WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1921, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

JOTALISATOR INVESTMENTS DECLINE. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, July IS. Tfest 51 should be imagined that the decline in the totalizator investments at the Wellington Racing Club's meeting last week was due entirely to an accession of moral susceptibility on the part of the general public, it may be as well to explain there were other contributing causes to the falling off in the amount ox money entrusted to the machine, fe-’irst of all the weather in town was enticing on either of the two days, ind consequently a large number of people Who would have gone out to Tren£ham had. the conditions been favorable preferred to stop at home. Then on patunday when the half-holiday makers turned out in great force the “outside” fa/cdlities for gambling proved quite inadequate to satisfy their demands and many eager punters were shut out. Finally the bookmakers did an unusually brisk week’s business, and many pounds that otherwise would have passed through the machine went into their pockets. Wellington’s moral reform in this respect has not yet fairly begun. THE SPRINGBOKS. With crowds estimated at from 10,000 I to 15,000 gathering at Wanganui and New Plymouth to witness the footbal' matches between the South African and the local teams there need be no fear for the financial success of the visitors’ tour through the Dominion. Whether the admirers of cricket like it or not, football isr essentially New Zea land's national game, and the degree of efficiency to which her players have at tained is in a large measure due to th? aopreciation and applause of the publiBut from all account-, the “Spr.ngboks are not yet giving the 'exhibitions c s.<ill that were expected from cliem •They are suffering from the effects o; ;oo much hard traveldng and much hard play, and probably are not showi g of their best, but local experts who ire accompanying them on their travels say the visitors; though brilliant at intervals, and always gc<xl sportsmen, lack knowledge of the finer point? of the game, and will be Iwky to escape defeat in any of the metropolitan or test lo&tches. NAURU PHOSPHATES. Farmers in the Wellington province are becoming a little restless over the long delay in placing Nauru pho-phates on the market in a readily available form aad at a reasonable rat?, it : courted that many dealers, contemplating a State monopoly of this business, are offering substitutes of a very questionable value. In these circumstances buyers are glad to have an assurance from the Minister of Agriculture, telegraphed from the south hat “in a short time the Department he pres’ded 'over would have its instructions, and manufacturers who did not sell what they undertook would be liable io secure croubl.This is satisfa -tory enough so far as it gc *s. but farmers naturally find some diffi jciilty in understanding why the instrue tions required to make dishonest dealertnend their ways should be delayed for a single day. A still more serious .question concern? the value of Nauru pho« phates. The opinions or this subject expressed in the current' .amber of the Journal of Agriculture are not vhoih reassuring and the Minister himself seem? unable to speak with authority. THE LABOR PART«< The annual conference of the New Zealand Labor Party, which was sitting her? last week, attracted singularly little attention from any class of the community. Even the local newspapers, hard pressed as they -eem tn be at times to find subjects for discussion, had nothing to say about the proceedings of Mr. Peter Fraser and h - colleagues and naturally these gentlemen feel a little aggrieved The truth of th. matter is, of course, that the extreme section of Labor represented by the •Conference is out of favor with the great mass of the workers just now, and, as one of its critics put it in the familiar phrase the other day, is •'cutting no ice.” The times are too serious and for many people too hard, for the prorogation of merely speculative politics and the spirit of dissension. The experimental Socialists’ dream of draw ing all the progressive force? into their own camp has now proved a delusion and sane people are settling down to the sober consideration of the plain X&cte.

RABBITS. THE MINISTER’S CONCLUSIONS. Wellington, July 20. The Minister of Agriculture has returned from his inspection of the rabbit infested districts in the South Island duly impressed by the gravity of the pest and fully determined to employ every reasonable means within his power to bring about its extinction. He thinks the law compelling magistrates to record convictions on the certificate of an inspector, whatever the character of the rebutting evidence may be, capable of operating harshly, but at th- same time he realises that some measure of the kind is required to protect the interests of the country and the interests of the settlers who ar,e doing their best to get rid of the pest, from the apathy and neglect of land < j

holders who are making no serious effort to clear their country. Mr. Nosworthy intends to introduce -amending legislation during the approaching session, but he does not wish the settlers immediately concerned to imagine that he is going to ask Parliament to relieve ’ . them of any of their responsibilities or ; I to make the way of the rabbit-farmer j easy. WAGES AND PRICES. | The Minister of Public Works, like' other Members of the Cabinet, is having ' some of the rudimentary laws of econo- • mics pressed upon his attention with! Increasing force. The other day the Auckland iron-masters and their men. -t I very strongly against the V l . •’ 'on of the Public Works t Departmeot in deleting from contracts for Steel girders ihe clause requiring that : the girders hould be manufactured in 1 New Zealand. 'They pleaded the preval ;o?e of unemployment and urged . that this work -hould not go out of the Dominion. Mr. Coates promised to i consider their representations and now done so, with tb n result that he j l‘?s come io the conclusion that in these . times of stresn the policy of preference ; : to local manufactures must not be ear- ' ! r.ed to an extreme. “If money were; ’ spent unnecessarily in the purchase of material,” he puts it to the iron-musters I and their employees,- “there would be | j so much less money avail .ble for the I • payment of wages.” This contention, I I of vouise, is logical enough, but it is i , so widely at variance with some of the practices of the department that the’ Auckland people may not be entirely < convinced. NEW ZEALAND'S INTERNATIONAL 3 STANDING. Both Mr. Massey and Sir Francis Bell seem .. be a little confused as to the international standing of New Zealand, i or. perhaps one should say, as to the, ,-u.naing the Dominion should occupy among the nationfl Their friend the Obrien newspaper, takes them to ' task this morning over their ineonsist-t-r.ee on th? subject. “It is time,” it says, ‘the Government of New Zealand made up its mind where it d-sire-a-tc. etand. internationally. Recently Sir Francis Beil explained that it was not uitendei. :■> cany on correspond- ' once direct with the United States Government over the treatment of Messrs. . .’n jur and Company in New Zealand. To-day we find Air. Massey apparently regretting the absence of an invitation to New Zealand from the United States ■ to ! ake part in the disarmament and Pa ; r- Conference, On the Armour, quettion we disclaim international stai ling and on the Pacific Conference ' we appear pained at not receiving an * • 11a i- i 11d epend en t State.’ : As the Dominion comments on its own' ' account, New Zealand cannot have it i both ways, and as everyone must see I ; in these days of readjustment it is dei sirable this country should indicate in . which direction its wishes lie. UNEMPLOYMENT. It is suggested locally that the cablegram dispatched by the Christchurch ( ity Council to the Prime Minister call- ; ing his attention to the difficulty of finding employment in the southern city !and urging „he undesirability of encouraging immigration at the present time , - is mainly, a <1 emonstration by the Labor ' and Independent members of the Council i to celebrate their success at the recent by-election. Independent Labor appears to be on the ascendant everywhere just' ' now and it is natural it. should wish Mr. Massey to be aware of the fact. Bur the officers of the Labor Department. while admitting that the amount of unemployment is considerably greater than it was at this time last, year, deny’ that it is threatening to bring about a serious- crisis. So far the Government’s relief efforts have worked smoothly and with good results, and it is hoped that in another month or two there will be a marked revival in the private demand for labor. This has been the experience in previous years and it must be the experience again, unless all productive effort is to cease, which ifl simply unthinkable.