WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 May 1920, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

—— (Our Special Correspondent)

WHEAT SUPPLIES.'

CRITICAL SITUATION. . WELLINGON, May 26

Though Mr Massey has been assured by well-informed people that a substantially larger area of land in the South Island will be sown with wheat this year than was the case last year, lie still is a little uneasy over the supplies of cereal that have to carry the Dominion on till the end of February next, *' when the earliest of Die new crop will be available. Between 600,000 and 800,000 bushels of the last Australian purchase still have to ho delivered but with short supplies on hand in Melbourne and Sydney and a drought devastating many of the wheat growing districts, there is some dangei of the Commonwealth Government being unable to discharge its coutiact. Mr Massey is in communication with the Wheat Board in regard to the matter, and this morning is sanguine of the supplies absolutely necessary for New Zealand being forthcoming. WELLINGTON SLUMS.

Wellington is still trying to persuade itself it has no slums, but Mr Leigh Hunt,) who accompanied a photographer engaged on Monday in taking a series of "moving pictures, must have knocked tho last 1 prop from its self-complacency by bis account of what lie saw during the tour. “We went, into one street, lie told the Haitaitni Electors’ Association, “ and there chanced to be two or three children playing about. One was n little girl carrying a bahv. Ihe gin herself had sores all over her face and her eyes were running. The baby ivas an absolute hag of bones; starvation was written all over it. Next to. the crirl was a little hoy,, and he was an idiot. A still smaller child had only a singlet on and was covered with filth anti dirt.” And this in the .capital citv of the Dominion! HOVELS.

Nor was this all Mr Hunt, ylm is interesting himself in town planning schemes, had to report. He and h>companions, he went on to say, found absolute hovels, houses 10 feet wide by 16 feet long that had been standing for thirty or forty years, and in one of them a returned soidiei with bis wife and children was living and paving 14s a week rent. Such conditions were breeding disease and vice, and making rebels. People could not be expected to remain loyal mng ® such surroundings. Apart altogetbe from humanitarian considerations-and this of course, must take firs pac no one could doubt it would be good business and good patriotism to have these shocking fcnditions removed and and women and children fgm an , v+iinitv to become useful citizens 0W ° THE KAILWAY DISPUTE. ' \ report was current in. the cit yesterday to the effect that the negotiSonl between the of tbe Railway Departme^andth re P & TTtm and that the prospect of an -I^ag^the^clmd.as °T I H y view of the only ground foitins yegterday situation was parties were sitting separately, earn c {rom proposals andl coun «-F docs not tbeir own Point of vie t necessarily me officially :