WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 March 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

(Our Special Correspondent.)

Moving Pictures.

Protest From Methodist

Conference

Wellington, March 5

The Methodist Conference, which continues to be as i tensely practical as the traditions of its church demand, pays a distinctly backhanded compliment to the authorities responsible for the supervis.on of piotuie shows. While congratulating tbe Government npoi tbe appointment of a censor it expresses regret, that *■ photoplay* con tr icing suggestive and valgar scenes continue to be screened at many of our picture theatres, to the moral de riment of the community,” and suggests that the censorship should b 9 extended so that tbe announcements preceding tbe screening of the films and the newspaper and poster advertisements of pictures and other plays might come within its scope. There certainly is need for some closer surveillance in this direction. Tbe casual visitor to the pioture shows has noticed little improvement Id ifce quality of the films siuce the io-stitaiioo of the ccmor.ibip and none in the general tone of the plays presorted. Probably the fault lies with the instructions gi7en to the censor rather ihao with his own conception of what is rigbit and proper.

THE CO T OV LIVING The members of the Board of Trade have returned to Wellington from their trip to Gisborne and Auckland to find calls for their presence in several other parts of the Dominion. The eost of living, in spite of all the efforts of the Acting-Minister of Industries and Commerce, continues to mount np and in centres not so prosperous as Wellington is the pinch of high prices is being felt very acutely by some of the workers. It seems that the higher price fixed for wheat, added to au increase in the wages of carters and in the cost of fuel, has released the bakers from their promise to keep down the price of bread and that noeompnlsion ean be fairly applied to them. The Board of Trade, by making arrangements with the looal freezing factory was able to adjast tbe prioe of meat in Gisborne, but where the butchers have to obtain their supplies in the open market no arrangement of the kind appears to be possible. Briefly it looks at tbe moment as if nothing short of tbe nationalisation of|the retail trades coaid materially help the consumer. WAR AND RAILWAYS. The statements made by certain railway officials before the Military Service Board the ’other day have given numbers of people the impression that the Minister of Railways and the Generai Manager are not working in perfect harmony in the administration of their department. There is, however, no ground for this idea.

Mr Herriß3 has wished to postpone the reduction of tram servieea till the end of the financial year and in this respect the (General Manager has readily deferred to his view; bat they both reoognise that if the stafE is to be further weakened by the conscription of experts and others the public will have to put up with fewer travelling facilities.

The principal trains on the main lines will be maintained and practically all the goods trains, bnt smaller services which have grown np under pressure of one kind and another will be cat oat or materially reduced and it is hoped that by this means a considerable number of men may be spared for the front or for other war work.