WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3501, 1 June 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE DOMINION’S FINANCE. i UNSATISFIED CURIOSITY. I (Special Correspondent). 4‘ K 5--In--3 g J’ WELLINGTON. May 31. So fa,l-‘the Minister of Finance has done nothing to elucidate the bare statement of the public accounts pub~ ylished in the “Gazette? last week. The lofficial returns simply gave the figures for the last quarter of the financial year ended March 31 and it was the intelligent reporter that added -them to the returns of the previous three quarters and presented them as the totals for the year. Perhaps former Ministers had led the public to expect too much by tacking brief financial statements on to the quarterly returns and the annual totals, but the practic£~ was appreciated by those who tool: an interest in the public ‘accounts and naturally its discontinuance is occa= sioning some comment. Mr Massey has indicate'd plainly enough, hmvever, that the revenue for the year was entirely satisfactory and that the expenditure was not restricted for the purpose of swelling the surplus.

LOANS AND TAXATION. l But it is plain enough that the surjplus—or, more correctly, the amount by which the revenue exceeded -the expenditure—has been fully anticipated by commitments and that it is only on paper the Dominion is in the comfortable position of having a million or two inihand towards the needs of the new year_ The Treasury is practically empty, as Ministers have been telling the public in more 01' less blunt terms ‘during the last two- or‘ three months, and a considerable loan and increased taxation are inevitable. These are the burdens which faced both parties at the general election, and now go far to explain the attitude of the leader of the Liberal Opposition, the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, in desiring to help and not to hinder Mr ‘Massey and his colleagues in solving the dithcult problems that confront. them. This will not remove the differences of opinion between the parties, but it probably will considerably modify party asperity during the -approaching session. I '

THE RAILWAY DISPUTE. One result of the unfortunate delay in proceeding with the hearing of the dispute «between the Railway Depart.ment a.nd the members of the Locomotive Branch of the service is the withdrawal of Mr W. D. Hunt, the managing ‘director of Messrs Wright, Stephenson and CO,. from the representation of the men on the special conciliation ciommittee that was set up under the agreement which ended the recent crisis; Mr Hunt has very special personal and business qualification-s for the task he had undertaken with the warm approval of both parties, but his impending departure for England hascompelled his retirement from the committee. His place will be taken by Mr J. T. Martin, a member of the same firm, than whom no better ”s‘ubstitute could be foun'd,_ but the loss of Mr Hunt ’s ripe experience in dealihg with such matters is much to be regretted. It is hoped the hearing will begin this week. '

EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION. Some rather unpleasant developments in connection with the emigration policy of the Imperial Government have come under public notice lately. At a meeting of the War Assistance Committee last week a case was reported in _which a woman with five young children, and another child expected shortly, had been sent out from Home in advance of her husband to the care of a relative here. The relative had received them with all the hospitality her means and accommodation would permit, but there were quite inade‘q"uat'e for the decent maintenance of such a, family. The outcome, of course, was an appeal for assistance, which will have to be provided by the State or by one of the local authorities till the husband and father arrives to take up his responsibilities. Other cases of the same kind are known to exist and representations are being made to the Government on the subject.