WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 November 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

COST OF LIVING. THE PRIME MINISTER OPTIMISTIC (Our Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, Nov. 8 Mr Massey is not always optimistic in these difficult days. Once or twice lately he has struck delorous notes concerning the finances of the country and frequently has warned -.the public that expenditure must not go on mounting up as it has been doing in the recent past. In the House of Representatives on Friday, however, he expressed quite a cheerful view in regard to the cost of living—cheerful, that is, in comparison with the actual experience of many a sorely perplexed housewife. Tie thought that the cost of living had reached its maximum and that in the near future th.erc would be an appreciable decline. Potatoes were down and tea was down. The bottom had fallen out of the hides market and there was an over supply of wool. Consequently there must be a drop in the prices of boots and in the prices of clothes. GOLD COMFORT These statements were received in the House without any great outburst of enthusiasm. So few members pretend to know anything about high finance or obstruse questions of economics that the Prime Minister’s little excursion along these lines rarely provoke any discussion. Outside Parliament, however, there are scoffers who refuse to believe the decline in the price of potatoes and in the price of tea is going to be of any material advantage to people who really need relief. They say that even on Mr Massey’s own figures the saving to nJfamily of three or four will not be more than a shilling a week and will not* nearly counterbalance the increased cost of butter. Then, they say, there is sure to be dearer bread and dearer milk and no immediate reduction in the prices of either boots or clothes. PERILOUS POLITICS. The division in the House of Representatives on the Legislative Council’s amendment to the Marriage Bill is attracting more attention than has any other incident during the present session The question seems to have been decided on strictly party lines and people are refusing to believe that practically all the Reformers honestly felt one way and practically all the Liberal and Labour members honestly felt the other way. The alternative is the assumption that a very considerable proportion of tie members on both sides were swayed less by their concern for the marriage law than by their experience during the election campaign. It would appear from what was said in the House that the Protestant Political Association took a very active part in the campaign and, that in doing so revived in the politics of the country a very perilous element most people had supposed to be dead. TOTALISATGR FRACTIONS.

It is expected that Mr Massey’s proposal to “collar” the totalisator fractions for public purposes will lead to the racing clubs ■ paying out the exact amounts of the dividends and so avoiding the creation of any surplus. This, it is understood, was done by the Queensland racing clubs under similar circumstances and proved a satisfactory solution of the difficulty. Of course, strictly speaking, the money belongs to the investors, but so far they have been quite content that it should remain with the clubs to be applied to the purposes of the sport. No one obtains any peradvantage from the present arrangement because proprietary clubs are strictly prohibited by laiv in this country, hut if a new arrangement .is to be made it Avould seem only fair to give the investors a voice in the disposition of their money.