WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1930, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE PRIME MINISTER,

PROGRESS AT ROTORUA

(Special Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, Feb. 3

Reports from Rotorua to-day indicate that the Prime Minister is making good progress towards restored health and keeping in close communication with his colleagues wherever they may be. Mentally, he is as alert as ever he was, as may be judged by his talks across the telephone; but physically he is still tied to his chair and probably will not be walking for a month or tw0.,,.. The rumour put about that .he had made up his mind to attend the Imperial Conference was premature, and it is fairly safe to say that the calls upon him here will delbar him from making a trip to London in the. near, future. It is not likely that Parliament will be called together earlier than -the last week in June and it is hoped that by that time the Prime Minister will be well enough to takes his place in the House and guide the proceedings there.

UNEMPLOYED TEACHERS. The “Dominion” this morning, discussing the hard lot of unemployed teachers, offers suggestions that seem worthy of attention. “There would probably be less difficulty,’’ it says, “were the Department to control the' staffing appointments.. In that case it could with greater facility than is at present possible distribute the available teaching power in whatever direction the demand existed. Public opinion, however, is not likely to regard with favour anything which would have the appearance of intensifying the centralised control of education. Another remedy, and one less open to objection, would be to adopt a more flexible! and generous system of staffing which would absorb till© (unemployed young teachers in positions where they would be enlarging, their experience, instead, ol cooling their, heels in enforced idleness.” In Wellington, at any rate, there is a-growing feeling thaf :tlie appointment of teachers should be h responsibility of the Education Department, which, it is held, must be' better informed than is the average school committee.

GOVERNMENT LAND PURCHASE

In the course of a casual conversation to-day the head of a large mercantile firm, widely interested in agricultural and pastoral matters, said he could not congratulate the Government upon, its readjustment of the income /tax, hut. lie could hope for good results from its land purchase policy if it were properly applied. . The Government, he said, shpuld not be buying farms already broken in and probably producing to their highest capacity; but should be turning its attention to large areas capable of subdivision into a number of small holdings. Such holdings, he declared, could be secured. . just now at very reasonable , prices. from people who would aecbpt bonds as payment and so save the expenditure of borrowed money. . According to this authority there are.quite ,a number of. landowners who would be ready to deal, on these terms, the drop in tlie price of .wool having shaken their faith .iu broad acres and inclined them towards “safetv first.”

UNEMPLOYMENT. The second report of the Unemployment Committee set up by the Reform Government two or three months before its ejection from office is expected to make its appearance before the end of th current month.' Tlies Committee’s first Report, mainly &' summary of the problems it w&s seeking to solve, was presented .during the last session' of Parliament a<nd was pronounced by the members of the House, to be a somewhat, milk and watery production.v/They apparently had expected the,;: members of the Committee -fb.vs.olvo the unemploymentproblem aiidj the wheels of industry humming .forthwith. tl is improbable that jn its second report the Committee will encourage any achievement of this kind, but it may be trusted to present to the public a plain; statemerit- of the facts and their significances Mr W. D. Hunt is chairman, of',..the Committee and his presence assures a frank and logical presentation of the ease.