WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 December 1919, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(Our Special Correspondent). THE P.P.A. 1 EMBARRASSING' FRIENDS. WELLINGTON, Dec. 12. The Rev Howard Elliott and his friends—the P.P.A., as they and their organisation are popularly known—are s proving a little embarrassing to some , of the candidates for parliamentary » honours on whom they wish to place , their imprimatur. Not that the aver- • ,age candidate has any objection to a large sectional vote being cast in his (favour. On the contrary he is glad to > obtain any assistance he can in these 1 strenuous election times. But there is a feeling abroad that public endorsement by the P.P.A. will mean rejection by an equally large body of voters and that the good intentions of Mr Elliott and his friends will mean disaster in another direction. Public opinion is strongly against the introduction of religious differences into the political contest and the present attempt to stir up strife seems likely to have little effect on the polling. THE LICENSING ISSUE. The licensing issue is attracting much less attention in this part of the Do- J minion than it did at the referendum in April last. The contest, such as it 1 is, still lies between Continuance and Prohibition, the introduction of State ’ Control, without preferential voting, 1 being regarded merely as a concession to the. Trade by which a few hundred, or perhaps a few thousand votes, will he diverted from Prohibition. The Alliance leaders profess to be confident of ; success, counting upon a large turn- J over of soldiers’ votes, but an unbiased | examination of the position fails to find i any good grounds for their optimism. I Both parties again are expending large • sums of money and considerable energy j upon the campaign, hut the electors are not responding as they did eight months ago and are showing no general disposition to reverse their decision. THE MAIN QUESTION. The morning papers here are merrily proclaiming, each according to its own wishes, that the general election is as good as' over. The perplexed voter turns from one party organ which insists that Mr Massey is more popular in the constituencies than ever to learn from the other that Sir Joseph Ward is simply carrying everything before him. The reports of their special correspond dents in the various centres support with much laudation and with' scarcely less denunciation their respective views of the situation. In these circumstances it is a little difficult for the impartial looker-on, even after making •every-allowance for party enthusiasm, to form a very confident estimate of what is going on in the country, but the general opinion is that the margin between the main parties will he extremely close. LABOUR AND INDEPENDENTS.

Though attempts are being made by

both Reformers and Liberals to prove “the other fellow” is coquetting with the, Red Feds, it is plain neither Mr Massey nor Sir Joseph Ward can accept any sort of assistance from Mr Holland and his friends in the event of these gentlemen, or any of them, getting back to the House. It appears highly probable, however, that Mr Holland and his pledged supporters will bo among the “missing” on Wednesday night, and in that case a good working understanding between the surviving members of the Labour Party and the

Liberals might be reached without any sacrifice of vital principles on either

side. As for the Independents, there can be little doubt that in due course they will be found side by side with their former colleagues.