The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1920. PASSING IT ON.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 July 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1920. PASSING IT ON.

In passing on to the public the increases in pay to the postal and telegraph staff, the Government has followed the practice adopted by the industrial and trading concerns of the Dominion. That the higher charges for letters, newspapers and telegrams will add appreciably to the burden* of the community, especially the 'business portion, goes without saying, and the same Temark applies to the lack of resourcefulness of the Government in merely raising prices in a vicious circle, instead of devising a means for meeting the additional expenses in such a way as to set an example to traders and others. The line of least resistance and the least trouble has been adopted instead of curtailing outgoings and making a complete readjustment of taxation. Apparently the Dominion Government has copied the procedure of the Home Government, except jr. the direction of the weight of letters, which in New Zealand is an ounce less than in Britain. If the Government were a trading concern, the course taken would beperfectly sound, but the State services exist for the benefit of the people, and the general principle of trading does not apply. The public have become, accustomed to pay, hut there will come a time when the limit wit! be readied. Doubling the cost of postage on newspapers will be keenly felt by those who are so unfortunate as to be outside the radius of ordinary delivery, and strong pressure should be brought on the Government to reconsider the charge. Surely the backblocks are already sufficiently penalised by their isolation and heavy cost of transportation. Business firms who have large numbers of accounts to send out -will find that the new charges are very costly. In many cases this cannot be passed on, so that it may be necessary for them to 'consider the advisability of co-operating in a delivery scheme, by combining to employ trustworthy persons to deliver accounts, at a contract price, according to the extent of the area covered. Unquestionably it would , pay both parties well, and the suggestion is one they might seriously entertain. The increase in the price of parcels from 4Jd to 6d for the first pound weight is likely to strike a heavy blow at those firms 'which cater for outside custom, quite a number of whom have ' built up a large mail order trade. Possibly, in these days of motor transport, means can be evolved for making use of motor carriage instead of the postal service, It only needs co-operation and organisation to make this method successful, At any rate the commercial community may be expected to display more initiative and resource than the combined red tapists who are running the country. The next bump up to be announced will probably be the railway 1 charges, and where the soaring process will halt seems impossible to conjecture. The greater portion of the community has to boar the blows and cannot hit back. They are prone to consider that increased pay should be followed by more work, that departmental staffs should be reduced, and wastage reduced to zero. In other words that increased cost should be met by rigid economy That is now compulsory for persons of limited means, and should he equally compulsory where the State is concerned.

the Government could take was to arrive at an agreement with the AngloPersian Oil Co. (which had purchased the Taranaki oil refinery machinery and removed il to Persia) to bring their geologists and other experts to New Zealand, make a full geographical survey, and thoroughly test the deposits. That company is not a purely private concern, the British Government having a controlling interest, to develop the oil industry in Australia, and the company has entered into a partnership with the Commonwealth Government. Whatever may be Mr. Massey's private views as to existence of oil in New Zealand, they should not be allowed to sway his policy,, for in this matter the layman has no weight. In view of the world shortage of oil and its extensive use as fuel for developing engine power on civil and naval ships, every effort should be made to increase the supply. The duty of the Government, as it seems to us, appears to be perfectly clear, and that is to come to an arrangement with the Anrj-lo-iPersian Co., much the same as has been done by the Commonwealt'i Government, on partnership terms, living the company a free hand to survey, test, and work the oilfields at the joint expense of the two parties. It is a matter of both national and Imperial concern. Conclusive proof has been given that deposits of petroleum as well as shale exist in the Dominion, and are awaiting exploitation. A search of this kind is bound to involve a large expenditure of time and money, but there is no question that it should he undertaken resolutely and on business lines, and it is only by persistent and expertly directed efforts that success is likely to be achieved. Above all, there should be no lack of confidence.