PRESS COMMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1928, Page 4

PRESS COMMENT

It is obvious that, just as the railways still continue to be essential for the carriage of some classes of transport, so the cable will continue to be essential for the transmission of some classes of verbal communication. In neither case, however, do these classes of business at present promise to pay working expenses and a fair return on capital invested. The most obvious recourse, in order to preserve these still essential old services, is to effect amalgamation with the new and spread the joint earnings by way of return over the joint capital. This, however, is not a proposal that is easy to carry out in either ease, and more particularly perhaps in the case of road and rail. Doubtless a way out will ill each instance eventually be found, but at present ii is by no means clear what ii will be.—“ Hawke’s Bay Tribune.” To get down to the practical, what the country wants is a land policy which shall encoruage and reward the improver of occupied lands and discourage and penalise the non-improver. Only by raising the productiveness of our occupied lands can the progress and prosperity of the country be ensured. To raise the productiveness of the country it must be made difficult for holders of unimproved lands to continue bolding them in that condition. The country needs legislation under which such holders would be forced to improve or to sell, and a substantial land tax to apply specially to unimproved lands would bring that about. There is nothing revolutionary here. All that is involved in it is to be found in germ in Mr Massey’s alteration of the law. Its only fault was that it did not go far enough. Hs real virtue consisted in the fact that it pointed out the road the country should travel il it wishes to increase its productiveness.—“ Napier Telegraph.” Tl is not by the imposition of harsh conditions, even if they Ire lawful conditions. that prospecting for minerals is to be encouraged. Another positive discouragement to pros peeling is contained in the scale of fees that has now been brought into force. Ihe charges have been so increased that, it is complained, persons of small means are prevented horn prospecting. This is a mat tew of which a great deal more would no doubt lie 1 heard were it not that prospecting has. so to speak, gone out of fashion, partly, it may be ■inferred, because it does not receive tlie official encouragement that is merited by it. But a policy ot supersessiou by the Department of functions that have been discharged in the past by Wardens’ Courts, while undesirable in any circumstances, is rendered distinctly objectionable if it is to he accompanied by the imposition of conditions that, are in conflict with the provisions of the Mining Act. “Otago Daily Times.”

” Wo have ilonv something in Now Zealand to fulfil pur obligations to the ! Maoris. We are making an honest, at- ! tempt to help the Samoans. But wo I do not always, or often, remember that we have obligations and entanglements •'* far beyond qur own shores, and that ' v , it, would actually now be possible for 1,1 us to undo much of the Homeland s ln work for half a century. Mr Amery’s 10 exposition of internationalism was a u’ little vague, because the tiling itself is ’S vague. But it led to the fine and true ■d remark that we have not a walled-in •! (Empire, or an Emnire seeking an ad--1; vantage for its own people alone, but. nr Hu* first practical instillment of inx” ternat ionalism in its highest and lies! sense. Unit the world lias so lar seen. or If the Empire were weakened the :1 > whole world would immediately bc”l' come less secure and it is this (onvicar lion, far more than tlu; idea of selfish n- gain, which governs even I lie discus- — sions of the Marketing Board, l “Christchurch Press.’’ I> The Maoris arc asking that they should be placed on an equal footing to the European. They enjoy the same privileges, anil make use of all the amenities that are provided by a rating system, so there is no reason wbv they should not. bear their share of ihe responsibility. Tf they wish to ( | cultivate their lands, the Maori should have the same facilities of finance ns ( l the pakelia, but their lands will have j. to lie subject to tlie same conditions of mortgage as those lands owned bv tlie in , . Europeans. II the Government is not 1 prepared to do this, which must lie the final solution, however long delayed, then in common fairness to all. it , should pay these outstanding rates I from tlie consolidated funds. This may appear drastic, but is only equitable. I and if carried out. would at least make soul hern members of Parliament take ." an intelligent interest in a problem LS which is holding in pawn enormous 1 areas of idle land that can he made productive if properly treated, and ' thus add to the general wealth of the 1 Dominion.—“ King Country Cliron- ' icle.” 0 Tt would be well for our Australian ' neighbours to be cautious in creating a L ‘ ‘spirit of retaliation, for iT it comes to a tariff’ battle between the Commonwealth and the Dominion, Australia may discover that New Zealand holds I the master key to the situation. A 1 prohibitive duty on imported coal 1 would hit Australia badly, and that is • not the only direction in which this 1 country could strike back effectually. 1 Wo in New Zealand have no desire for a tariff war with our neighbours, and prefer to deal with them in a rational and not unfriendly manner but wo are : not superior to provocation, and may •I be roused to action by unfriendly 1 treatment.—“Oiiniaru Mail.” ) There is a certain class of politician. 1 not always belonging to the Labour I Party, who consider that the functions of government should be increased. They point to what can be done by coI operation, and apparently think that j Government action is the same tiling, i There could be no greater mistake. J A large part of the activities of xlin j departments consists of struggles with 1 other departments and correspondence | and long-winded discussions. It is [ safe to say that any work carried out | I by a Government department will cost ! very much more than if done by pri- ’ rate enterprise. Municipal control may be better, but very little. There ’ are great economies to he made by . : working on a< large scale and by co- ' operation imt these things are distinct ( ■ from State business, which is never ( ! successful. It is only when they have ' a monopoly that Government enter- . prise can make any showing; it is lost , when compared with private enterprise > of anv kind.—“Waikato Times.” j ,

The day is gone when haphazard business methods will sufliee an the farm : they are ns much out of date as haphazard technical methods. Farmers themselves recognise the change to an increasing degree, as is shown by the tone of many discussions when they meet in conference. Wider recognition by the whole community is necessary. The work of the farm, ill its fullest sense, deserves to be rated higher than it usually is. Until it is generally appreciated that the modem farmer, to be successful must understand business methods ns well ns the technique of his craft, the demands his calling made on him will not be fully realised.—“Neyv Zealand Herald.”