WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1919, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT.

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, February 14

Complaints are reaching the Minister of Public Works from all parts of the North Island of the delay in getting mi with 'the hydro-electric power * rhemes that have been authorised by Parliament. The great success which lias attended the development of the Lake Coleridge scheme in the South Island lias immensely strengthened tlie case for a vigorous prosecution of similar undertakings in other parts of the Dominion, and the people of the Mannwatu district, with the assistance of their politcians- and local bodies are pressing with commendable vigour of the Mangahao scheme which would serve an enormous area- of closely settled country and a number of thriving boroughs and town districts. Sir William Fraser’s oft-repeated reply to .the representations is that the scarcity of labour prevents him pushing the work along as they wish and that ho sees little prospect of an improvement in this respect for some time yet.

LABOUR RETORT. There can be no doubt that the late shearing and the late harvest have militated against the efforts of the Public Works Department to obtain suitable workers for the various enterprises it has in hand. That- much is admitted -by the Minister’s critics. But the Labour authorities, official and Unofficial declare that the efforts of the Department to keep down wages during the course of the war are at the bottom of the whole trouble. Until quite lately the Minister prescribed a maximum wage for local bodies as well as for State departments with the result that the very men he wanted were driven into more remunerative private employment. The restriction is now removed, but the men have no guarantee it will not be re-imposed and so far there is not. sufficient .workers returning from tho front to materially ease the position. THE LICENSING POLL.

Though the licensing poll, which may affect la veritable revolution in the social habits of the people of the Dominion, is now only some two months away, the questions of “continuance” and “prohibition,’’ except for the placards one sees in public places, appear to be (engaging less attention than they were this time last year. The leaders of the campaign on both sides, however profess to -l*e satisfied with the progress they are making. The Prohibitionists admit, they have lost some casual support by the conclusion of the war, but they do not expect the defections to bo nearly so numerous as their opponent’s hope. The Moderates are almirably organised everywhere and are not- lacking in voluntary helpers, but their fear is that many of their sympathisers, particularly in the country districts will not trouble to record their votes in the absence of a general election. On that point the result of the trial of strength between tlie contending parties probably will turn. THE POLITICAL POSITIONStories concerning flic political position continue to grow in circumstance and daring if not in verisimilitude. The latest names the provisional leader of the new party anil tlie members of the New Coalition Minstrv. An ultimatum, so it is said, is to he presented to Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward jointly and severally, on their return from London demanding release from existing party ties and an early dissolution of ’Parliament. If the party leaders should offer an objection to this modest request—which seems improbable—tlie revolutionaries will take the problem into their own hands and solve it as may seem to them good—“quick and lively” as one of them puts it colloquially. Tlie truth behiiid all this probably is that certain numbers of members on both sides of politics are anxious to have their tongues freed in order that theymay commence their election campaigning, according to long precedent from the floor of the House.