WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1921, Page 12

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

CIVIC SERVICES.

A QUESTION OF PAYMENT.

(Special Correspondent.)

Wellington, July 4.

The Evening Post, which rushed in, forgetful of some of its previous professions, to support the new Mayor in his policy of sparing the ratepayers at the expense of the users of the civic services, is not finding it an easy matter to reconcile its new attitude with its old traditions. A correspondent reminded it the other day that cheap trams and cheap electricity, recreation grounds and public parks, added to the value of private property within the city, and, therefore, in part, were a legitimate charge upon the ratepayers. This is axiomatic with most economists of the present day. But the Post has its doubts upon the point, arguing that cheap services make for waste and extravagance, and that, in any case, the will of the banker must be the deciding factor in shaping the City Council’s financial policy. The banker laughs this suggestion of his omnipotence, and it seems .probable he just as soon would have rates as he would services for his security, but in these days the part of the scapegoat is not the strangest of the roles he plays. WOOL CONTROL. The members of the newly constituted Wool Committee spent an anxious hour or two in conference with the representatives of the wool buyers on Saturday. The buyers, at a meeting on the previous day, had resolved that they would not bid at the approaching sales unless the limitation of offerings were abandoned, and on Saturday morning it looked as if a very serious crisis had been reached. It was reported that the American buyers, arguing that they should have an opportunity to satisfy the full requirements of their principals, were at the bottom pf the trouble, and that they had persuaded the other outside buyers to stand firm. This was the position when the Committee And the representatives of the buyers met on Saturday morning, anti it was not till well on in the afternoun that a better understanding was attained. Then it was announced that the buyers’ ultimatum had been withdrawn so far as the sale being held to-day was concerned, and that further sales would be the subject of negotiation.

THE PRIME MINISTER SCORES. Mr. Massey’s political supporters and personal friends arc naturally gratified by the eulogy bestowed upon him by the National Review, which if not the most retfable echo of public opinion in the Mother Country is at least the reflection of a large school of political ■thought. The Prime Minister’s robust commonsense and vigorous personality are deserving of all the recognition they are obtaining from the British public and the British Press. But h«re there is a growing feeling even atfiong the Prime Minister’s friends that the publicity officer attached to his retinue is Somewhat over anxious to do justice to his chief. No doubt M. Clemenceau, Mr. Massey and Mr. Hughes would have managed the Peace negotiations somewhat differently from the manner in which Mr. Lloyd George and President Wilson managed them, but comparisons of this kind become ill-mannered, if not absolutely odious, wlwn the British Prime Minister is dubbed facing-both-ways and the ex-President thtf highbrow from Washington. Mr. Massey certainly would not wish to be magnified at the expense of these gentlemen. SPORT. Probably the majority ol New Zealand sportsmen and sportwomen are taking a good deal more interest in the doings of Hector Gray at Home than they are in the performances of the Australian cricketers or than they did even in the Carpentier-Dempsey fight. They will be disappointed* therefore, to hear that the Dominion’s premier jockey on the very threshold of what seemed likely to be a highly successful campaign on the English Turf has attracted the unfavorable attention qf the stewards. Race riding is much more strictly supervised in England than it is here, and it is to be feared Gray has not quite realised the different* state of affairs. It is for the experts to say whether or not Gray is the most capable jockey that ever has ridden in this country, but even the layman can see. he stands very near to the top of his profession, and it will be a thousand pities if in his efforts to secure further laurels in the birth-place of sport he should tarnish those he already holds. PUBLIC ACCOUNT KEEPING. The breaches of trust by civil servants, which were commented upon by Mr. Justice Hosking at Wanganui the other day, have been engaging the anxious attention of the executive of the Civil Service Association for some time past. The executive suggests no excuses for the defaulting official, but urges that a better system of bookkeeping should be instituted in all the public departments. People qualified to speak on matters of this kind, who have had opportunities to inspect the State system of account keeping, declare it to be among the most cumbersome, involved, and inaccurate the uninstructed mind could devise. Any private trader finding himself in the bankruptcy court after keeping his accounts in the fashion countenanced by the Civil Service Commissioner, these critics say, would be in danger of having his discharge delayed for a year or two even if he esca’ped a criminal prosecution. It is understood the responsible Minister is now looking into these allegations.

EXPORT STATISTICS. The Wellington Harbor Board is still protesting loudly against the injustice done to the port it controls bv the present system of compiling the export statistics. It was .stated by Mr. G. Mitchell, M.P.. at the meeting of the board on Wednesday that £10.000.000 worth of goods shipped at Wellington were credited to other ports as part of their exports and that the capital city instead of being given its proper position as easily the first shipping centre in the Dominion "’as ' relegated to a secondary place. This, as already explained. arises from the statutory provision that exports must be credited to the districts in which they are produced and not to the port from which they are shipped. The secretary of the board has extracted from the Government Statistician a promise that the position will be explained in future issues of the lear Book, but this does not satisfy the board, nor the community it represents, and the local authorities will keep on kicking.