WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1919, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

NEW ZEALAND FINANCE. INCREASED PRODUCTION NEEDED. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, April 21The Hon. A. M. Myers, the Acting Minister of Finance, is no less of an optimist than is liis absent chief. He does not doubt for a minute the ability of the Dominion to bear the burdens it lias taken upon itself in connection with the war. But he is urging afresh the urgent need for increased production. It is by this means, and by this means alone, he says, that the country can meet its additional obligations without being seriously embarrassed by the new conditions. Improved methods must be employed and greater efforts put forth, while there mußt be better relations between employers and workers and further dir&stioa and assitauce from the Government. The resources of the Dominion are inexhaustible, even its primary industries being only in their infancy, and 'by cordial co-operation between Capital and Labor its annual income easily might be sufficiently increased to meet its additional obligations twice over.

THE ETERNAL PROBLEM. The soldiers' votes having turned the scale definitely in favor of Continuance, the contending parties are forgetting the incidents of the recent licensing poll in their contemplation of the next campaign. The Prohibitionists are keeping their organisation intact, expecting the triangular duel between Continuance, Prohibition, and State Control to take place not later than October, and it is understood their exchequer has been replenished by a number of very generous donations. It is estimated that the last campaign cost each side about £60,000 and that the next will be scarcely less expensive. It was thought at one time that the Prohibitionists would join heartily in the agitation for t'he submission of the three issues to the electors under the system of preferential voting, but it is reported now that their leaders are so strongly opposed to the liquor trade in any shape they will do nothing likely to facilitate the adoption of State Control. ' STATE CONTROL. As the law stands at present it provides up intelligible definition of State Control. The Act of last session makes plain enough what is meant by Continuance and by Prohibition, but it does not even hint at what particular brand of State Control its authors had in mind. It is being taken for granted that this omission will be repaired by legislation during the short session which must precede the general election, but so far Ministers have given no indication of their intentions in regard to the matter, The only system of State Control yet seriously discussed in this country is one by which the State would take over only the liquor trade and leave the owners in possession of the rest of their business, paying them compensation, of course, for such loss as they might sustain from the extinction of the proprietary interest in liquor. It is quite possible the Government's scheme will ba based 011 these lines<

COST OF THE EPIDEMIC, The Minister of Public Health still is incurring a good deal of angry criticism from public bodies and private individuals that do not see eye to eye with him in regard to the settlement of accounts arising out of the influenza epidemic- The truth.of (he matter is that a number of flagrant attempts to extract payments from the Health Department fpr which it was in no way responsible has compelled Mr. Russell to move with very great caution. A motor company presented a little bill for £SOO odd for services which neither the Minister nor any officer of his department had authorised, and scores of "voluntary" workers sent in claims amounting to several thousand pounds. Mr. Russell has stretched all the rules and regulations in his desire to satisfy every reasonable demand, but" without special parliamentary authority it is impossible for him'to do more than he has already done,