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Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1920, Page 2

l • -• ■' - The fact that the Leader of the Opfiosit ion lias moved ■a. iio-contidoiiee motion in tne tofcnmiunt at tne earliest. opportunity, should assist to clear ttio in a ana ue some no ip to Hie uangcrous condition of political drift the country is submitting to. It is not to be expected of course Unit Mr McDonald’s 4 i motion "ill be carried—the logic of the 1 figures of the parties is against him. Yet, although certain of defeat it will not be an aimless mission, nor will be a. matter of lost time. With a new House, the debate on the Address-in- ; Reply would be, in any case, a long j drawn out affair, and members would be more inclined to talk round, the genera} (question rather than at it, ’ Now there is a text and definite objective; and members "ill require to stick to their subject if they expect to be beard. The motion as it reads attacks the personnel pf the. Ministry, fiut tlfij pt'opf pf the pudding }s Ml the eating, and judging by the pajbuhceii served up in tin* Speech there js pot a great deal of political .sustenance supplied by the present team in harness, Mr MacDonald may hope to catch a few djsgruijtled Reformers who are not ill tba Ministry—tile member for instance who had the j urgest, majority in New Zealand, and was, then offered the position of Reform Whip, flat Mr MacDonald cannot help to draw enough votes to his side, howpvpr strong a case he makes out. Rut his move politically is not an unwise one. . It will define the party strength gener- . njly, and will let the Premier see exactly where by* stands. The strength of the Reforin G,py t eyppi.CTt being revealed thereby Dm onus PH Mf -V. ! , is ' s . c . v • to produce a progressive political political policy will be more marked than ever. Mr Macdonald, as the Americans would say, has put it over on Mr Massey in the first stage of the game. The rep/ijf of tie* proceedings at the Eorough Council w<;u) ifig fast week showed that the members wprje ytiJl hybernatijig on the loan questions at issfie. For . a regrettable reason the Ft-'WP ff? thp waterworks was not available, apd apparently till this matter Is fully cleared up goupcdlpps w‘U remajn indifferent oft'.the general quesf/f fpwp improvements on any large or compryheipive scale. However, there was some satwfgefjpp to be drawn from the proceedings of the Council in the action to carry On the Hall Street drain to a point where !t .wjll fcv of some practical service to rejigvp },hp ha,ci> pprfion of the town of storm wafer, aqd jpe decjsio.f j.p get a report on the cost of repap's aifd painfr ing of the Town Hall. These works will run into a. few hundred pounds and M-ij notice although, the publican’s hiief'lSe fges hayv juft been paid in, the credit balance js only £2%. Tl.'f two urgent works iH(*ijtJo»Sfl wjjl require to be done out of overdraft if fliPy. are to be tackled at all, and *t has been shown already that the Council could raise the llionev cheaper by way of a small loan fifr general improvements Hum bv borrowing on overdraft. One of the councillors pointed ouf "bat the chipping of footpaths was costing, but perhaps some folks regard this class of work as “ permanent ” because it has to be attended to so often ! However, the Council declined to Ip,ba,te the subject, and till the members liv-ve .their minds relieved from anxiety about nhp .wa.ter supply nothing will ,be done. So Hie deferred report will have to be awaited with Us good a grace as possible.