WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 January 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

PARTY TROUBLES. DISSENSION IN WELLINGTON NORTH. ~ (Our Special Correspondent) Wellington, Jan IS. As the time draws nearer for the Hon A. L. Herdman’s retirement from the' representation of Wellington North in Parliament, the Prime Minister’s difficulty in finding an acceptable successor to his colleague is not lessening. There is no great body of. electors in the constituency inclined to dispute Mr Massey’s right to nominate the official candidate in the.terms of the party truce. That is generally conceded on all sides.

But a large number of electors, Reform, Liberal and Labour, are objecting to the Mayor Mr J. P. Luke, being foisted upon them in opposition to their repeatedly iterated wishes. The Reformers insist he,does not belong to their party, and the Liberals declare he deserted theirs, while the Labourites retain a lively recollection of his attitude during the strike of four years ago.. But at the moment Mr Massey seems determined to have his own way and uuless Mr Luke helps him out of his difficulty by retiring very embarnssing complications may arise. UNINTENDED lIELI’. The Labour Party has done its best to help the Prime Minister over this awkward stile by nominating Mr IT. E. Holland for the vacant seat. The Liberals, who, as far as can be ascertained, are not meddling in (he business at all, and certainly will not put forward a candidate of their own, would not be very eager to go to the poll to secure Mr Luke’s return if a sane Labour oandidate were in the field. But with the extreme leader •of the extreme Social Democrats contesting the seat a large majority of them will feel it their duty to support the lesser of the two evils.

Mr A. N. Poison’s appearance on the scene as an Independent Liberal is not being taken seriously and will not add to Mr Massey’s perplexities ; but if an Independent Reformer, acceptable to the member’s of his party should come forward, the Prime Minister would have to capitulate with what dignity he could. TH\E MILK MUDDLE. In the meantime the Mayor is being held responsible for the milk muddle and is having it. quoted against him as a reason why he should not he entrusted with the representation of a constituency in Parliament. As a matter of fact he had, rather less to do with.the abortive attempt to establisli a central distributing station than had several of his councillors, but in these times any stick is good enough to beat a temporarily unpopular politician. ; The Health Committe? of the City Council is sitting as these lines are being written, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and it is understood it will adopt a report which at least will justify the Mayor’s action in shutting up the station after one day’s trial. This has not saved the city from a grave deterioration in the quality of its milk, but it has given it'hope of ultimately returning to the mediocrity it had endured tor years. THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. * The publication of a telegram from Wellington in one of the smaller southern newspapers a week or two ago implying that Sir James Allen had been “suspended” by his colleagues, has given rise to a good deal of loose .talk in regard to the relations between the various members of the Cabinet. That Ministers are not altogether a happy family gots without saying, their varying temperaments as much as their conflict-, ing politics making that impossible, but there have been no personal quarrels among them and no differences that could not he settled or tolerated in a friendly way.

I Sir James Allen holds certain views upon defence administration from which his colleagues differ quite independently of colour, and if a break ever comes it will come here, but at present there is little indication of the predictions of the gossips being realised. The National Uovernment owes its stability to the war that created it, and it will endure just as long as the war endures. When peace comes the politicians will be at one another’s throats again.