WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 September 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE VACANT SEAT,

THE GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE,

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, Sept. 8,

The Government has lost no time in announcing'its' candidate for the Bay of Plenty seat in the House of Representatives, vacated by the death qt the lion W. I). S. MacDonald. Air K. S. Williams, whom Mr AlacDonald defeated at the general election by a thousand odd votes again lias been selected to carry ike Reform banner, and probably in personal equipment no stronger candidate on that side of politics could bo found. Air Williams is a good sportsman, a good farmer and withal a good fellow. His lines have been cast in pleasant places and lie lias not made them less agreeable. But be has bad no occasion and perhaps no great inclination to make himself intimately acquainted with national politics. So far lie has been content, to take bis views from his party leader, as most young candidates for Parliament do, and to adapt them to circumstances as they arise. But h<j has had experience on local bodies and in this sphere is lacking neither in initiative nor administrative ability. THE OTHER SIDE. The members of tire Liberal Party in the House held a meeting last evening for the purpose qf discussing the question of. party leadership and presumably at this meeting the approaching byelection was mentioned ; but at the time of writing no official announcement iu regard to the candidate lias been made. Bay of Plenty is very largely a fanning constituency and the general opinion in party circles is that it was held by Air At acDoiiald on account of his personal popularity and not on account of his politics. Mr AlacDonald himself did not subscribe to this view, and discussing with some of his friends two or three months ago tlhe possibility of his ill-health compelling him to retire he expressed himself as satisfied that a really progressive man, a farmer for preference’, with, Radical 1 tendencies could hold the constituency for Liberalism. It was a mistake, he said, to suppose the farmers were a conservative section of the community. Their very occupation made them observant and enterprising. Now the test has. to be made there appears to be no OftC remaining in the ranks of the Liberal Party quite so confident about the matter.

PENSIONS. Afembers found an opportunity in the House yesterday afternoon to talk pensions in five minute spells, and notwithstanding this limitation of time "they managed to say a great many things concerning old age, widows’ and military pensions which ought to set Parliament and the country thinking. The amounts of most of these penfeions were fixed when the cost of living was some 50 per cent lower than it is to-day and sums just sufficient to keep body and soul together ten or fifteen ‘years ago are now falling far short of that inadequate service. Air George Alitchell made a special appeal for the military pensioners, whose needs perhaps were more obvious than those of other sufferers. The member for Wellington South had been in communication with Ministers on the subject before, urging a 75 per cent increase all round, but though lie obtained a promise from the Prime Atinister to make some concession this season he was not encouraged to hope it would nearly approach what he conceived to he the, men’s due.

BUTTER

Though the local retail price of butter from the beginning of next month is not yet officially fixed, it seems unlikely to he less than 2s £>d or 2s lOd a pound.. Of course if the Government decides to subsidise the producers from the Consolidated Fund, as it eventually did last season, the price may not rise higher than 2s fid a pound, but even this woiilil lie a tremendous jump from tlie Is 9d consumers are now paying. Mr Massey is setting .up a, committee of the House to advise him on the subsidising question, a. proceeding which would have provoked many a jibe in the “bad old days” when Mr Massey himself was among those constantly jeering at the Ministers of the day for screening themselves behind select comrnittees and royal commissions. But-the House does not indulge in criticism of that kind in these days, and there never was any real harm in the Government seeking the assistance of committees or commissions in solving knotty problems.