WELLINGTON NOTES WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 October 1918, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE BY-ELECTION. i LAST WORDS. (Our Special Correspondent) WELLINGTON, Dec. 30. Mr. Hildreth, the nominee of the Liberal Party and the accepted candidate of the National Cabinet for the vacant Wellington Central seat in the House of Representatives, made. liis. first platform appearance on Friday 1 evening and on the whole acquitted t himself well. He spoke clearly and fluently and with a good understanding of most of the questions he discussed. Generally his speech was an endorser nient of the policy put forward by the Liberal Party af the last general election—proportional representation, reduction in cost of living, nationalisation of coal mines and shipping services. State Control ut the liquor traffic, revision of labour laws < and so forth —and the complaint of the Labour and Radical parties is that ho | has raised their flag for the purpose of getting into Parliament with the intention of serving under the leaders of the “Tory” com hi n a ti o n. A GENERAL ELECTION. The suggestion that Mr. Hildreth is i sailing under false colours is, of course, not justified. He has accepted the Liberal nomination —not eagerly, ns some of his opponents have stated, hut with very considerable reluctance—on the understanding that, he will observe the terms of the “party truce” till after the war. But this is not preventing him urging in most emphatic terms that a general election should be held at the earliest possible moment. Tn this lie is receiving support from members of the two older Parties as well as front members of the Labour Party, and from all one sees and hears it would, not -be at all surprising to find the Cabinet itself during the approaching season iacilitating the way towards a dissolution. It is being whispered about that neither Mr .Massey nor Sir Joseph A\ ard would he averse to such a development. THURSDAY’S DECISION. The general opinion here is that the contest on Thursday, for all practical purposes, will lie beween Mr. Hildreth the Government’s candidate, and Mr. P. Eraser, the Labour candidate. Mr. Mack will detach a good many votes from both the official candidates, hut probably in such equal numbers that his presence in the field will not materially affect their relative positions on the poll. Mr. Atmore, probably tlie most effective platform speaker of .all the candidates, will have no solid body of support behind him and cannot hope to do hotter than fill fourth place. The other two candidates, both, of course, inspired by. admirable intentions, need be taken into serious account. As between Mr. Hildreth and Mr. Frasei the deciding factor will It© the loyalty of the Reform electors to the party compact. With their support the-Li-beral nominee will bo safe.. THE TRAWMAY TROUBLE. The tramtvay trouble is still dragging on its tiresome'and rather ludicrous way. The long-suffering public, at first inclined to sympathise with the men, are now pronouncing a* plague on both parties and blaming the City Coun oil for not exorising a stronger hand in "bringing about a settlement. The men’s grievance is that their living wage, in the face of the high cost . of living, is dependent upon then working overtime. This, of course, is opposed to all the tenets of the modern labour creed and so far the men seen to stand tm fsirlv firm ground. But the ! 'go slow*' Qoliay, which waited twin?

! and nnicli business and social inconvenience. is rapidly exhausting the patience of the public, and if a settlement is not reached within the next few days there will be an insistent demand from litany quarters for intervention by the highest authorities. PROSPECTS OF CANDIDATES. (•‘Otago Daily Times” correspondent) WELLINGTON, Sept. 29. , It is quite clear now that the contest for Wellington Central will he a close one. It is also clear that there will only he three candidates in (be running— Messrs Fraser, Hildreth, and Mack. The Government might possibly have had a chance with Mr. Hildreth if they hod produced him earlier in the campaign. but lie did not make his first platform speech until last Friday ovenand in the meantime the interest .T i lie people has "gone to the other, candidates, especially to Mr. Mack. R.-iween now and election day the voters who are anxious that the Bolshevist party’s candidate shall not bo elected must make up their minds whether Mr Hildreth or Mr. Mack has the better chance of winning against the “Rod” nominee. Mr. Hildreth has no solid groups behind him. The liquor people must oppose Mr Mack, hut the vote is of very doubtful strength. Previously it lias always been considered that there is a big liquor vote which can ho “swung” by the trade, hut Wellington North showed that this vote was not alarming in that district. The hotels have, through their servants, a considerable vote, hut it is doubtful whether the people using the hotels are influenced at all by contact with them. The hotel servants’ vote in this fight is going to Mr. Fraser, and this is tlio whole strength of the “liquor” vote of which count need be taken. Some moderates may go for Mr Hildreth, hut probably the number of moderates who place the liquor issue above all others in politics is quite small. The Government is unpopular. The maiorilv of the electors in this district will wish to vote against the Government. and the man who .wants to show is disapproval of the Government has to choose between Messrs Mack and Fraser. 11l Wellington North the “Beds” got all the anti-Government vote..and claimed it all as support for Labour Socialism. In this fight the voters have a wider choice. If they do not wish to vote for the Government nominee, and they do wish to see the war go on, they can vote for Mr. Mack, who is an unsparing but intelligent critic of the Government, as well as a courageous fighter against the tyranny of. the Socialist clique.