WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 12 May 1919, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

PUBLIC FINANCE. A STRONG PISITION. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, May 7It was lucky for the country, primarily, and for Sir Joseph Ward, incidentally, that when the Minister of Finance left for London he was able to commit the administration of the more important of the two great departments he controls to the capable hands of the Hon. A. H. Myers. Sir Joseph's locum tenons has just issued a statement of the public accounts for tin; financial year ended March 31, having waited, no doubt, for lii.s chief to announce in the heart of the Empire the very handsome surplus they disclose, and has made some illuminating comments upon the figures. Thanks to an increase of £2,167,172 on Sir Joseph Ward's estimate of the revenue and a decrease of £1,332,636 on the estimated expenditure there is a balance of no less than £3,078,773 on the year's operations. This added to the accumulated surpluses since 1014-15 gives a total o£ £15,239,563 available for the various post-war purposes to which it will be devoted.

TAXATION AND PRODUCTION. The critics pronounce the financial position of the country to he thoroughly sound and give both Sir Joseph Ward and Air. Myers credit for the ability with which they have directed the Treasury during an extremely difficult period. But some of them view with grave misgivings the recurring increases in taxation without any corresponding increase in production. War prices, they contend, have deceived the public as to the real position. While the returned value of the exports has grown their volume has shown no appreciable expansion. When prices decline, unless the balance is maintained by largely increased production, taxation will not be so easily collected. Mr. Myers himself makes a guarded allubion to this aspect of the question and again emphasises the need for production, more production and still more production. It is the only safeguard he sees against perils ahead.

SOLDIERS' GRIEVANCES. Returned soldiers are giving voice to their grievances against the Government with increasing insistence. Deputations from the men go to Ministers almost every day of the week asking for more generous conditions under the soldiers' settlement scheme or larger payments by way of financial assistance or ■ further travelling concessions, and on the whole Ministers seem ready enough to accede to their reasonable requests. But still unsatisfied a section of the men are agitating for a soldiers' political party with a view to bringing a greater pressure to bear upon the authorities and, if needs be, as one of tlieiji has put it, to lake charge of the affairs of the country Happily men who talk in' this fashion do nofjj obtain much support from the majority of their comrades, but those with real grievances are receiving an increasing measure of sympathy from the public.

COAL MINES JMSPUTJS. The Miners' Federation, after acknowledging the employers' request that the agreement between the parties should ha observed, appears to have quietly ignored the whole matter. The miners argued during the conference of somj months ago that by dealing directly with the federation tlie employers would be spared all the petty annoyances that arose out of the separate agreements with the unions, the employers were not sanguine of this very desirable end being achieved, but finally they conceded the point and withdrew their objection to negotiating with the Federation. Now they are beginning to fear they were (ricked into a worse plight than the one they were in before. The Federation is proving even niore unstable than the unions were and, exereising wider authority, is a greater peril to the owners and to the community. Ministerial intervention seems to be the only card left to play on the side of industrial peace