WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 August 1926, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

ANTI-BRITISH ASIA. REASSURANCES BY PROFESSOR CONDLIFFE. (Special to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, August 3. In view of the anti-British' speeches reported from the Pan-Asian Congress now sitting at Ngasaki ait address delivered hy Professor J. B. Condliffe of Canterbury College to the Wellington Clmniher of Commerce yesterday has a very present interest. There seemed to lie a- vague fear, the Professor said in one of his passages, that Japan or Russia, directly or indirectly, would precipitate New Zealand and Australia into war. There was a rooted distrust of the activities of the Japanese, and connected with that there was a fear that Australia and New Zealand were in danger of being flooded hy «• great rush of immigration from the over-populated centres of the Far East. He had gone to the conference at Honolulu with that feeling in the back of his mind, but when lie left there lie was firmly convinced that it was large]v irrational. lie was quite satisfied in his own mind that the policy of immigration restriction as practised in New Zealand was not a cause of offence to the Japanese. As far as lie could gather, the Japanese were quite sincere in their statement that immigration afforded no relief to them. They could not afford to risk the possibility of an international difficulty by challenging a policy of immigration restriction in two of the British Dominions. Moreover, they had no intention of doing so. ABOLITION OF POLL TAX.

The Japanese, Professor Condliffe went on to say. felt sore and cut to the heart bv the restriction America had placed on them. In New Zealand, however, thanks to the JTOII AA. D. Stewart, a satisfactory system ivas in operation. The extension of the scheme lay in the abolition of the poll tax upon Chinese. The removal of that tax. which was no longer necessary, would do a great deal to smooth international peace in the Pacific. TTc felt sure that the problems of immigration which existed in New Zealand were problems wilhin the Empire. An impression lie i irried away from, the conference was the great change—an almost revolutionary change—that had taken place in the Far East. In China, the Government was disintegrated. The oldest-established empire in the world was falling to pieces before their eyes. The whole thing was unspeakably corrupt. The common, life of tho people was suffering very heavily. The professor’s suggestion for the abolition of the poll tax will not meet with a great deal of favour at the present moment, but there is a growing feeling among thinking people that a more searching test of suitability for admission to the Dominon might be applied without giving offence to either the intending immigrants or their Government. Meanwhile the compliment the professor paid the Hon AA’. D. Stewart was rich.lv deserved. LICENSING.

The House of Representatives has made such rapid progress with the routine work of the session—thanks largely to the tact of Ministers and the forbearance of the Labour Opposition—that several, contentious Bills which have been foreshadowed are likely to make'their appearance in Mie near future. The most important of these, or, at any rate, the one likely to promote the most discussion, is the Licensing Amendment Bill, which Hie “Rost,” with its admirable optimism, thinks should present no great difficulty. “It is for the members to decide,” it says, “ bow far they have a warrant for placing il 10 stamp of legislative approval upon the proposals submitted by either party. The great mass of public opinion, we believe, stands in with neither party, but desires sensible and strict control of the liquor traffic., freedom from anomalous and irksome restrictions, and a spell flora, the triennial polls which have surely had a sufficient trial.” Whether public opinion wijl stand in with the proposal to substitute sexennial polls for triennial remains to be seen, since the prohibition still remains a big factor in the decision of the question. The “Im-liceuse ” cause, however, is not so strongly represented in the House as it was last year and the Prime Minister himself, and apparently a majority of his colleagues, stand firmly for the six-year interval. OAMIN& AMENDMENT.

Tlio Gaming Amendment Bill, which t'-e Hon V. H. Reed has put through tlte Legislative Council on behalf of Sir Edwin Mitehelson, seems to Tie lingering on its passage to the House of Representatives. May he the Prime Minister remembers the trouble a similar measure ga've his predecessor in office on several occasions and is not anxious to see it on the floor of the House till the excuses for haste are more urgent man they are at the present time. But whether the Bill is produced early or late several of its proposals are sure to he lengthily discussed. Of course if the Labour members, with their new responsibilities weighing upon them, accept Sir Edwin’s proposals, and leave the bookmakers to look after themselves, the discussion may lie considerably shortened. But there still are members of the House, not quite so rabid as the Hon li. M.. Isitt. now transported to the Upper House, who will oppose reform of any kind that seems to facilitate the operations of the totalisat-or and increase its turn-over. Sir Edwin’s Bill goes considerably further than did any of the amending measures of the kind lathered by Mr Massey. hut this may prove rather a help than a hindrance to its passage' through the House as an additional miniher of Ministers will find some little fad of their own embodied in its provisions.