WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 June 1928, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE PACIFIC FLYERS

HOP TO NEW 'ZEALAND

(Special to “Guardian”.)

WELLINGTON, June 18

Wellington is not grudging Canterbury its deserved good fortune in having its aerodrome at Sockburn selected as the landing-place for the Pacific flyers, Kingsford Smith and his companions, on their arrival in New Zealand. Everyone acquainted with the facts associated with the promotion of flying in the Dominion agrees that the southern province well deserves the distinction of first welcoming the intrepid airmen. Canterbury itself, no doubt, will remember that in this matter it is largely indebted to Sir Henry Wigram, who two or three years before the outbreak of the Great War urged the: Government from his place in the Legislative Council to make a beginning, with the establishment of an adequate! air force for defensive purposes. The Government recognised the need for such a precaution, but, as is the wav of Governments, procrastinated. When the war came Sir Henry led the way in the establishment of the aerodrome at Sockburn, contributing many thousands of pounds to the enterprise, and now Canterbury gathers the fruits of his high-spirited patriotism. , POLITICS AND LIQUOR.

Mr A. E. Davy, the organiser of the! United Party, drawn into a newspaper! controversy with officers of the New Zealand Alliance, declares definitely that the questions of Continuance'and No License do not enter in any shape or form into the purpose or platform ol his party. What he and his friends are seeking, it* seems is “a decided ehango in the politics and the politicians of the country.” 'Flic country, lie declares, will not be blinded to tlio real position by two groups of extremists. “We sec,” ho says to clinch the .matter, “ one hundred and one big issues to be faced, not ono big issue and a hundred small ones, and we will not be turned aside by ono faction or the oilier from our determined intention to set matters right in this country.” All this is very admirable so far as it goes, but it leaves the openminded elector still wondering how the good things of the impending millennium are to be achieved. THE PATTERSON SCHEME. Mr J. Proud, Federal President of the Australian Dairy Managers’ and Secretaries’ Association, who is chairman of the dairy delegation that arrived by the Tahiti from Sydney on Saturday, appears to have an abiding faith in the Patterson schema under which Australian consumers pay an extra three-pence per pound for theii butter and appear to he satisfied. “Me keep-our own position by the Patterson scheme,” lie said in the course of an interview shortly after his landing. “The whole industry thus co-operates in deciding to tax itself a penny halfpenny per pound on production. The money we raise is used to pay a bounty on export of throe-pence per pound. The effect of this is to improve export sales by twenty-eight shillings per hun-dred-weight and also to fix the local market at three-penco per pound above London parity. This means an increase in value to dairymen of two-pence per pound butter-fat.” The process seems simple enough, but where the consumer “ comes in ” is not obvious. HIS FATHER. SON.

The “Evening Post ” on Saturday paid a pretty and appropriate compliment to Mr F, J. Rollcston, in its notice of the “Reform Rally” in the Town Hall during the week. “ The type of elector has changed within a generation, especially since the war has the change been most marked,” it said. “The old-time loads and bridges politician lias no longer a big following. The younger voters do not ask if the' Government will build a railway or a. post office, but whether it has a solution for financial and economic problems. Labour offers its own solution, and that offer may bo accepted by many if they are not shown that the short-cuts to the proposed millennium are more dangerous than the old hard road. Mr Rolleston ns a member of the Government well able to share in the task of submitting the Labour proposals to critical examination. It will be to the advantage of the country if he can he induced to take his place more often on the public platform.” The Minister of Justice scarcely can resist so cordial an invitation.