Passing Notes.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 18, 16 July 1920, Page 6

Passing Notes.

BY JACQUES.

Laugh where we must, be candid where we can.— Pope.

Mr Massey 's party— the Appointed and Disappointed. Parliament at present seems to consist of five part-ies — and Mr Hanan. Mr Pryor, for the employers, snggests a fight to a finish, and Mr Arbuckle for the miners, says that like Barkis, he is willing. In such an event whichever side gets the ha'pence, the unfortunat-e consumer will get all the kicks — as usual. Plain Bill's position just now i's not a very enviable one. An empty money box, and everybody clamouring for a bob or two. The miracle of the loaves and fishes was a mere fieabite to what William is expected to perform. "Why pay rent ?" asks a local land agent, Well, some don't. The moonlight flit is cheaper. Gentle— -or ferocious— reader, have you ever seen fruit and vegetables exposed for sale outside shops ? And have you ever noticed how dogs of all nationalities and castes show their disdain for a vegetarian or fruitarian diet ? And has it never struck you that it would be far nic.er and better if those dogs could not get so near to those edibles ? Harry Holland seems to receive greater deference in the present Parliament thaii in the last. This may be due to a sort of gratitude on tjie part of some of our members. Many of them, we know, having no particular policy, legislative ability, or personal merit of their own, won their seats through being able to- curse Harry Holland more vehemently and satisfactorily than their opponents. In fact, "antiHolland" may be said to have constituted a full and sufficient policy for most at last election. And, no doubt they are properly grateful to that much maligned individual for having provided in his person and views the means of their -own exaltation. The theory that our laws are somehow related to Justice is a very comforting one, but sometimes t-heir operation sadly shocks our ccmplacency. Take the frequent recent decisions of Justice Stringer in the mattei of H.C.L. bonuses to workers, for instance. There is, of course, nothing wrong with the principle that wages should be made sufficiently elastic to meet varying conditions; it is in making such bonuses retrospeHive that the law shows how7 divine it can be when it really fcries. Any business man could have told the sapient judge that the prices of commodities are based largely on cost, of which w7ages usually form the chief element. In fixing prices for any given period the manufacturer or marchant makes allowance, inter alia, for the wages ruling during that time, and then arranges for a cer--tam margin — often enough, a farly narrow one— of profit for himself. It is, therefore, something of a shock to him to find that after he has sold his goods at prices largely based on a certain wage list, he is faced with a demand for retrospective payments, which, when met, will still further narrow down his profits, or perhaps annihilate them altv,g,ther for that particular period. It is most illogical and unjnst. It is exactly as though after, say, a tailor had made and sold suits for six months at prices based on the cost of the material, the warehouseman should send in a bill for increased payments on every yard of material supplied during that time, and that the law should back up the demand. When politicians fall out, honest men hear the truth. Our only difficulty at such times is to distinguish between the truth and the other thing. During the i recent Parliamefitary imbroglio the air was thick with charges and countercharges, and every form of contradiction, from the "retort courteous" to the "lie direct," was heard. Among the lot some must surely have been speaking the truth. But who? Was it Mr Hanan, when he referred to some of those who had taken office in the Reform administration as "political contortionists ?" Or was it Mr Massey when he said, in effect, to Mr Hanan, "You're another?" And when Mr Massey accused Mr Hanan of expressmg willingness to accept a portfolio fi-om

him, and Mr Hanan hysterically deni^t that same— well whicli are we to'believ i = Mr Hanan, surely, for had we not his i solemn asseveration last election that h would at no time join forces with th ' children of Belial, the Reform pan°^ | And who could doubt- Mr Hanan's WorJi j As for Mr Massey's insinuation that Mr Hanan was liimself a "political conton j tionist" — well those of us who have know that sturdy democrat throughout his pw. 1 liamentary career, will laugh such an ab- • surd suggestion to scorn. The "housing pix.blem" shares Wl(i "profiteering" pride of place among news. J paper topics. On every hand are heard ^ harrowing stories of the desperate straits ' of our homeless ones, and, on top 0f liis multitudinons other troubles, Mr Massey ; is being daily importuned t-o "do some- ■ thing. He has stated his deterjjjjjj. tion to grapple with the problea, ^ has set machinery in motion that may^ j ceed in erecting a hundred or a coupkd 1 hundred workers' dwelling sometimewilhj the next few years. How it may be in other centres I know not, having nothmg j better than the daily press to inform me, but, so far as Invercargill is concerned, 1 venture the opinion that there is no actual ! shortage of houses at the present time, j Every street has its quota of blarik win- i dows, but, unfortunately for the eager , house-hunter, each is marred with the dis- i couraging legend: "For sale." Novr it strikes me that things are not as they should be when we see homeless people on i the one hand, and unpeopled houses on ihe other. I am the last man to question the I legitimate rights of individuals or of pre- 3 perty, but all rights, I hold, am, or should be limited by consideratiom oi " public welfare. These empty houses are, j for the most part-, evidences of a greedy, J profiteering desire to exploit the necessi- i ties of the people. The position calls loi pj'ompt and drastic action. Those who j have read Henry George's works wil] remember the frequency of his kv ourite phrase, "Cempulsory usufruct." His contentioh was everyone in possession of land should be compelled to make the fullest possible use of it, or surreadter it to oue who would. Well, the same principle could be beneficially applied in the case of our tenantLess houses — always making provision, of course, for a fair return to the j owner. KINGS AND PRINCES I HAVE MET. f KING CRUICKSH ANK . My presentation — which, curiod? | enough, was entirely unsolicited on fflj part — at the Court of this illustrioui j monarch, was arranged through the kind j offices of Prince F uohy, officer command- 3 ing the Imperial Blues, the actual intro- | duction being effected by Count Fitzalan , Cameron and his dog. His Majesty though not quite as handsome as our late : visitor, Prince Charming, proved very con- ■ descending, and affably invited me to an elevated position on a dais adjacent to his ; throne. He asked me, through an inter- i preter, various questions, some— such a' how I pleaded, etc — striking me as te»g - somewhat irrelevant, and indicating a cun- ■ ous eccentricity on the part of my koy | Host. My natural embarrassment vvas, however, quickly relieved by the courtesj ^ of a court attendant, one John Hop; ; kindly explained that I was only then recovering from a recent attack of Roopit,8» which had been so violent that, the even | ing before, an officer had felt constrain , in the interests of lawnorder (whaW" I that is) to extend his Majesty s> ^ pitality to me for the night— getting ^ imiform badly damaged in the processMajesty then asked me how I ha^ 1 a,nd I assured him that my nest a'° 1 have been perfect but for- kut t it might have been some natural skin ^ j order. Tlien, after a little kindly as to how to avoid Roopitis in the u His Majesty gave further proof 0 ^ ■ eccentricity by asking me for a . with costs (the latter, I understari i ^ something in the nature of a «T ° ^ with the alternative of receiving a j ^ instalment of the Royal h°£P:ta have since learned that it is hh J '' | pleasant and profitable PraC^Ce, ig c0nrh j payment for aH introductions ° ; in conformity with the Royal 1 ^ "Quid or Quod." I paid, ^d' his Majesty, witlidrew.