WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 April 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

1 (Our Special Correspondent)

ROUGH WEATHER. SCARCITY OF FUEL. WELLINGTON, April 9. No sooner were the Easter holidays over than Wellington, which had revelled, in a week of delightful, summerlike weather, was swept by a furious gale of wind and rain and plunged into all the discomforts of winter, including a prediction by the Government Meteorologist that snow is at hand. Shipping is utterly disorganised and all but absolutely necessary outsido • occupations suspended, while people compelled to come into town from the widely scattered suburbs are doing so with the utmost discomfort. Wellington, in short, is at its worst. The disagreeable visitation has brought to many a household in very disagreeable fashion ’he gravity of the coal shortage. The State Coal Depot and the private dealers have been kept busy during the ’ast forty-eight hours telling a shivering public they have no supplies and will have none till next week —at earliest. Tho former method of distribution seems to have utterly broken down. ELECTORAL REFORM. It is significant of the trend of public opinion in regard to the question of electoral reform that the Evening Post”, which three or four years ago was scoffing at proportional representation is now implying it is the only system offering safety for the Democracy. It declares that “first past toe post is better than the second ballot, or rather that the second ballot is worse than first past tbe post,” and urges Mr MacDonald, the leader of the Liberal Party, to come forward with a hold proposal that will give the country a lead. Mr MacDonald when seen on the subject this morning said he could not commit the Liberal Party to any particular system of electoral reform till he had' conferred with its members, on tho subject, but personally ho thought electoral reform should be one of the first questions dealt with by the Government and that the object of Parliament should bo to make itself

as nearly as possible a reflection of public opinion in the country. THE PRINCE’S SAFETY. A good deal of curiosity and some amusement, has been occasioned here by a statement made by the General Manager of Railways to the effect that it would be unsafe to bring the train by which the Prince of Wales will arrive in AVellington on to Hamilton Station and that his Royal Highness-will have to alight at Thorndon Station, a dingy edifice dumped down .in a part of tiie capital city of which its people are not particularly proud. The “Dominion’ referring "to the matter this morning suggests that an easy way to settle the controversy that is going on would he ' for the General Manager “to explain exactly what the hidden perils are that make communication between Thorndon and Lambton so precarious.” As : ' matter of fact hundreds of people trove between the two stations every day ol the week. The public is waiting for the Manager’s retort. 1 1 REVIVED ZEAL.

Another subject of more or less ; amused comment in the city is the publication this morning of new regu- j lotions designed for restricting the use • of the Post and Telegraph Office for . hotting purposes. Of course the use l or tho offices for these purposes is ; rn- . hibited by the Gaming Act, hut ol . late years the law has been more scan- ; dalised in its breach than honoured in its observance. In Wellington, at any rate, both the Post Office and the Telegraph Office have been as freely , user! for betting transactions as they have for business communications, and ■ apparently, no effort at all has been made to repair this state of affairs. ; Now, however, renewed threats have : been sprung upon the offenders; and if j the authorities prove themselves to be i in earnest they will do much for tiie j

correction of public morality. j TIJF HOUSING PROBLEM. i HOMELESS IMMIGRANTS. WELLINGTON, April 12 In reply to a letter addressed to him by Mr Peter Fraser, the member, for (Wellington Central, the Prime Minister states the Government intends to make every effort to increase the number of bouses in the Dominion to meet the requirements of the people. He points out that including 120 workers’ dwellings under construction by the housing branch of the Labour Department there are about 400 bouses being built in Wellington and suburbs at tho present time and that there are in all some 183 workers’ dwellings now in course of construction throughout the Dominion. This seems scarcely a complete answer to Mr Fraser’s complaint that “no provision is being made for tho proper and adequate housing of the thousands of working-class families who are coming out to tho country at the invitation of tho Government.” As a matter of fact every one of the houses now being erected in Wellington would be rushed by a would-be tenant or purchaser if it were available for occupation. STATE ASSISTANCE.

Mr Massey, however, is fully alive to the needs of the situation. The housing branch of the Labour Department is now negotiating for the erection of 122 additional workers’ dwellings in various parts of the Dominion, apd i.s arranging for a large supply of timber for future requirements from an area of Crown land in the North Island and for tho manufacture of joinery and the importation of building material not readily obtainable here. The comment of practical men upon this announcement is that freshly sawn timber and hastily manufactured joinery will not give the best results in the erection of houses, but tho Minister thinks tho experts employed by tho Department may ho trusted to see the material is in proper condition for use. Mr Massey also hopes that “new normal output lias been resumed at tho coal mines” a full supply of cement will be available for tho construction of concrete houses, hut people with empty coal bins are still a little sceptical about the normal output.

BUTTER. Dairy farmers have; beep looking for high prioes for their butter and other j milk products on the expiration of tho^

Imperial commandeer at the end of . June and the prices of stock and of land j have been considerably influenced by j their anticipations. But from an an- j nouncement made by the Prime Minister this morning it seems probable the j Imperial Government on the expiration j of the present arrangement again will! take control of butter entering the | United Kingdom. It is anxious to! open negotiations with New Zealand ' for the purchase of its exported butter, \ 'and, though it doubtless will be pre- ! pared to pay a considerable advance up- j on the present rate, it is scarcely likely to realise the dreams of some of the more sanguine producers. The Prime Minister will discuss tht matter later on with representatives of the dairy farmers and the factories, but at , the moment the prospect of having to accept something less than a free market is not finding much favour with the farmers.

POLITICAL PARTIES. ' Mr Massey, though still enjoined by : his medical adviser to “go slow,” has ' resumed his full share, and a little more, of administrative work. •He is ■ not taking any active personal part in the two by-elections, but the Reform Party machinery, which was laid aside to a great extent during the “truce,” ! is being restored. Mr MacDonald, the j Liberal leader, is in daily attendance i at his office in the Government Build- j ings, but so far ho has done nothing to j bring the members of lvis party to-! gether, and probably they will not meet ; till the opening of the session. Mean- J while organisation work is being held ! in suspense and will not be seriously undertaken till the members have had an opportunity to confer. The Labour Party is working quietly and with less aggressiveness than it has displayed on some former occasions, but its members are keeping very wide awake. Encouraged by the result of the general election in New South Wales they arc not unlikely to concentrate largely on electoral reform and in such an effort they would be able to claim support from quite a number of their opponents.