WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 December 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

CHRISTMAS RECORDS. SEASONAL KXTRAVAOANCK (Our Special Correspondent) Wkij.ixgton, Dec 28

.Wellington lias continued to liold high festival throughout the Christmas week with a light heart and an open purse. The shop-keepers confirm their early reports of record business, and the holiday resorts, tar and near, have been crowded as they never have been crowded before. Trams, taxi-cabs, motor services, every means of transit indeed, except the railways, have been taxed to their utmost capacity, and the hotels and boarding houses and hospitable homes have been full of visitors. .

It the partot the capital city is to satisfy the enemy, thfe Dominion has no regrets for the past, no concern for the present, and no- fears for the future, it has played it admirably and is continuing to play it. What will happen when the Reckoning comes to be taken no one can say, and at the moment ro one cares. As the dead past must bury its own dead, so the awakeningfuture, must bear its own burdens.

THE RAILWAYS. Though trains which in former years were crowded from end to end with holiday passengers have been running half empty during this Christmas season, the railway authorities refuse to be convinced they are pursuing a wasteful" and suicidal policy in discouragingtravelling. High prices, infrequent trains and vexatious regulations are driving people in hundreds from the railway to the road and in addition to the loss of revenue the State is suffering, tfie rapid road traffic is imposing an increased burden upon the local bodies in the way of repairs.

It is reported now that the beginning of all this sorry business was a determination on the part of a high official to show the Government how the public could be kept away from race meetings and at the same time schopled in the exercise of a wider frugality. The story is being passed around with circumstantial detail and really seems a little more probable than sonjg' others of the same kind that are being - circulated. It is certain ministerial control of the lines no longer exists. THE HE PENCE DEPARTMENT.

The escape of the German prisoners from Motuiln Island —now, happily, set off by their recapture — appears to have provided the last straw that was required to break the back ol public patience with the Defence Department. The critics of the Department, as a rule, are not very discriminating, but in this case they are much more ready to spare the Minister than to admit the possibility of any excuse for his military advisers. Sir James Allen by his zeal and thoroughness and personal sacrifices has won a good deal of tolerance and even admiration from his former political opponents in spite of his faults of manner aud bluntness of speech. But for the army of administrative officers, military and civil, connected with his Department, there is rarely anything better than hard and unappreciative words. Since the Motuihi Island escapade this attitude of mind has found more andpnore general expression.

POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE. Among people who respect the sanctity of the party truce there is to day no more disposition to talk sectional politics than there was a year ago ; but there is a strong feeling even among these people that something ought to be done quickly to satisfy the public of the efficiency of the Defence administration. The Commission set up to enquire into the question of expenditure will not begin its sittings for two or three weeks and at the very best cannot have its report ready within a couple of months.

In the meantime other questions than those associated with finance are exercising the minds of the public and giving the less generous of the partisans opportunities to promote tile very unrest and mistrust the party truce was intended to still. Perhaps the rumour that Sir James Allen is to go Plome to the meeting of the Imperial Cabinet and Mr Massey to hold his portfolio during his absence may have arisen out of some mention of the matter in Cabinet.