PRESS COMMENTS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1927, Page 4

PRESS COMMENTS

Tin- Dominion lias; keen commim - ;! (o tlio construe tion of railways destined to go on to tin? lion-paying list, In !..■ sustained by taxation. Whitt is wanted j 1 is a, fall and fair examination o! the i ! whole financial position and the extent of the Dominion's commitments-—a i complete .stocktaking that will show as < where'we are and how we stand. That I is the last thing the country is likely to get from Ministers, who are more i given to hiding than exposing the ] troth. All the debating ot the Fiiinn- ' s rial Statement that may lv iminlged K in will carry the country hot a little; way along the road to knowledge of j tin- actual position, and for all that 1 is to he gained the debate might as | v.cl ho closed right away Oatniiru “Mail.” : The keeping of accurate accounts would further enable farmers to ascertain exactly what rent or interest and rates and taxes cost per cow. II at the same time they adopt systematic testing they will be able to ascertain uliich. if any, of their rows are failing to earn their keep. Tt is to he suspected that, many cows do not produce enough butter-fat to pay the rent and charges on the land they graze. In r word, the fanner’s daini for relief woui’d bo immensely strengthened if they could show front their hooks just now their income was earned and hov.it was spent.—“ Taranaki Herald. ’ 1 Vast sums have hoen spent, for In- 1 stance, on the provision of free phieesj at secondary,, schools for children to I whom a year or two at a secondary j school can do no good whatever. The) result is that the cost of the schools and staffs is needlessly high, and the I efficiency of the schools is seriously impaired. to the detriment of those scholars who really are worth teaching. Ihe Department would find it difficult to maintain that it has not spent on the actual buildings and equipment more than is necessary. .Of the total of four mii’lions a not inconsiderable part f** wasted. It is true that our education system lias secured that nobody is actually illiterate, but the cost ot this achievement is very high, if the Minister wishes to cut away all the "frills.’’

ho should mahe n beginning with the largest and most expensive “frill” of all. namely, the belief that '' higher education.” to use a current phrase, -run usefully ho provided for everyone. ---Christchurch " Press.” As a considerable quantity of butter and cheese stii'l remains in the hands of the Dairy Protluee Board for disposal, the advantages of the rising prices will < vntunll'y he reflected in the returns of New Zealand producers, while the strength of the market will facilitate tlso liquidation ol the scheme. What would have been the course of the market had control been maintained can now he only a matter of speculation, but may certainly be said that the results since the restoration of free marketing have been satisfactory and that present prospects justify the expectation of a substantially better return

for the whole season’s output than seemed possiWe six months ago. The additonal margin of profit, multiplied by the great increase in the volume of production will be a welcome increment

i in the incomes of individual producers, i and in the aggregn fa| will represent a . material coutributipM toward the ros- . toratioii vot. uornuTllj*f prosperous condi- , turns.—•• ??d«y’ssgal4nd Herald.” It lias been 4, Own i hat on present prices, if XejSy Zealand raised its average yield pefyow to 2101 b. instead of the 'eve! of dOOIb. it could easily roach, it would mean an addition of three and three-quarter millions to the dairying income. The difficulty is to ensure that iliis shall get through to the minds of those who, very rightly, consider they are “keeping cows.” and j who then might lie led to malic an j effort into causing cows to keep them. From all points of view the Government is to l>e congratulated upon voting £•8000 to assist herd-testing nsso- 1 cautions. Ft is notified that this grant is for one year only, but possibly circumstances between now and next year may suggest a modification of this. In any event, we may reasonably conclude that much good will result from the subsidy. It may take ns ten years to reach the Danish standard but there is no reason why half that time should not see the New Zealand average yield added to by 501b.—Napier “Telegraph”