WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 November 1930, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE RAILWAY COMMISSION. MINISTER PUSHING AHEAD. (Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, November 7. The critics who are blaming the Government ior not giving effect to the salient features of the report of the Railway Commission, which was presented to Parliament shortly before iho prorogation, will be surprised v.hen thev learn of the progress that is being made by the Minister m (barge. Mr Veiteh is not a man of many words, in the House or out; but when he makes up his mind to get about a job he attacks it with both hands. The story which has been set abroad to the effect that the Commission's recommendations will not be officially considered' until the next meeting of Parliament is merely a canard on’the part of the Minister’s opponents. As a. matter of fact the report of the Commission has been very closely considered by Mr Veiteh since it was placed in his hands, and several of the recommendations have been treated at matters of urgency and already arc practically in operation. LAND AND LABOUR. The “Dominion” this morning return: to its attack upon Mr Atrnore’s edueat. ionnl propaganda with the profound observation, in effect, that there will b< no need for additional people on tin land as already there are plenty theie “There will he no need for inculcating a ‘bias by propaganda and teaching’ ’ it says, “if the land offers a careei attractive to New Zealand hoys. . . The thing for the Government to d first is to make harming worth whil and then there will be no need grtiri Hally to foster a bias any more tha there was in the immediate pest wa years when everybody seemed to 1) trying to go on the land. Let th Government make the present lot c farmers an enviable one and there wi be no question about the inclination c the coming generation.” Just so, bu at the moment there is no war on ban to facilitate this simple arrangement.

FARMERS TO FARMERS. j ! With a farmer Prime Minister at | Home and a farmer acting-Prime Min-J ister here it lias been predicted already . that the good folk on the land will ho well cared for b.v the Government j of the day. The Hon. E. A. Ransom j in his explanation of the Government’s j generosity sets out that in the present economic depression many fammeis may not he in a position to meet the ! statutory demand for their land tax, j and that therefore the Government will ! allow them to substitute promissory , notes, for .two or three . months for their liability at the rate of 7 per cent, per annum. This, no doubt, will provo quite a comfortable arrange me lit c or A number of farmers but it is being protested in, various quarters that the farmers stand no more in need of temporary relief from “economic depression” than do many people in other walks of life. These folk, however, are deemed to he beyond Government

relief. THE LAST LAP. Tiie talk of an early session of Parliament next year, or a special one to | proceed the usual session, has waned and it seems likely that next year the j proceedings will follow the usual course, j If members of the House of Represent- • ativos were compelled to work through March and April, and two months later to take up the burden of a full ■ session, they would have some reasonable ground for complaint. So far as the professional politicians are concern- j ed they would have to suffer no great ! hardship in being required to spend ' six months or the year in session ; bin such a lengthy term as this would i drive many useful members out of Parliament and prevent many suit- | able aspirants for political careers from j seeking election. Taken all in all it I would seem that the present periods of session are suitable enough, and that less loquacity on the part of members is the chief thing required towards reform.