overseas can he met. On IliuL point the Government can only be sure if it has carried out a searching investigation of industry ill fill its bearings. If such an inquiry is undertaken it will he the duty of the industrialists to put all the available information at the disposal ot the investigating commission. In the meantie. however, the consumer in the Dominion can assist the secondary industries by giving his preference to the locally-made article, even if the priie charged is slightly higher.—“ Southland Times.”

It is certainly difficult to see any inconsistency between the maintenance of tiie present’ democratic system of control and the variation of the character of the public hospitals by the introduction of the pay-ward system. Nor is the point to lie ignored that the type favoured by Dr MacEachern would he expected to attract patients from all sections of the community, and not from the poorer class only. There is no overwhelming reason, so far as we can see, for concluding that the viewpoint of the Minister of Health, at least so far as lie lias expressed it, is necessarily irreconcilable with that taken by Dr MaeEnchern and the New Zealand branch of the Britsh Medical Association with respect, at all events, to the administrative side of the hospital system.— “Otago Daily Times.”

There are still in the Labour movement in New Zealand, amongst tho rank and file, many who will heartily approve of the message of encouragement to the English strikers, because, even amongst lions, there are some incapable of clear thinking and others to who the gift of prudence has been denied. But one must think of the organised. workers as fools to the last mail —think, that is to say. what is certainly absurd—if one is to believe that the workers of New Zealand as a class can regard the British strike as other than foolish and wicked. For the workers of New Zealand have seen more than one attempt by Labour’s leaders to paralyse the life of the Dominion, and they have seen such attempt fail, leaving behind it a wake of ' suffering and saddened workers.— Christchurch “Press.”