WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1929, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

SALARY, CUTS. TIME- NOT OPPORTUNE. (Special Correspondent.) | WELLINGTON. Otober 24. 111! view of the statements made by the jPrime Minister lately c-oiicerning the finances fo tlie Dominion no oneshould have been surprised by the announcement that the special cunmitee of departmental officers set up to consider the claim for the restoration of the “salary. cut” which -have pressed so heavily, upon many members of- the Civil, Service, had counselled delay. Sir Joseph Ward can no more increase salaries without funds —at any rate legitimately—than the Israelites were, aide to make bricks without straw. He lias hinted, however, at a reclassification of the sirvice, which, presumably, would make for an improvement of the conditions all round and remove some of the anomalies which exist at the present time. Ale a n while it is notorious that there are in the civil service quite a number of married men in. every considerable department raising families pp salaries that are in no way adequate to their needs. This surely is a. problem, which should , not be kept waiting- th,o developments of the future.

. ' ’STATE INTERFERENCE IN ... - ■. - BUSINESS. ■■ The “Dominion,, though not part,icjilai;ly hjappy, ,in its-selection of a case in,poipjt, quite . legitimately chides the.;Gpvernment with not having fulfilled, .promises in regard lo “less State 'interference in. business.” The Goyenimen.t,;.,it .says, lias refused to withdraw, from. the.. . tree-selling business; , “The; State, ’’ it declares,, “with its m{vn>y. .trading advantages,, including ..exemption from rates .' and taxes, and probably- rent for land used, can. easily under-sell its compevitors and still show a so-called profit. There is surely enough competition in the nursery trade to enable farmers and others to buy trees at fair prices. If, as the Minister has indicated, State selling of trees is shortly to cease .except in certain parts of the country, the injustice will he the greater because, it will hear on a section rather than oil, the whole of the trade.” The “Dominion” thinks the better, way would be for the State to go out of the business altogether and so set an example to all its departments.

■'! AN INDIViptJALIST. As iV happens, thfe TLon 1 . ' l 'W. B. Taverner, the' Minister ! of Railways, who:also is Alinister'Tn charge of the Foerstry Department,- is ari ardent oppotaent of Stath in.tcrference' with legitimate private enterprise. He does not go the length of suggesting that the Railways; tlih Post and Tele-: graph services and the present 1 functions of' the Public Trust Office should be handed over "to icompany’.promoters ■and big ' .'•iehritf? he' . • holds'. ■ strongly that the State-‘should not, unnecessarily- interfere with -the operations of individuals■'iqandi ij eompanjes that fife honestly satjsf.jmig the roods of the : community. Yerv shortly rif- . ter his assumption of office he opened negotiations with the nurserymen wjth a vie\y. to placing their operations on ,a similar footing to those of the Forestry Department. ..Prices and conditions; were . ndjusted •, and agreed to and these no-w are required to be observed on both sides...- It now . re r mains only for the Government to fulfil its promise to repeal the obnoxioue clauses of the Board of Trade Act. THE,.PORK,.SUBSIDY.

It is not surprising that farmer' wljo : were tempted a little while :ig to denounce, M r ’ W-. J- Poison v as a traitor to their cause, are bogi.iani" to realise Giat .the Independent member for .{Stratford i?. very much alive to cV ; • turcsts. In the House thy other, night, he, insisted that the pork brnus, which was. intended to ;'-sist the farmere,.in. general and the dairy farnv-s. in. particular, was not. going: to the f'“T’’crs at- all, or at any pale. was i-eaphiiig. thein in, very attenuate.] measure, .Other,,, representatives of rural constituencies.. challenged this statement, Poison stood by hi" contention, presenting facts and maintaining that the pork industry in the Dominion never’ would be put on its feetj under the present system There was a convincing ring about ,Mr Poison’s contention which, must have set the responsible authorities thinking. The “bonus” and .‘-’guarantee” systems, honestly promoted for the welfare of the producers, have been under suspicion for some time past and are due for closer investigation.