WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 November 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

SUMMERTIME. ITS INAUGURATION. (Special to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON. Nov. 7. | The million rat ion of summer-time yesterday morning was accoinplislie;! ns smoothly and quietly and effectually in Wellington and its suburbs as one might have expected the " change over ” to be had it been in operation for ball a century. To-day the city i - guing about its business as il nothing unusual bad happened, coniine and going. working and shopping as il tinclock never bad been hastened. Ibe citv and suburban areas obviously unsatisfied—and well satisfied with the innovation. It remains to be seen what the country folk think of the experiment. .Many of them arc known to be favourable to summer-time: many others are disposed to be hostile. Mr T. K. Sidey. the promoter ot the movement and the author of its consummation. made ail urgent appeal through the radio station on Saturday night to the dairy farmers in particular to give the scheme a fair trial. ■•Summertime," he said. " is only in operation for one summer, and I appeal to everybody, and especially to the tanners. i'i oive it a fair trial, not merely by refraining I rom placing obstacles in its way. but by making a reasonable effort lo overcome any difficulties that mat arise.” Such a frank appeal deserves

talk in THE HOUSE. The " Dominion ” this morning lays the blame for the length cl the present session of Parliament at the door ol the Opposition, whose Labour-Socialist members, it says, are not deeply concerned over the length of the session. “ though it is a costly business for the country.” “ There has been such a Hood of talk from the Labour-Soc- | ialist Opposition during the current session.” it declares, “that a great deal more time than was necessary lias been spent on the business ol the House of Representatives. Mr Holland and his supporters apparently early conceived the idea that their meat effective weapon of attack on the Government was to make as much noise as possible on every conceivable oppo: tuuity. The result has been that in an endeavour to make progress with business the proceedings at times have been rather one-sided. Ihe Government party lias been comparatively silent.” The stalwarts of the Labour Party have no need lo wince under aspersions ol this kind, since they, practically, are the only members of the House, apart from the occupants ol the Treasury benches, who make a practice i f Hr rouglilv sr.•utilising every proposal submitted to Parliament. Nut for their vigilance the proceedings ol the Hons;' would lie one-sided indeed. MINISTERS’ PRIVILEGES. On Friday. Mr TT. Atinnre, the member for Nelson, ill giving notice ol Ills intention to ask the Prime Minister a question concerning members’ salaries, made full use of a member's privilege to attach a note to his inquiry. "That in I02(>,” the note ran. “ the Prime Minister gave the assurance to a deputation representing a general meeting of members Unit be fully recognised that the honorarium paid to the nienilieis was quite inadequate, hut that the first session was not the time to make the ini rea.se, which could he made in loo;. that, when a second deputation waited on him in HU7 he required a statement from honourable members that they were supparting the proposal and received signed statements showing that all the members outside the Cabinet favoured the increase with the exception of six. who agreed not t i oppose it ; that upon receipt ol such assurance he promised that lie would confer with the representatives as to the best means of bringing the matter before the House; that prospects for trade and the financial outlook lor the Dominion are now, according to his own statements, better than when he made the promise." The net income of members of the House at the pres.lll lime, Mr A.tmore declared, was .aliier less than k'dUO a \c.ir.

INC R EASED TAXATION'. Referring to tin* new petrol duty—.vii ieli lit* preferred tu fill I tin* motor -.ax—in the Housr on Friday, Sir ioscph Will'd declined that lliis Inst impost upon the shoulders ct the public would bring the incrensed tuxiition of the present year up to over two millions. ” Goodness knows where we lire going to,” he exelnimed. Tie did not object to n rensonnhle ndditinnal el i a roe upon petrol, as the users’ conLrihution to the upkeep ol the roads. The users already, however, were paying £188,00(1 as a. lyre tax and l'.‘li8,(1;)'I as registration lees, and now an additional three-quarters ol' a million was to lie extracted from thorn in order to put the Puhlic Works Fond in order. Alter other inemhers had spoken the [’rime Minister in his most eoneiliatory inanner assured Sir Joseph that tin* tax ol' fourpence per gallon would amount only to nil additional L’T a year oil the average ear light tlirontylinilt the Dominion, and that as a matter ol fact there would-lie a tremendous economic saving in the lile ol tin* tyres and the life of the curs. The Government was not asking the ratepayers ol the country to provide the necessary money; hut was giving the motorists what they had been seeking--good durable roads. Sir Joseph was uneoiivinted hut lie smiled resignedly.