WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(Our Special Correspondent) LAND F 0 SF.TTF,EAI ENT. SOLDTKRS’ FAD MS. WELLINGTON February 4. Tbc statement made bv Mr Alassey ou .Saturday iu reply\ to t-lie criticism Unit lias been levelled against the Government's land settlement policy .particularly in its application to the needs of returned soldiers, was merely a -recapitulation oi the information lie has supplied to the Press from time to time. Roughlv 14,000 or 1-1,000 men had come hack from the front up to the end bf tlio year and of these o>oo had been settled on the land and were in occupation of their sections. This does not represent a very '.large proportion of. the men, hut it must he remembered that the great majority of the discharged soldiers are not yet ready to undertake strenuous occupations. The Minister, however, is looking ahead to the time when thousands of hale young felloes, imbued- with a desire for open life, will he returning and is keeping the Land Purchase Board busy looking out for sections suited to their requirements.

| CIVILIAN SETTLEMENT.' The complaint that the Govern mem. in its anxiety to provide for the return, ed soldiers is retarding the ordinary settlement by locking up great- blocks of land against men who have not been to the war, would not obtain a grdat deal of sympathy even if it were well founded. But as a matter of fact there still are considerable areas of land in the North Island available for civilian settlement and Targe areas in both islands waiting sub-division, after the war. Air Alassey and his col-f leagues realise that the great need of tiie Dominion in the years to come will | be increased production and that this can be obtained only by inducing more I and more people to settle on the land under the very best possible condition*. Sir Joseph AVard, the ATinister of Finance and the Hon. AY. D. S. All-Donald the Alinister of Agriculture, have been emphasising ‘these truths wherever they liave travelled and pledging the Government to' do its utmost towards the desired end. y MOKE BEER.

The. announcement that the beer duty collected in the Dominion during last month was substantially larger than the amount collected during January 191?, the figures being £2.4,861 and £17,523 respectively, has come as a surprise to people unacquainted with recent rlmnges i|i the bar trade. They had expected that six o'clock, closing there would be a diminution in the consumption of liquor of all sorts . But just before the initiation Of this war experiment there had been a rise oi’ 50 par cent in. the retail' price of spirits and a consequent decline in the demand for the more ardent beverages. Hotel frequenters who have been accustomed to drinking whisky -took to ordering beer with the inevitable result that while the consumption of one, across the bar, went down, the consumption of the other went up. TEAIIAKRANCE -BEFORM.

Tlie figures showing the duty collected on spirits during the respective periods are not available at the time of

writing, but- presumably they will show a considerable decline in the consumption. If they do not, they will suggest, grave doubts in the minds of unbiased people as to the efficiency of six lo’cl'oekj closing. There (certainly has been less drunkenness in the streets of AVellington since the institution of' tlie experiment than there was before; hut if promiscuous whisky drinking in the bars has been simply exchanged for deliberate drinking in the homes the Prohibitionists will not be persuaded there is any remedy for the evils of the traffic short of their own panacea. ' As it i,s, many of the more moderate among them admit the police reports arc not helping them in their campaign.

THE WAR CABINET. MEETING OF PARLIAMENT. WELLINGTON February G. Of course the official announcement ol' the. impending departure of Air Mas’sey and Sir Joseph Ward for London to attend the Electing of the Imperial War Cabinet lias been anticipated in every material detail weeks liefore it appeared in the newspapers yesterday morning All that remained in doubt was the date on which the Ministers would leave the Dominion, and the date on which Parliament. would be. summoned to make the necessary arrangements for carrying on the business of the country during their absence. These dates are now indicated clearly enough for all practical purposes. Parliament will meet on the second week in April and the party leaders will be on their way home before the end of the month. What they will have to do when they get there is not 'so easily deduced and probably the Prime Minister and bis colleagues have, little more information on this point than lias the average man in the street.

THE SHORT SESSION

Apparently Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward are counting upon getting through the short session which must precede their departure in ten or twelve days at the most. Probably their twpectation will he justified"by the event.

'But it is unlikely members of the House will Be quite so docile and compliant as they were under similar circumstances a year., ago. Their constituents have grown more restless and critical and a general election seems nearer at hand. They will want to get into ‘'Han sard” and into .the newspapers with reassertions of their., patriotism and independence and the rest of their popular virtues. In the end, however, AJ.inisters arc bound to have their own way The pretty fiction which assigns to Parliament, the control of its own proceedings, down to the duration of a scission is only a pretty fiction after nM. The cold truth is that. the Government. of the day, by virtue of its majority, holds all such matters in the hollow of its hand.

WELLINGTON NORTH. The final retirement ot* *Sir .'John Denniston from the Supremo Court Bench and the resignation of the Hon. -A. L. Herdman from the AVellington North seat in~ Parliament was followed quickly by the announcement concerning s the representation of the Dominion in the Imperial Wo r Cabinet. Everybody knows the connection between the three events and everybody will joint in the congratulations that arc being offered Sir John and his successors—to the one on the completion of long years of faithful service to the State and to the others on the opportunity to estahhsii a similar record. It would seem there is not to be the same unanimity in regard to the election of Air A L. Herdman’s successor. The Mayor, Air .T. P. Luke, is the National Government’s nominee for the seat, but at present them are three other Richmonds in the field all bent noon trying conclusions with His AAA)rship.

A DIVIDED PARTY. At the moment the way looks none to' easy for either Air Luke, or Air Alassey. The selection of a candidate rested with Prime Alinister under the provision of the party truce and he offered the nomination to Air 'Luke mainly, as he iiovv says, in recognition of his war work in liis official capacity as Mayor. But a number of Reformers in AVellington North positively refuse to accept. AllLiike/'as their candidate, alleging lie is unstable in his adherence to their party t.hat he has little knowledge of general polities aiuLihat he has narrow views on the licensing, question. ]'t is safe to say the last objection is not the least in the eyes of many of the dissatisfied electors. The Mayor is a Prohibitionist * and a Six O’Clocker and during his occupancy of the Alayoral chair he has made little effort to disguise the faith that is witlvm him. GRAVE. POSSIBILITL IBS,.

If the disgruntled Reformers should 'persist iu their refusal to he reconciled to All- Luke’s candidature and bring ouOmotlier aspirant for parliamentary honours of their own colour the con-, sequences might be very grave indeed. The constitutency at the last general election was distinctly a Reform one, hut notwithstanding this fact Air Herdman did not have a Very large margin of votes over the total of liberal and labour Candidates that opposed him If the Reform votes were divided between two candidates in the approaching contest and the Liberal and Labour voles concentrated on one Candidate, the National Government’s nominee certainly would he defeated iffid most probably the Reform majority in the House would disappear. Air Alassey lias been understood to say that in the event of this happening he would ask for a dissolution. AVhat then would become of the party truce and of the political ufiity by which the Dominion is assisting in winning the war?