WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 October 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(Our Special Correspondent)

NATION A L EFFICIENCY

THE RECONSTRUCTED BOARD,

Wellington, Oct 3

The Prime Minister is satisfied tb# reconstructed National Efficiency Board will avoid friction and do good work for ihe country. This was his pronouncement to the House of Representatives on Monday night a few hours after the personnel of the Board had been gazetted. There is a feeling abroad, however, that Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward have taken seats on the Board with the purpose of curbing the embarrassing activities of the re-appointed members and that the introduction of the political element is not going to make either for ell'ecYiveii' ss or for harmony. Both the .Ministers, as Mr Massey himself admitted to the House, are too much occupied with other matters to take “a very prominent part in the business of the Board,” and yet they will retain the power of veto and be able to exercise it in a much more arbitrary way than they could under the old arrangement. That, at any rate; is the view expressed iiy many business men, who hold that the change means simply the substitution ofthe judgment of the Prime Minister and his colleague for the judgment of Parliament. COST OF LIVIN';, Representatives of the Press were not, admitted to the interview between the Prime Minister and a deputation from the Civil Servants anxious to obtain a reduction in the cost of living, but from the accounts that have leaked out it would seem that the proceedings were of more than ordinary interest. Mr Allport, the Secretary far Marine, who by reason of his years and his good record is in some measure a privileged member of the service, acting as spokesman for the ' deputation took the Government roundly to task for having “neglected to deal effectively with the situation,” and was proceeding to still more daring lengths when he was sharply pulled up by the Minister and told the Civil Servants would not be permitted to dictate a policy to the Government. From this on the atmosphere was distinctly sultry, the deputation making demands which Air Massey regarded as ridiculous and bordering on the impertinent The Minister was surprised and pained by the narrow view taken by Air Allport and would not believe it represented the general feeling of the Civil Service. GERMANS. The sinking of the Port Kembla has revived a number of old “ German” stories and set in circulation a number of new ones. The most startling—startling because it has a flavour of probability—is the statement. made by Air Payne in the House to the effect that there are some forty Germans more or less regularly employed about the Wellington wharves. Afv Massey made light of the story, declaring that every possible precaution was being taken to ensure the safety of shipping, but unfortunately for this cheery view counsel for ilie Crown in the Port Kembla enquiry is telling a very different tale, lie is emphasising the neglect of the most ordinary precautions by ship-owners. But whatever the truth about this particular matter may be, it is certain that both public and private employers, in the usual British way. are far too ready to forgive enemy subjects the accident of Hi Hr birth. Scores of Germans, strange as it may seem, are escaping detection by professing to he Swedes oi* Swiss or even Americans and no one in authority, except -in very special instances, appears to be asking questions.

THE ELECTORAL BOONDARIBS, .If an early general election were at all probable members of the House of Representatives would be takiug a much keener interest in the re-adjust-ment of the electoral boundaries than they are 3'et displaying. ’The members of the Boundaries Commission are now sitting in Wellington and the Prime A 1 mister expects that m a day or two they will complete their work. The census figures make it almost. ceHain that three seats will bo gained by the North Island from the South, but it is just possible the operation of the “ country quota” may reduce the transfer to two. In any case the changes in both Islands will bo very radical, deficiencies having to be 'made up in the South in such widely separated districts as Southland, Hurunui and tlie West Coast and large surpluses absorbed in the Auckland rural constituencies. Mr Massey gives 110 encouragement to tlie idea of increasing the number of members of the House as was done twenty years ago when tlie “ drift northward ” first deprived the South of its political supremacy.