WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 21 January 1922, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE MEAT POOL. GOVERNMENT IN EARNEST. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Jan. 18. Persistent rumors to the effect that the Government was seeking an excuse for dropping the meat pool scheme having reached the ears of Mr. W. D. Lysnar, that gentleman bluntly asked the Prime Minister in the House on Monday night if he would state definitely what were the intentions of the Government in regard to the matter, and Mr. Massey acceded to the request promptly. There was not the slightest foundation, he said, for the rumors mentioned by the member for Gisborne. They must have been set in circulation, he thought, by people with whom the wish was father to the thought. The Government having put its hand to the plough, had no intention of looking back, and was making all possible speed in carrying the scheme to completion. The steps already taken, it might fairly be claimed, had accomplished something. The prices of meat had improved, the freezing rates had been reduced, and the charges for storage were down. The necessary legislation, the Minister assured the House, would be introduced during the current session, and the financing would be arranged as soon as practicable. FINANCING THE SCHEME. This question of financing the scheme has been discussed very freely in the city and the lobbies during the last week or two, Mr. Massey has not made it clear whether the cost of the pool, and the risk of its failure, are to be borne by the producers the scheme is intended to benefit, or are to be added to the burdens of the St&te; but his reticence on this point has given many people the impression that the long-suffer-ing taxpayers are to be involved in the whole of the liability. The statements of some of his colleagues have been less guarded and have seemed to imply that while the producers will have control of the pool the credit of the State will be behind their venture. If this really is the case the empowering legislation certainly will not get through Parliament without a strong protest against such an arrangement. Every member of the House, and of the Council, it is safe to say, is in favor of extending the fullest possible assistance to the producers in helping themselves, but beyond that many punctilious members will not go. RETRENCHMENT PROPOSALS. The Government’s proposals for .retrenchment in the Civil Service, which were disclosed by the Prime Minister in the House last night, had h.irn indicated to some extent by previous statements from the Treasury Benches. Roughly, they provide for the extinction of the cost of living bonus by three instalments, one taking effect as from January 1, a second from April 1, and a third not earlier than July 1. The basic wage is to be raised to £2lO a yep,r, and after that the reduction is to pro-

ceed without any serious attempt at graduation. In the case of officers receiving over £320 and under £5OO the reductions are to be £2O, £l5 and £lO, a total of £45, and in the case of those receiving over £5OO and under £BOO, £25, £l5 and £lO, a total of • £5O. Those receiving salaries between £BOO and £9OO are to be reduced by 7 per cent., those between £9OO and £lOOO by 8 per cent., and those over £lOOO by 10 per cent. Mr. Massey expects to save £BOO,OOO by the first cut, £750,000 by the second, and £650,000 by the third. RECEPTION IN THE HOUSE. The members of tile House scarcely had time last night to grasp the full significance of the proposals, and tlie criticism they offered was rather of a tentative than of a definite character. Mr. Wilford, the leader of the Official Liberal Opposition, commented upon the absence of any well-ordered system of graduation, and Mr. McCombs denied there had been any reduction in the cost of living, except in some of the food groups, but most of the other critics kept their remarks in reserve, to be delivered, presumably, during the second reading debate. Members’ and Ministers’ salaries are to be reduced in a larger ratio than those of the Civil Servants, so that they will be “on side” from the first in expressing their views, which are likely to be distinctly interesting. The Minister will move the second reading of the Bill tomorrow, and, counting upon the silence of his own supporters, he hopes to get it through before the end of the week.