WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 218, 24 October 1916, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

BUTTER AGAIN CHALLENGING THE REGULATIONS. (Special Correspondent) WELLINGTON, Oct. 20 It seems that the butter people, if one may be peiimitted to refer to a great body of producers, distributors and exporters in this colloquial way, are not going to submit meekly to the Government's decree that a limit shall be placed upon the local prdce of the commodity. Their representatives have decided that a case shall be stated for the consideration of the Supreme Court and that it shall be argued that the Government has no power to enforce the scheme on the collection of a levy on all butter-fat for the purpose of compensating those factories which sell within New Zealand below the export price. In the meantime a circular is be,ing sent to the factories instructing them as to what they are to do until the decision of the Supreme Court is known. They are to conform to the provisions of the proclamation by forthwith making application for licenses to export their butter in order to avoid the delay that would occur if they resisted the imposition <cf the tax at this stage. Those factories that do business upon the local market are "to sell their butter at a rate to retailers corresponding with not more than Is 7d per pound to consumers" and "to maintain supplies for their usual business during the short time before the deeioiAvill be made." Of course the buttermen know their own business best, but apparently if they succeed in their appeal to the Supreme Court their licenses to export will lapse, and they will be worse off than they are now with a strong public opinion running against them. THE FACTS OF THE CASE. It is an open secret hero that shortly after it came into existence, as long ago, indeed, as March last, the Board of Trade advised the Minister of Industries and Commerce to purchase at the rate ruling at that time, 1/2 or 1/3 per lb, all the butter that would be required for local consumption during the year. Mn Massey did not see his way to do this, but some months later he announced in Parliament that if the local retail price exceeded 1/7 per lb he would prohibit exports. In this be was as good as his word, but he appears before the close of the session to have changed his view of the situation, as he joined with Sir Joseph Ward in declaring that during war time it was impossibe to re-

gulate prices by arbitrary measures. The story now is that the absent Ministers have not changed their opinion on this point, and when consulted by their colleagues here deprecated any in-

terference with the open market. If this is correct nil the more credit is due to Mn MacDonald and Mr Allen for the firm stand they have 'taken in dealing with the problem. Had they given way before the clamant demand of the buttcrmen for a free hand in exploiting the public the laws placed on the Statute Book by their party leaders with the avowed purpose of keeping down the cost of living would have become a laughing-stock to the whole community. MOTOR PATROL Commander; Armstrong has gone South on a mission which, besides attracting considerable attention from the general public here, has fired the imagination of many an adventurous youth who would like to find a short cut to opportunity and distinction. The Commander has been sent out to the Dominion by the Imperial authorities to enrol recruits for the Motor Boat Patrol which has been doing such splendid work around the coast of the British Isles and the North Pea since the beginning of the war. The Minister of Defence is being criticised in some quarters for not having given more generous assistance to the mission, but, really, he has been placed in. a somewhat difficult position. Had he allowed recruiting for the patrol to proceed without placing any limitation upon the number of men to be enrolled the supply of mechanics and experts required for essential industries within the Dominon might have been seriously affected and had he agreed to make up. the difference between Imperial pay and New Zealand pay in all eases he would na vo committed the country to a very considerable expense for which Parliament has given no authority. That the mission has Mr Allen's entire goodwill is shown by the assistance the Minister is giving to Commander Armstrong, and that New Zealand will be well represented in the service is fully

assured. PROPPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION. Whether the system of election popularly know as proportional representation would be v. good thing or a bad thing for the people of New Zealand still has to be proved by actual experience. It is not a subject that can be T>roperly discussed in a rote of this kind, but as an example of how p reform can be condemned out of hand on the least instructed evidence it may be permissible to mention-a report presented to the Wellington City Council l—t nicrht.by the City Returning Officer, This eentleman has read the Proportional Representation Act and the

Chief Electoral Officer's report on the Tasmania system, and he hag reached some amazing conclusions. Among other strange things, he says that the system is "most ponderous.." that the electors would get very much "confused in dealing with the ballot papers," that "officers would require to have a proper grip of the law" to be able to advise electors, that the extra cost would "be at least from £SOO to £750," and that "the final result would not be known for several weeks." The advocated of proportional representation will scarcely know whether to laugh or weep at this hopeless jumble, but in either case they may take heart of grace from the fact that the Wellington City Council has decided not to -discuss the proposal for a week. If there is any spirit at all among them they will offer, the Council adequate guarantees that the adoption of the system would increase neither the number of informal votes nor the cost of the election, and that the result would be announced within twelve hours of the closing of the poll.