WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 2 September 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

GAMING BILL. THREATENED OPPOSITION. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 29. Judging from the reception accorded Sir George Hunter’s Gaming Amendment Bill when it was returned to the House of Representatives on Tuesday with a recommendation from the Petitions Committee that,it should be allowed to proceed, the measure is not going to have <1 very smooth passage through the House. The important clauses of the Bill provide, for the legalising of the publication of the amount of dividends and for the telegraphing of investments to the totaliBator during the progress of race meetings. Mr H. T. Armstrong, the Labour member for Christchurch North, led off the chorus of ppppsition to the Bill, declaring that if the Bill came before the House ‘‘it wpuld get the roughest passage any Bill ever had received. Sir George Hunter, personally the most popular member of the House produced a number of petitions in favour of the Bill, but still the House refused to be impressed by the measure and finally it was “talked out!.’ to wait another opportunity to reach the haven of a second-reading, . •

\ A NATIONAL MENACE. At the moment the promoters of the Bill are not . very sanguine, of getting the measure through ,the House in its present form. The publication of dividends is a comparatively small matter affecting(only -the newspaper offices which are , debarred from supplying information which the men in the street or anyone else may distribute as he pleases. • The telegraphing of investments .to the racecourse however is quite another matter. The Petition, Committee, it ■is understood, sought no opinions from the officers of the Post and Telegraph Department on this proposal. Had it so it woii|d ■ have; been told of a ,score';' ‘bf. ojyectidnS .to', otncers of. the department egiploy; ed on race the service of the racing ’ clubs find the totalisator. The opportunities ,forths perpetration of frauds :wojild>be .enormously increased by/the adoption of the scheme and scores' of young • people would be driVeji into perils they never , had encountered .befojre.lr/This • isrthe, considered opinion; of qn.; official: high; up in the public service.” - TAXATION INCIDENCE.-' '

. 7 • ~<v . : '-■‘r-' * - , . Replying to a question put to him by the member ■ for Timaru a , little while ago the Prime Minister stated in the House yesterday that for financial reasons alone the Government, considered r the'time inopportune to give effect fco the recommendations of the Taxation Commission set up by the Reform Government five years ago, The announcement has occasioned some disappointment in' '"commercial circles many business men having hoped that the new, Government, would apply itseljf to the solution of a problem that has been confronting the country for many years. Mr Massey and his final successor at the Treasury, Mr W. Downie Stewart, both admitted the soundness of the conclusions reached by the Commission, but hesitated to put them into operation on account of the time and labour their application would involve. Sir Joseph Ward at the moment has more excuse for delay than his predeces sors had, a review of the whole position is at least as much needed today is it was in 1925 and should not be indefinitely postponed. DAIRY BOARD. The annual report of the Dairy Board which was made available yesterday is a record of satisfactory progress and continued activity, incidentally demonstrating thSt “absolute control” is not necessary to assure to the dairy farmer the best .results from his labours. “In quality,” the report states, “New Zealand butter had never attained a higher standard than it attained in the past season, the average grade for the season of all butter exported being 92.74 per cent, compared with 91.3 per cent, for the preceding year. The total quantity graded was 3,214,303 boxes compared with 2,992,629 boxes for the precedirig year. The' percentages of quality were: Finest; 70.24 per cent first,; 27.47 per cent; under first 2.28 per cent. - Cheese did not show up to the same Advantage but; the figures showed it to be‘holding its own - and giving remunerative returns.” Obviously the commercial side of the business

has been as caretfully watched as the manufacturing side has been, and the \ results are shown as entirely satisfac- ' torj’.