WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 86, 13 April 1917, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

RAILWAY SERVICES.

EASTER TRAFFIC

(Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, April 11

Holiday-makers ;ire returning to town with anything but flattering accounts of the Railway Department's arrangements for the J&ister traffic. •Jfc would peem from some of their st6v," >j that the management had delibervctcly provided tho worst possible service this year in order that the public: might bo the. more readily reconciled' to the withdrawal of suburban services and the discontinuance of holiday fares. In many cases the ordinary traffic was_ suspended to make room for excursion trains whi«h ran to the wrong places or at tho wrong times, and were only half filled Tn other cases the excursion trains simply rah in competition with the ordinary trains and merely doubled the cost of carrying an indefinite number of people to a certain number of places. The time-tables insisted upon long delays at somo stations without any regard to their importance, and upon running through others without any stop at all. Probably the official explanation ■of all 'thi.e, "if the facts were admitted, would be that the railway ■staff, had been depleted by the demands of the war; but as a matter of, fact many fewer luinds would have 'been required for an efficient hol'day service than for the very inefficient one that was provided.

JME'N" AND PRODUCE

The iterated and reiterated insistence of the Minister for Defence mpon the supply of men being of more consequence than the production of ■ foodstuffs at the present stage ot the Avar is being discussed with some warmth in the rural districts. There is no suggestion from sane people anywhere, of course, that the strength of *he Reinforcements being ■Boat to the front should be lessened. On this point the farmers to a man are with wir James Allen. But they argue that the production of food and clothing for ourselves and for the Mother ■Country and her Allies should be miude an essential industry, and that sa sufficient number of men should be ■•exempted from military, service to 'keep it running at its fullest capacity. TFhis, they protest, is not a pk ja on itheir.behalf. They would be ready to •Submit, to-any reasonable scheme of ■organisation which asked■■•fi'oin them; jio greatpn sacrifices than we-e de- j .^landed from the rest of the community. A farmer should not be excused from military service because i lie was a farmer, nor a farm worker because he had been employed about a farm; but because he was the per■ison best qualified to give the country "the particular service it required at liom«.

THE DEMOCRATIC FARMER

The farmers who arc propounding 'these very admirable sentiments ■claim to ho much more democratic than the Ministers who are. adminis"tering the Military Service Act or theirresponsible Socialists who are denouncing that measure. Th© fault they find with conscription is not that it compels men to serve whether they like it or not, but that it does not stmfficiently discriminate in regard to the services they shall vendor, jit tries to manufacture' soldiers out of men who are utterly unfitted for a military -career, but who would make excellent farm workers or stockmen' or dairy iiands. "What we wont in times like iheso.' J to quote the words of a Manawatn farmer who has two sons at th.o front, "is .every man in his right place, doing the .job far which he is •best fitted and doing it with all his Tnight." Perhaps in duo course the Efficiency Board may lead the country some way town ids this very desirable goal, but-it- would be 100 much to oxpeet a Government dependent for ita very existence upon the good r will of :&o many Jiverse, elements to make such an heroic venture in organisation on its own Initiative

TAXATION

The Acting-Minister for Finance '■ lias%made it quite clear that an overflowing Treasury is not'going to save . tho country-from further taxation, arid his:eandour has encouraged many . speculations as to the direction in which Sir Joseph Ward will look for this additional revenue. That there will be no increase in Customs duties . on what are popularly regarded as the necessaries or life may be taken for ■; granted in view of the present high ; <;osfc of living";-but it is pretty certain * ithere will l>u nnothor turn of the • "fjcrew in connection with both the in- ► come tax :mcl the land tax. It is being .urged in some quarters that the ■ exemption should be lowered in both -cases, and though this would produce Si oompanvtivply small amount there is -n growing feeling in favor of getting . tut tlie unmarried men without de•i>endßnts who are earning £200 or £300 a year. The feature «f the [Budget,'however, is likely to be a very substantial increase in the taxation upon large incomes and large ■ftstatps. Tha Minister will require to got at least £750,000 a year to meet Hie charges oh the new war debt, and there is little doubt the great bulk of *fchis sum will be obtained from those fort nnate" pe-oplo who can spare v. few •pounds a week• without any personal .inconvenience.