WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 November 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE

ALLEGE D EXT RAY AG ANCE,

(Our Special Correspondent)

Whlungton. Nov 26 Perhaps it is only one of the canards that find circulation in Wellington during- every recess, but there is persistent talk in'the city of plain speaking in the Cabinet concerning ; waste and extravagance in the exj penditure of the Defence Department. It is admitted that the lack of system and lack of supervision, • which ran up the cost of the camp at I Trentham during the early stages of the war to half as much again as it should have been, have been repaired. Good food is no longer thrown to the pigs, and clothing, is not issued and j destroyed without regard to the tax* ' payers’ interests. j But a more insidious evil has ' arisen. It is alleged that the numer- ■' ons branches of the Department are being stuffed with favoured indi- , viduals at salaries far above their ' value in the open market to do work | which is either wholly superfluous or not worth half the expenditure it entails. Scores of instances of this sort of thing are quoted with more or less authority and it is stated that some of these have been investigated with anything but reassuring results. It is known that representations have been made to the Government on 'lie subject, and it is understood that a searching review of the situation is now being made by the Minister himself.

SOI/DIERS’ SETTLEMENT. Soldi&rs’ Settlement is another matter that is not running quite so smoothly as the soldiers themselves and the country hoped it would after the fair promises made by the Government again and again since the commencement of the war. The Prime Minister himself admitted as much as this when addressing a deputation representing returned soldiers at Auckland the other day. Men who have been back from the front for more than a year are still looking for land and some cf them are naturally growing a little impatient. One of them after many disappointments was allotted a block of seventy acres in the Mowaliaki Block near Feilding, but. soon found himself as far away from his heart’s desire as ever.

“ I went up to take possession,” he states,” “ accompanied by my cousin, who was born on a farm, and after looking over the block and the price (£46 1/ an acre), with fifty chains of boundary fencing to do, no buildings of any sort and very little water, though it could be obtained by sinking, my cousin" recommended mo to have nothing to do with the land, as it would cost £6O an acre and he wonld not give £2O an acre for it.” This has been the experience of many other home seekers who are now being buoyed up by further promises from the Government. PRICES AXD PROSPERITY.'

In an article appearing in the “ Evening Post ” of Saturday the writer makes a gallant parochial effort to excuse or at any rate to palliate the high cost of living in Wellington. “ Without commenting upon the figures,” he says, after commenting upon them in an abiguous fashion to the length of a column and a half, “ it may' be observed that high prices are generally regarded as an indication of prosperity', and no one wonld suggest that Wellington at the present time is not prosperous.” Judged by this standard certainly' no one wonld. Bread has advanced 2d per two pound loaf in Wellington, a wording to this authority', as against Icl in Auckland, lid in Dunedin and no •advance in Canterbury; tlonr lias advanced 3d per 251 b bag more than in any other city', sugar Jld per 561 b bag more and potatoes to a greater extent than in Auckland or Christchurch, though, slightly' less than in Dunedin.

The only comfort offered to the Wellington housewife is that she does not pay so ranch for her groceries as she would in “some smaller towns.” The smaller towns that are indicated to save Wellington’s face are Rotorna, Dannevirke, Alexandra and Napier. In Taihape, Blenheim, Palmerston North, Grey mouth, Hamilton, Invercai’gill, Oamaru, Wanganui, Timaru, New Plymouth and a dozen other representative towns she wonld fare substantially better. In New Plymouth groceries are some 10 or 12 per cent cheaper than they are in the capital city. THE SECOND DIVISION.

The second ballot of Second Division men in Class A is being drawn to-day, but probably the results will not be published before the middle of next week. This draft is to be mobilised early in April and in the meantime the reservists remaining in the class, some 5,000, will be called up en bloc as was the case with the residue of the First Division. The Director of Recruiting has received appeals from about 25 per cent of the 5,000 men drawn in the first Second Division ballot, a rather smaller proportion than was expected, and the medical examinations are proceeding satisfactorily. The Second Division League is not ceasing its activities on account of the married Reservists or of the soldiers generally and it is largely due to its efforts that the National Efficiency Board is taking an active interest on more extended lines in the welfare of the men. The League was somewhat severely criticised in various quarters over its insistence upon better provision'being made for dependents, but apart from such success as it achieved in that direction it may now congratulate itself upon having awakened the Government to a fuller sense of its obligations to the men, married and unmarried, who are going forth to fight the Empire’s battles.