POLITICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8509, 10 August 1907, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS.

(From Our Parliamentary Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, August 9. THE ELECTIVE COUNCIL BILL. "Show me a proverb and I will show you a fallacy," said an eminent man once upon a time; but he doubtless had the generality of proverbs in his mind. Here is one that he would have failed to find any about —"circumstances niter cases." It was this same invincible principle of "circumstances" that led to the passage through Committee of the House on Wednesday of Sir William Steward's old-timer Bill tor the election of the Legislative Council. As has been explained in one of my series of "Notes and Comments," 01 ly six days—one a week for six weeks —are given up to private members' bilis during the session, and Wednesday was the sixth day. Sir William's Bill took precedence of all others, and it was with a view to getting it out of the road that members permitted it to get through the Commit-o etage. It is almost certain to Lc squelched on the motion for the third reading, but if it passes the House it will assuredly have a short shrift in the Council. Under the circumstances it was not surprising that the Committee should have allowed the insertion of a provision making women eligible for seats in the Legislative Council. Itwas a cheap (if somewhat hypocritical) method «f gaining popularity among the women, seeing there was no danger of the provision becoming law. The 37 members who voted for it will, of course become the "curled darlings" of the ladies, who, not being accustomed tc the devious ways of politicians, cannot bs expected to see through the sham. If the Bill ever gets to the Upper House, Legislative Councillors will probably play with it for a while, as a cat does with n mouse, before effectively disposing of it. It has been suggested that thev Council should substitute for "Legislative Council" the words "House of Representatives," and thus send it back to the originating Chamber. It is possible this may be done by way of retaliation for t'ie many insults which members o: the House have of recent years b'js'o-.ved upon the Council.

THE TARIFF QUESTION. The tariff still forms the staple topic of discussion, and deputations still pour in upon the unfortunate Minister of Customs, whose sleeping hours must be troubled by tariff nightmares. From the consumers' point the remissions upon foodstuffs is viewed with pleasure, and there is a total absence of agitation in regard to articles of common consumption. Yet there is an important aspect of the question in which the consumers should be vastly interested, and if they but thought for a moment they would not view the position with the equanimity they do. "I can call spirits from the vasty deep," exclaims the boastful Glendower. "Aye," replies Percy, "and so can I, and so can any man; but will they come when you do call them?" Now this is just the point. The Government propose to remit taxation to the extent of hundreds of thousands'of pounds for the benefit of the masses, but will the masses be permitted to benefit to anything ikel that extent? When the duty was reduced on candles and kerosene some years ago the consumers benefited very little, if at all, by the reduction, and the loss of revenue which the State suffered on their behalf simply went into the pockets of the tradesmen. The Government in now further remitting Customs duties, leaves it to competition t and trading honesty to see that the people reap the benefit of the reductions: but in these days when commercial morality is an negligible quantity, and when trading combines are becoming common, consumers of goods may well have doubts as to the advantages they are likely to reap from the Stata's generosity. It is like entrusting the care of the lamb to the tender mercies of the wolf. The tradesmen are made the trustees on behalf of the community of more than half a million of money, but they are left untrammelled in respect to the carrying out of their trust. Where property is concerned Parliament takes care to see that beneficiaries under a trust are protected, but it never seems to have struck members of Parliament that some protective provision is necessary in regard to intended beneficiaries under the tariff. At any rate they have never suggested any. This is the point which should agitate the minds of consumers before the Tariff Bill is finally passed. The position doubtless is beset with many and great difficulties, but to legislative wisdom they should not be insuperable. It seems an anomaly that the State should make great sacrilices of revenue for a specific .purpose, and yet not be able, to some

extent at least, to ensure the object of its sacrifices being attained. I have discussed this subject with several members of Parliament, and they agree that something ought to be done in the direction here indicated, and it is possible that the question may be mooted on the floor of the House; but unless public opinion is brought to bear upon the subject no action is likely to result. PURE FOOD BILL. The Pure Food Bill sent on from the Lower House to the Legislative Council is now before a Select Committee of that Chamber, and there is a probability that it will be brought down in considerably amended form. Judging from the remarks made by the Attorney-General in introducing the measure, the question of honest weight as well as purity w'ill be dealt with, so far at least as bread is concerned. Under the present law,, according to Dr Findlay, it is almost impossible to secure a conviction against a baker for selling underweight loaves. Roughly, said he, the law stands thus: If a baker sells bread as a four-pound loaf which in fact only weighs three and a-quarter pounds, he cannot be punished, if he shows he took reasonable care to put into the oven as much dough as in the ordinary course would produce a four-pound loaf. He had records of numbers of cases brought before the Courts, but did not think a singleconviction had yet been secured against a baker who probably month in and month out had been selling for four-pound loaves, loaves weighing, say, three and a-half pounds. There was, he rightly declared, a heavy loss falling upon the people in New Zealand at the present time who buy bread from day to day. It was time that this loss was stopped, and his idea was to throw the obligation upon the baker of seeing when he sells and takes the money for a four-pound loaf that he gives a fourpound loaf, and that the weight he is selling is the weight he represents it to be. The burden of securing honest weight, he averred, should be removed from the countless consumers and placed upon the shoulders of the baker. It was his intention, he said, to insert a provision in the Bill whereby the baker who sells bread of less weight than he preter.ds it to be shall be punished.