WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 19 September 1916, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

j PRICES AND MARKETS. A WAR PROBLEM. . j (Special Correspondent.) • | WELLINGTON. Sept. 15. ; . The distribution of the meat com- . mandeered by the- Imperial authorities i j continues to exercise the finds of the : I farmers in this part of the country, and the "Dominion,” which keeps a special eye on their interests, has something to say on the subject this morni I ln g- It, does not, of course, raise any . objection to Note Zealand produce be- . mg taken for army purposes. That is one of the necesssitics created by the Avar Aviiich every good patriot, hoAvever it may affect him, must endure. But it points out that the diversion of the Do‘minon's meat from its ordinary mar- , ket is giving the great American Trusts an opportunity to establish -themselves in a position from Avhich they will not be easily ousted when , the Avar is over. The independent retail butchers are being driA-cn out of business, and the trusts are taking their places. The "Dominion” suggests that to assist in checking this tendency the Government should appoint "a liv n and experienced Trade ’ 'Commissioner” to look after the interests of the New Zealand producers--7 Vj in this respect. It means no reflection Upon the Dominion’s representative already in London. "But Sir Thomas 3 j Mackenzie, ” it says, "has so many other things to do that he cannot give this matter his personal attention, and the position requires the whole attention of a capable and experienced man.” That the High Commissioner, who possesses special qualifications for this' particular Avork, is having Iris attention largely absorbed by other matters arising out of the Avar is oLauous enough, but probably a more satisfactory Avay of dealing Avith the problem Avould be to relieve Sir Thomas of his ambassadorial functions and alloAA- him to return to the duties for Avhich ho is 1 so eminently fitted. Taxation. j. The war has upset so many pre-con-j ceived notions, concerning social and r economic problems, that it is not surr prising to find uncompromising partisans of a couple of. years ago, avlio then , Avore quite sure of the foundations of . their belief, materially revising their views on a variety of questions. When , the cliarman of the Board of the Bank , of Noav Zealand suggested in the early . days of the crisis that an export duty . would be a sound and simple way of . raising''a .substantial part of the addi- , tionnl revenue required to meet the groAving demands upon the public purse he met with little support among business men. But to-day there are numbers of shrewd people in Wollington AA’ho belie\‘e that an export duty would have approached nearer to the ideal of “equality of sacrifice ” than has any of the imposts designed by the Minister of Finance. "For one thing,” said a high authority to-day, "it would have kept, the local prices of meat and better and cheese doAvn to a reasonable level, and for another it would have reached the very people who are best able to bear the burden of taxation.” The subject is not an easy one to discuss without raising the party issue, which seems to centre for the most part around personal interests, but this Is not only a consumer’s view. There are many producers who declare that i in the light of their fuller experience they would have rather seen an export duty than the more complicated me- , thods of taxation to which they have been compelled to submit. The Call for Men. The latest word from the military authorities in rgard to recruiting is that men are urgently needed for the 21st Reinforcements. This draft should mobilise next week, and to-day it is considerably below its full strength. Arrangements are not yet completed lor putting the compulsory clauses of the Military Service Act into operation, and the authorities are particularly anxious there should be no shortage on this account. When compulsion is in full running order it aaull be first applied to members of families Avhich are not yet represented in the Expeditionary Forces, and which have no adequate excuse for their failure. The authorities already have a long list of eligible men who come under the discrimination of Clause 33, and as they must know of ther special liability to service it is hoped a large number of them wll enlist voluntarily Avhile there is yet time, and not Avail for compulsion. Another- member of the Recruiting Board has supplemented Mr Allen'S appeal Avith a reminder that the shadoAV of compulsion is approaching, and that it will not reach any man who has a proper sense of his duty. Cost of Living. The Minister of Internal Affairs, it would seem rather tardily, is communicating with the city and borough authorities throughout the Dominion, j asking for their co-operation in framing regulations in respect to the various municipal undertakings permitted bv the Cost of Living Act. Mr Eus- ? sell s duties aie so various and sonumerous that he well may be pardoned if he did not realise earlier That the administration of a measure passed by Sir Joseph Ward, and handed

over to Mr Massey, rested partment. It is to be that Tio-.v be has takui thoflHHH he will have the assistance 'the local bodies in carry satisfactory conclusion. So be confessed, none of them any great enthusiasm over portumrios. Wellington. its A’cry worthy Mayor, is move slowly. Mr Luke Council should ‘develop a tablishing one enterprise at a such as the fish industry, and a success financialy and every other* Avay before taking on any other enterprise.” This is a very admirable sentiment, but unfortunately Wellington moA-os so slowly along the path of municipal progress that the Dominion must look to one of the other centres if it ever is going to get an inspiring lead