WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

DRIVING TACTICS

THE PRIME MINISTER’S BARK

(Special to “ Guardian.”)

WELLINGTON, October 13.

The Prime Minister’s threat of last week to push Government measures through Parliament, without regard to the hours of sitting or the protests of members, has not yet been put into Execution. As a matter of fact, the leader of the House has been more tolerant and conciliatory than usual during the last few days, fencing cheerily inquiries concerning the prospects of the licensing and Gaming Hills and exchanging pleasantries with the humourists on the other side of the Chamber. Doubtless some of his more experienced colleagues have reminded him that politicians in the mass are mere children and more easily led than driven. It is fairly plain however, that if Parliament is to be prorogued before the end of November, with a reasonable amount of work done, it will have to apply itself to business much more assiduously than it has been doing during the last three months. So far the Government with its big majority has had little difficulty in putting its less contentious .measures through the House, hut when it brings down the hieensing Bill and frees its followers to vote as they please its real troubles will begin. It is predicted in the lobbies that in the end the Bill will be left stranded. GAMING AND BIBLE READING.

The Gaming Bill and the Religious Exereises-in-Sehools Bill, stand in a category apart from the licensing Bill and doubtless -Mr Coates is thanking Ids stars lie has had nothing to do with them ministerially. The Gaming Bill seeks to legalise the transmission of money to the totalisator from beyond the racecourse, with publication of the amount of dividends, and various other things that are regarded as abominations by the Nonconformists Conscience. The main arguments in favour of these concessions are the need for increasing the revenue of the | racing clubs and the importance of defeating the bookmakers. The “Dominion” maintains that these ends would be attained by loading the telegraph wires with totalisator investments during the progress of a race meeting as they were announced at too machine. J No doubt the revenue of the Post and 'Telegraph Department would he considerably augmented by such a scheme, but it is doubtful if the operations of the bookmakers would bp greatly affect-, ted by the open road to the totalisator. Hundreds of investors from afar still would find it easier to do business with the bookmaker in the town than with the machine on the course and would continue to do so. TARIFF AND TAXATION. The one thing made obvious by the passage of the Customs Amendment Uilll through the House of Representatives is that of Hon.- W. Downie Stewart’s tariff revision, which was to more than compensate the payers of income tax for their substantially increased rates, is not going to relieve them of a fraction of their additional burden. Having, as Minister of Finance. imposed an additional load of some £250,000 to £.100,000 upon one section of the community, Mr Stewart, as Minister of Customs, under the name of “ protection ” has proceeded to impose a further load ol undefined magnitude upon the whole of the community. Both of these imposts are in addition to the subsidy to the wheat growers, millers and speculators, which costs the bread-consumers some £400,000 or £500,000 a year, and yet gives the country no assurance of a constant supply. Just what will be the effect of the present tinkering with the Customs tariff can be only conjectured at the moment, but it is certain that it will increase the purchasing cost of every article that is involved in the operation of protection. That is not to. say that protection always is undesirable, but it is to say that protection will not fulfil the Minister’s undertaking to the taxpayers. HI BLE-IN-SCHOOLS. In giving evidence before the Education Committee of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Professor IT. Mackenzie condemned in robust language the provisions of the Religious Exercises in Schools Bill. To talk of introducing the Bible purely ns literature into tbe State Schools was, he said emphatically, absolute twaddle and unworthy of any mind possessing a true sense of pedagogical science or of educational values. The Bill was an outrage on common intelligence anil pedagogical science, and if it became law it would scetarinnise the national system of education and subsidise to the extent of approximately £175,000 a year a purely formal and mechanical Protestantism. He had always strongly opposed every effort that would tend to sectarianise the national system of education. He asserted that in most parts of England to this day it was scarcely possible for any teacher not an Anglican to secure a headmastership in a State School. In many parts, of Scotland appointment to a headmastership very largely depended upon the brand of Presbyterianism professed by flic candidates. Sir Robert Stout, who followed i Professor .Mackenzie, produced statistics to show that New Zealand’s present system of education had produced a more moral people than had the system of any other country.