NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 62, 6 December 1919, Page 10

NOTES OF THE DAY

Attempts to prevent vote-split-ting and to ensure satisfactory .Reform representation in tiie Uairarapa and surrounding electorates I have lately been niaue the subject of gross misrepresentation- in several Wardist newspapers. In fact, the distorted version of the negotiations in the case of the Masterton seat and the falsj suggestions based thereon have by degrees grown to quite astonishing dimensions. The simple facts upon which this shaky superstructure of halftruths and paltry misrepresentation was erected are of themselves quite unimportant. Two Independent llofdrm candidates arc standing for the Masterton seat, and in order to avoid vote-splitting supporters of the .Reform Party endeavoured to bring about an arrangement under which the two candidates would agree to submit their claims to consideration to a specified tribunal. Everyone who has taken any part in political affairs knows that this is a quite common happening when there are. rival candidates standing or-anxious to stand in the same cause. But it has suited the Wardists in this'instance to'endeavour to make it appear that one member of the Eeform Parly has been seeking to dictate who shall or shall not carry the banner of Reform. Amongst other things, this gentleman, Snt Walter Buchanan, has been charged, with' dragging out Mr:'. Sykes against his will to seek re-election. ■ The fact Dint .Sir. Walter lirciiANAN, V.n. Sykes. and Mr. Svkest, election co-mrtlce have each in turn given this statement, a clear and emphatic, contradiction docs not prevent the mis''"oresenlnfion being peisistcd with. Tt is still swing the rounds of (he WVrdjst Press: it is still Immr hurled from W'lrd.Kl, <\'"idi dales' platforms with simulated .horror ns a terrible example of—what? Tieform dictatorship.!' The prominence which the .Wardist Party has sought to give to the incident suggests that the party is very hard up for electioneering material just now,- and very, anxious .to obscure the real issues, before the country.

The practice of extorting pledges from candidates for Parliament to support this and that sectional interest has developed to an 'amazing "xfent this election. Within the last few days alone we have had'before us circulars from about ha'lf-a-dozen organisations inviting candidates to tie themselves down definitely.to over a hundred specific propositions. The unlucky man, in what_ intervals remain after addressing the electors and' rushing over_ his scattered constituency, is, for instance, invited. tr» write '"-ps" or "no" in the spaces provided against a series of twenty-five renuests sent out by tin Public Service Association. He is probably still .wrestling with tlv proposal, lot us say', that discharged Public Servants should be allowed, to transfer their superannuation payments to the National Provident Fund, vdten he is bombarded by the Council of Churches to assent to their anti-betting programme. Then the Executive of the Chartered Clubs warn him in a final letter that unless "he undertakes the redress of their grievances he will be posted on a black, or doubtful, list in the clubhouses of the Dominion. After this shock lie- collects his scattered wits to consider, let us say, the questions of the P.P.A. or the Jl-.5.A., and the four dosclv printed pages embodying the demands of the People's League And so on until polling day.

It is the easiest. thing in the world for i> man without anv sens:; of' responsibility to assent 'to all these circulars with which he is bombarded. It is not at his expense, except in a minor degree, that the. Civil Service and the members of the various organisations are to be granted their desires. This •league habit has only to prow a- little more and we shall be'having Parliaments committed in advance to Heaven knows what without the faintest realisation of what the cumulative effect of all their is going to be, and ' probably with only a verv partial understanding of the effect of many of them individually. If the members of these various organisations were sufficiently numerous and voted solidly in favour of the candidate prepared to swallow without ouostion any concoction fhev chose to present to h'"ni it would be " wioi's House'of ncirvesentntivcs "•'e should see. Unless Hiey intend thus t" "(.tempt to subiugale the ■-enorn! interests of tb« conn 1 ™ tn their , v ., fn ;| ~0 fw _vl v ,| ™ n ,| .| lO ,. n . iu f]o wij . h f])n 'vntt.cn ulßflypg f;l,o v pre nnw so fu;.vi s hlv coll-eting. Unless ean- ■ lulatns are vr. P y enreful in onsweri".T th"se ofteiiti'«o S mischievous circulars thev w i)l find fluit fh<w l'ave Co"im''ttnd thenißolves to eo".v;es which more metiire consideration may show to be thoroughly unwise. '

Ax interesting, report on (he possibilities of extending the tramway freight service in the city and suburbs has just been submitted to the City Council by the acting-manager of the tramway undertaking, Jilt. M. Caulk. The project has an imi portant bearing on the cost of livling, for there is no doubt that a. . very great saving might be effected if the distribution and delivery of goods of all kinds throughout' the city were efficiently organised. The fullest possible use of the tramways in connection with such a service would make, in all respects for economy, ancl incidentally would ■n'is'ble the' city authorities'.to oh-. 11 fiiin>. much better return than at

present from a givoii amount of capita] sunk in'the tramways. The existing tramway freight service is useful within its limits, bjfc it- is only a tentative beginning. In his report, Mu. Caulk dissents from the proposal put. forward by Cnrtfcn.LOii NotrwooD that the City Milk l)epot,_ or rather an establishment immediately adjoining, should lie the depot of a general delivery service. There is obviously a great deal to be said for Mr. Cable's view that the central depot should'be 'Josaled in Wakefield Street, and directly connected with the goods yards of the new railway station, and that subsidiary depots should be established at suitable centres in the outlying districts. The problem of closely co-ordinat-ing all city delivery services, the delivery of milk and other perishable goods included, is still, how-' ever. well worth considering. While some features of the project still leave scope for discussion, there is mi doubt that the council ought without loss of time to ae-, quire suitable sites for the sub-' urban depots which will certainly he needed before long if- city deliveries are to be organised on anything like a comprehensive and economical basis.

Sow-; of the critics of the Govrnnient are very unfortunate in their choice of subjects on which to base their attach' . The local Wardist journal has shown itself particularly indiscreet in this respect, a noteworthy example being a recent' reference to the question of housing. It, admitted that the liefonn Government passes progressive measures, hut claimed that it wr.s only to stow them away unused, citing amongst other things its housing proposals. As most piovile know, the Ward Government talked a lot about housing, but in six years it, built only ISS workers' dwellings. The Massey Government talked little, but in three years it built 422 houses. In oilier words, , the Ward Government built houses for workers at the, rate of about "0 a year; the Massey Government built them at- the 7.?.!/>. of 140 a year. Since the dissolution of the, National Cabinet, the Reform Government has 'authorised the construction rf 200 dwellings—.contracts have been let locally for more than CO—and this is merely preliminary to the comprehensive scheme under tin Housing Act, whirl) makes such generous provision I hat the number of houses to be ceded during fh" next few years will only be limited by the. amount of hi'iour available Sirt Joseph W,\un will hardly thank his friends for drawing attention to matters which show him in so unfavourable p. light: