WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1926, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

0 AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. M E 3 north versus south. (Special to “ Guardian.”) j| WELLINGTON, September 21. gj The general opinion here is that the Palmerston North people after all the pss protests from the South Island are exE 3 haustcd — which may be a year hence or H two years hence—will have the agriculm tuial college firmly established in their ® midst. Had the Prime ■-Minister been content to leave the matter in the 0 hands of the Hon. \Y. I). Stewart, his ESI locum tenens, with a full expression ol || his own views, probably the disputa- ““ tions would have been amicably settled m helore this bv the adoption of a. scheme m acceptable to the people of both islamls. i -Hr ( 'oates, however, had made Hie undertaking very much a personal enterprise and naturally wished to see ng the necessary legislation completed jjj under his own eye. The Imperial Conjgij ferenee and the tardy proposals of tf.’.e M southern members of the House made S 3 this impossible bud the whole scheme was held up on the promise of the SB .Minister to give it his attention next S year. Meanwhile the Palmerston North || folk have got the necessary land, all gjj the legislation required for the com __ summation of their aspirations, and “ the promise of a glorified dairy factory at. their back door. It would be a greedy community that would desire more. ■■ WRITING DOWN.” The capital city, where all the banks a and other big financial institutions have their headquarters—in order, it is popularly supposed, that they may keep r their eyes upon the Government—does a not seem eager just yet to follow the heroic writing-down policy of the Canterbury Farmers’ Co-operative Association. “In the year 1021,” the S “Post” recalls, “in three months, 3 the London quotation for light weight E land) fell 'from nearly lid to less than fid. This was an abnormally steep de--3 dine, and .fortunately not an index to the general angle of descent of values, but it was a sufficient indication that such a movement had begun, with a n certainty by no means mitigated by its gradpalucs.s. Years have passed, but from time ‘to time the result of the fall in sheep products—particularly wool, which made itfe second fall last ’ year and is now reviving, comes to ■hand in the shape of company writingsdown. . . In short, the adjustment / has not been avoided, merely postponed. Perhaps it is as well that all writiiigs-down do not come at once. The liquidation of losses is best carried out in .an orderly way. hut it is 1 none tlie less inevitable.” H appears to lie only a. case of postponing the evil day. LICENSING. If street gossip is to he trusted, the Government’s abandonment of the Licensing Amendment Bill in the dying hours of the session was clue, not to the threatened obstruction by the Prohibitionists and their allies, but to the timidity of some of the .Moderates who were understood to have pledged themselves to the policy propounded by the Prime .Minister. When heads came to he counted, so the story runs, a majority of the members of the House were in favour of postponement and utterly opposed to the referendum on the proi posal tor the extension of the period between the licensing polls. It is alleged that this state of affairs was disclosed at a Reform caucus and that postponement was strongly urged by the Whips. If this really is the case it will mean Unit members will return next session with a particular mandate frmi their constituents’ and will exercise their votes accordingly. A further confidence is that the withdrawal of the clause providing for a referendum oil the proposal for a longer interval between the licensing polls would ensure the passage of the other material parts of the Bill. If this is actually "the case the Government probably will accent the terms. POORER BRETHREN. The continued falling off in totalisator returns at the race meetings held in the North island since the beginning cf the new season is occasioning some of the Cluhs eoiisiderahle anxiety. It was honed that with the more drastic administration of the law dealing with bookmakers the clubs’ revenue from the machine would he materially increased: hut so far from this being the case the returns at the country meetings have persistently declined. the prevalence of unemployment and © the' consequent scarcity of “play” © money that are affecting the finances ” of the smaller clubs and making it © difficult for them to pay their way. A ” section of the communitv, of course, a have little sympathy for these clubs, V and would rejoice to see them going © out of business altogether; but such a © development would deprive a large Q number of country- people of an accept--0 able holiday for which they could find 0 no adequate substitute. In the eir--0 cumstances it looks as if the Govern--0 moot might with propriety make a tT substantial reduction in the dispropor--3 tioual burden of taxation imposed upon 3 clubs of this description, ft would he 5 a concession the Minister of Finance 3 never would feel. 3 ‘ Children like Wade’s Worm Figs. . 3 Safe and certain remedy for worms. No 3 bad after-effects.—Advt.