WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 June 1917, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

Soldier SettlementThe Government’s Policy. (Our Special Correspondent.) Wellington, May 28 The statement made by the acting Prime Minister atDnnedin iu reg.-.rd to the settlement of returned soldiers in civil life has been read with much interest here aod bus been free 1/ discussed both by tho man themselves and by their friends and well wishers. It is generally admitted that the Government ia doing a 1 that it r asouably pan wi h the legislation, settling of returned soldiers being specially commendsd : but it is beiDg urged that Parliament should provide farther fr-cilitiss for dealing with the problem by mating definite arr ngemenfs for men wbo wish to take up other occupations than farmiog and by giving them statutory preference in State employment. Sir James Allen has indicated bis own personal wish to do something in this direction and it is expected a sobtms will be submitted to the House early in the session. RACING IN WAR-TIME The invitation of the Minister of Internal Affairi to the racing and trotting aathoriti-s to snbm t to the Government alternative proposals for a reduction of parmits by one-third and ODB-balf would seem to indicate that Ministers have not made up their owo minds on tbß subject very firmly. Though the Cabinet has resolved *hat a substantial curtailment of facing is necessary ia the interests of the country it has not yet given the public any definite lead oa the subject even to the length of showing how tho interests of the coantry are going to be served. Since the agitation for a redaction began the position has besn considerably changed by the institution of compulsory service and the abolition of race treim. bat no doubt the racing authoiities will cheerfully ao-operate with the Government in doing whatever onght to be done. THE second divisk-h. • I is now .exp2ct3d that tha first ballot for the Second D:visioo will be taken in September nr October and though the mrt may not he required to go into camp before December or January the near approach, of this second stage of or-mpulaory service is giving emphasis to a xiumbtr of matters which a month or two ago were occasioning comparatively little public concern. Among other things there ia an insistent demand that, members of the First Division wbo so far have managed to evr.de their obligations shall be brought to book before married men with serious responsibilities are called upon. How many men drawn in the ballots are still unaccounted for it is impossible to learn from the •ffioial figures, but obviously the number is not an insignificant one and n common fairness there must be a vigorous “round-up” before tho leakage is accepted as inevitable. THE SESSION From what bas transpired during the last day or two it is tolerably safe to predict that Mr Maasey and Sir Joseph Ward will bo bore ia ample time for the opening of Parliament at the end of noxt mouth. Ministers appear to have abandoned the idea of confining the work of the session purely to war business and have themselves indicated a number of matters of purely domestic interest that will be submitted to members. The popular opinion is that the session will run to about the usual length, and that the Government, while confining its attention mainly to war measures, including taxation, of course, will not discourage the discussion of other matters within reasonable limits. Probably it will see the wisdom of allowing the private member a littie latitude in view of all the restraints be has bad to bear dariQg the life of the present Parliament. The Minister of Agriculture. Impressions of Australia(Our special Correspondent,) Wellington, May 30 The Hon W. D. S. MacDonald, who has been so long identified with the public life of this country that New Zsalanders are apt to forget be is an Australian bred and born, has returned from hi? flying visit to tfae Commonwealth with many pleasant impressions of the people of his native land.

He strongly resents the popular ueBumpiinn that they are less loyal to the Empire and less patriotic in its service than are the other people of the British race. They have been judged, he says, by an nnfortnnate manifettatioh of political wilfulcess which was only a pasting phase of the volatile Australian temperament, Of course, there are restless, irresponsible spirits on the other side of the Taeuran Sea just as there are on this side, who talk a lot of mischievous noßßenpr, but the heart of the great mass of the people and their ideals and aspirations are ranch the 6ame as those of the people of New Zealand.

THE POUTJCAIi SITUATION. Australia was just emerging from the tfcr fa of a federal election when Mr MacDonald arrived in Sydney. Thorph the sncceea of the Nationalis?s v. as as;ured, party feeling was still running high and many of the

asperities of the contest wfre remaining. But moving about the c matey and conversing wuh zneoioere of both parties be found a very general drsire to get about the bus n c 3i of the country without any further distractions. The problems facing the politicians in the Common we Uch are very similar to those facing the politicians in the Dominion. Hage sums of money have to be raised for war purpisas, increased taxation has to he adjusted *o sensitive shoulders, the oost of living has to be regulated as far- as possible, and the conflicting claims of capital and labour have to be reconciled. In these respects New Zealand ha 3 not a great deal to learn from its neighbor, but it must not bs imagined that it is far ahead either in effort or in achievement or that it always has tho best of the friendly rivalry bat ween the two countries. '

THE WHEAT DEAL For reasons which are more or leas obvious Mr MacDonald cannot at present diseußs in detail the progress of his negotiations with the Commonwealth Government which led up to the purchase cf a million bushels of wheat on behalf of Now Zealand. The Minister had recognised for sometime that it might be necessary to supplement the local supply of grain by drawing upon Australia, bur tha po tiou was complicated hv tiu> fact that the Imperial authortiies were looking ia tha same direction for their supplies.

The difficulty of meviug last seasou’s crop, on account of the shortage of shipping, relieved the tension to soma extent and made it poisibl) for tha New Zaaland Government to enter tha market as a buyer witboat prejudicing the operations of tha Mother Country. Toe price was rather highar than Mr Mao Donald expected to have to pay when he left New Zealand, but it w< a lower thau • valaes in London and America would have justified at the time.

AUSTRALIAN STOCKS. Mr MacDonald saw millions of bushels of wheat in store and in stock in Australia, muoh of it lying in the open waiting mean? of transit, and ha did not like to think how much of it would be lost through vermin an ! deterioration. Ou these points he had protected the interests of the Dominion by the usual conditiona in regard to sampling and examination.

Qualified graders, who already had been engaged, would inspect the wheat at the port of shipment and they had instructions to examine every sack and reject auy that bore the slightest Bign of the presence of vermin or pest of any kind. The samples the Minister bas brought back with him are of good average milling wheat, nor quite bo plump a 3 the beat Na.v Zealand, but rather thinner skinned and ‘perfectly sound. Should the balk be as g:od, there wi 1 be no ground for complaint cm the eoo.'e of quality.