Wellington News

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 34, 8 September 1887, Page 3

Wellington News

a , <3ojasesj?o»do!Bft.j) THL.VSS POLITICAIi. ;stisA aatttiral conseqaießce- of fhe present stiring political -times that all other matters tihould be suhordiiraf« to things political. l'lu« being so your ireaderßmay bemoiieihcliued to peruse this <s»mmuaucatioß. ithaa they would if the oovmtry wae in a moire jproßper-•aus'-bon&itoii a»d political questions did not head the list of every day conversat^on. \ ,<Of .course your readers are *waie tikt W^TL&m is blessed with more seat, but whether the quantity will be any gainiam not prepared io say! ■ V, ,0£; this, iiowever, I am certain rthat i Jfcii«9, Boaipare City does not so far possess' the quality. For the Thorn<don seat.we ) iave two candidates, the ibrmer member, Dr Newman, and Mr MbLean, well knawii for his connection witfy inrinii^j aaatters. lam rather mr that Mx McLean is the smartest^ man of tie two, but to give ioth of them : Iheiridfee ttey can only be classed^as T.ery third-rate politicians. ihr' 1 Newman Has the advantage of 1 recogiiiiseiasa v«ry nice sociable inaii,aiid has , every prospect of being a*hdectedv lirli H. Fraser, of temperance fame, < and former member, ib ifektgSppbped, for the Te Aro seat, by Mr "Stuart-Menteatiti who sat in the House in the last parliament for one constituencies. Opiaions appear tb be Ajfood deal divided «s ,fe ~sts J^enteath's ability.- Some «c«|slder lie. is thoroiigMy acquainted witb> political questioas^ but for my own; jart, wMe4tdmitting tbet he kka gtvpn a good deal of attention to politics, he is a very; long way ot hmojg the > kuegpeness view to grasp the pt«Beiit situation. Mr Fraser can ecarceljrbe eonaidered '....ip fee an impiwice&esLt oa Mr Meat^th as far as concerned— if be is so^ood -^iut-he^^wjrellup in socaal questions i aad may fee a useful member in that xe6pect;'butTl %m ftfxaid neither he Borbifl-opponent will ever be classed •s^ itaiesfiwa. For Wellington East, the "People's George" Mr Fisher) is •closed by a Mj Kobertson, of the Phoenix Fojindrj. The latter is standing in the Protection iuterests, but I tkink it is only lately tkat he has discovered he has a genius for politics. Hr^Fisher may be considered the only politician who will have any weight in' the House of all the Wellington candidates; in fact, he is the.onij.one «t present in the field who will be of ajniy Use to the country, so far as the City is concerned, although , i»e possesses a little too ma ih force of character and very often over-runs tiw mark. : tForl South very little may be said. Mr Coombe, a, builder, is opposing Mr Izard, who on two occasions, pushed Mr; Wilson rery hard f#r the |)oiton seat. Of the^ ; two candidates . perhaps Mr izftrd may be considered the more able jjulitician, indeed it is very doubtful whether Mr Coonibo can be classed as politician at all, - neither, however, are ever likely to make themselves I famous in tiaa political arena The j *Fho.rndo& seat will be very hotly contested, biijt^ in my opinion, Dt NeVinan wi|l be successful. The same may be *aid of Wellington South,, but Mr J^MjC believe will be at tie head of the .poll. Both ,these v seats -are, to a certain extent, doubtful. I ; am inclined to think Mr Fisher will be a long-way ahead in the i Wellington Uast contest; Mr Fraser taking up k similar position for -the Te Aro seat, with regard to the latter there is ib- oer^dn^r about it ai^ it anay cli3se contest!; .1 was in the Wakarapa lately and may, from facts gathered,; give^ an opinion on-the result; of the contest in tiat district. Mr JBuibiy has, no doubt risen in the estimation of the electors, and the belief is prettyfeiieiy expressed that he will 4efeat Mr Buchanan by a subatantkl tnajority, J but the 1 latter gentleman w very "energetic, " and r wili not " leave a stone unturned to save defeat. The result of the triangular duel being iought in 4Ke Masterton district will mo ioubt^M m Mr Hogg, editor of Wa^arajia ,^Star 4 >. being ;..'• returned. JSveißf mir 'Hawlrais^Jpr Mr Beetham were i;o retire I believe the result would be' the same. With regard to lie restilt of,, the, present election throughout the . country, there can scarcely be a doubt but whatthe (Jovr «rnnieiit will be defeated and replaced by axniddlo p^irty, certainly not the Hall- Atkinson combination. There «an be no questida that when Sir, Robert Stout was in the . House previous to his joiriihg Sir George Grey's he was a clear-headed polittciflii, and there caa be no doubt as to hirieattling and ability at the r but he certainly lost his Aead-when %>e was made Premier and iie still further depriciated m value as a leader when be was knighted. Mr Bailanqat's land policy appears to be tilt, only redeeming feaiaire in the present Governments administration and it is an, .open question whether lixat -was nojb Jcarried top far in too short a tjn^.,'.''-" ti ;.-, r , •::;■••-' :■ ':"': .■ '..;. .... ■-.- .: ' '' ; '.' t . '■^.^T^raSS, m OBKEBEAXr, -:.:;■•.;: aftpearanoea kt< Would seem that the retrenchment storm has set in, but how fierce- it wiU be is out of all j ;;<aitowmoß.j, jM^iauAts. , . Some thriae months ago some twenty men in. one department of Jbe Government geryiee were, .discharged, wbieb was toVhivre& %y : thirty compositors being from ihe Government Priating Office. Since tn en I hear of Mmc thirty being discharged from the Property Tax Department. This is only whqi one hears, of, but men are being discharged daily, not only from the Government .service, but from private establishments ; and there are a very large number on half-time. J do not think this retrenchment is Tolastairy on the J^art of employers, tut compulsory, as work of all descriptions is decreasing in volume. One decrease causes another, and whan it- ig going tbZsns- Everybody in Wellingto^^^lbpKng forward, to the ApprgAcning' session to give a certain ofFtapmk\ «f relief, but I am afraid

that the rise .caused by tke session will be foHowed by a greater fall after it than obtains at the present time. Street walkers are now pretty plentiful; or in other words, the rants <rf the uneaxplqyed are gradually being swelled to an extant not at all pleasant to .contemplate. I came .across a man the other day, who appeared to ha^e held at one time a very good position m society; hawking about periodicala i an occupation generally allotted tte the small boys of Wellington. 'This is not the only case; there ape many such, I do not think Wellington is so bad as Auckland or oth.«r filaces ; ibut it is bad enough ; and if retrenchment is carried to the lengths generally proposed, not only Wellington^ ibut4be "whole colony will go through a period of depreesioin, w?hich will only be equalled by that previous to the Otago goldfield discoveries, if it is not exceeded in severity. " ; ;