WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 28 May 1930, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

FORMING NEW MINISTRY

COMPLETION ON WEDNSEDAY

(Special Correspondent.^

WELLINGTON, May 26

The Hon. 0. W. Forbes, -the Prime Minister-elect, after ' presenting , him self to His Excellency the GovernorGeneral in Auckland and visiting Joseph Ward at Rotorua, Returned to Wellington by the night ’express and was at Work almost immediately on arrival He has not yet ihovr ed. into the apartments set asifV \ the-head of the Government, traditions and regulations ha.ve to be observed but he is handling tlie Wpo'nsitiility -of leadership with the sangfroid of the practised hand. He is not yet talking policies and so forth—save perhaps, to his - waiting- colleagues—biT • it will not be surprising if lie asserts his personality to Some purpose when he finds himself with • a • .free, handThis is not to say that he is likely to depart materially from the pojicy of his predecessor in the near futiji e, but it may be well to be prepared'for pn assertion of personality he has not yet displayed. . •

LABOUR AND TAXATION

Mr W. I). ,Hunt, perhaps the hardest “working man” in Key/ Zealand and certainly among the rood a f ‘ti' y made time on Friday evening to explain to the members of tlie Economic. Society the outline and' purpose' of the report of the Unemployed Committee set up by the lie form Government two years ago and continued by the United Government after it had succeeded to office. Speaking as chairman of the Committee, without any political motives or prejudices, Mr Hunt maintained that work and opportunities, not dol(?s and dissension, were the needs of idle hands. .The Committee’s complete report would ,he before Parliament early in the approaching session ■ and Mr Hunt lipped that electors of every station of |?ife should make' themselves ncquajuted with its' contents. He lionestlv believed that 'frankly accepted' and earnestly applied it would eo a long way towards removing the labour 'problems that were besetting the Dominion at the present, time. The -desired relief was actually at the workers doors.

STANDARD WAGES."

The main objection to the report of the Unemployment Committee is levelled against the proposal t.h,n,t standard wages should be paid to competent workers, The “Dominion’’ this morning voices the view of many critics. “The objection raised to the general scheme,” the morning journal says, “would be at once removed' alohg with a fundamental defect that places the operation of the whole scheme in jeopardy. As the present Government has discovered, at :a cost, of £1400,000 last year, unemployment cannot be cured while standard wages are offeared on relief works.’’, ..Mp Hunt’s' reply to this is, of course, that the competent and willing men would render a full wage service , and thatit would be unfair to pay them less than a full wage. Such workers would not leave service in which they already were employed merely for the purpose of joining hands with inexperienced and perhaps, incompetent men. The Committee’s idea is that each worker, should receive his fair hire.

MARKET. CONTROL

Wellington business men, more or less interested in the dairy markets of the world, are endorsing the remarks made by Mr G. S. MacFarlane, a London director of the New Zealand Producers’ Marketing Association, to the effect that the multiple' shops ,in England are gravely prejudicing the New Zealand trade. “Even if. New Zealand had control boards, marketing associations or other bodies to control the sales of dairy and other produce,” Mr MacFarlane is quoted as saying, “the large amalgamations would continue +o make or mar the markets.” Mr McFarlane would eypect these multiple eoncei ns to become so strong thac they could purchase from other countrier if necessary to the exclusion of New Zealand, -fust how far Mr MacFarlane’s view of the situation is affected by the wave of passing over the Old Country at the present time, one is not able to say, but his concern for British trade is known and his judgment as a business man is well respected.