WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1917, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

$0 FOOD CONTROLLER. " TOWN PLANNING PROPOSALS. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, »0£ f>. Tlie Prime Minister 'says that Cabinet has not yet given formal consideration to the report of the Cost of Living Commitee, hut it is evident enough that the committee's most important recommendation, the appointment of a Food Controller, has'not found favor in the eyes of the Ministers. The reason is not far to seek. An active' Food Controller, working along, lines that have been blazed b v the Board of Trade, would prove embarrassing to the Government unless it were, prepared to assist in giving effect to his proposals. ■■• The.. National Government shrinks from attempts to control prices and is rather glad; it appears, to bo able to point to the comparative failure of such attempts in Australia, where the Labor Governments have found that prices react upon reproduction in a fashion that inay be disconcerting. STANDARD PRICES. The Government, although it is not disposed to adopt the more drastic remedies suggested'to it, is anxious to do something towards keeping down the cost of living, and It may make an effort presently to use Borate of'the machinery provided by the Tradd'and Commerce Act, of 1914. Tb;i» .measure has been i amended slightly by the Statute Law j Amendment Act] passed during the recent session, and it, enjpdw'ers the Government to fix. "standard prices." The "standard- price" of .any' article is the price at which it was sold in any particular locality on .a day specified, when sold in the same : quality and on the same terms as to payment, delivery and otherwise. The Board of Trade probably could help tlie ; consumers a great deal if it were allowed to make full-use of this power to state prices, which the Tetailers would not be allowed to exceed without the Board's- consent', given after investigation.

. : roWP^ANNING. The energetic Minister for Internal Af« fairs produced a Town Planning Bill in the dying hours of the session, and said he hoped members of Parliament and the general public would become acquainted with itg provisions during the recess. The Bill provides for the creation of a Town Planning Commission, which is to work wth the'local authorities in areas that have been brought'under the scheme by proclamation... The rights of the city and borough councils appear to bo fully protected. The; central idea of the Biil is to ensure that new suburbs shall be laid out ill accordance With modern notions of town planning,. New Zealand clings still to the chess-board design, except in those cases, where the landowner and the builder are allowed to misuse the configuration of hills and valleys, and if the Hon. G. W. Russell can awake public opinion in this respect he. will have performed another very useful service. , /