WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 November 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

CITY ENDOWMENTS. PERSISTENT FREEHOLDERS. (Our Special Correspondent).

WELLINGTON, Nov. 26.

At last night's meeting of the pity Council, the Legislation, Leasehold, arid Libraries Committee brought down a recommendation that a local Bill should be promoted for the disposal of the freehold of the city’s Mahgahne endowment. This matter was befoie 1 ai--1 lament during the concluding hours of the recent session, when the Minister of Lands included in the “Washipg-up, Bill a clause which would have enabled the douricil to convert the endowment into cash, but the opposition raised by the leaseholders in the House prevented its passage and the Minister suggested to the Council it would seek its ends by way of a local Bilj. The recommendation submitted to the Council last night was the first step in this procedure, the Committee having jost no time jn giving effect to the Minister’s advice, and apparently a majority of the councillors are favourable to the sale.

“TELE FREEHOLD RAip.” The advocates of the sale argued that the Bill would enable the Council to exchange a profitless rural endowment for one within the city which would at once yield an increased'revenue of from £SOO to £BOO a year. The most vigoiv ous opposition to the proposal came from the Labour representatives in the Council, who regarded it as part and parcel of “the iniquitous freehold raid” but the Mayor, Mr J. P. Luke, and Councillor Wright, both members of the House, raised objections to the scheme.’' The Mayor suggested the eagerness of the Council’s tenants to secure the freehold rested on something more substantial than mere sentiment and Mr Wright roundly declared the Council was not asking a proper price for the land. But the freeholders were not to be turned from their purpose and the recommendation of the Committee was adopted by ten votes to six.

NO SLUMP. Addressing the Chambers of Commerce Conference yesterday, Mr R. Dalton, the British Trade Commissioner, expressed a strong belief that there was no foundation for the reports of a slump of prices in the United Kingdom. He had made all possible enquiries on the subject and from the information he had received was satisfied the general tendency of prices at Home was to increase rather than'to decrease. Mr Dalton’s obvious purpose was to allay the anxiety of the mercantile community. This country had be§n importing very large quantities of goods during the past nine months, he said, and anything in the, way of a slump woujd be a very grave matter to both importers and exporters. This morning the street-corner talk is about the hard lot of the consumers, who, not unnaturally, have been regarding the reports of falling prices with some measure of satisfaction. BARMAIDS. Among the belated answers to questions put to Ministers during the session published this morning is one informing Mr L. M. Isitt that legislation will be required to give effect to the ten-year-oltj determination of Parliament to do away, with barmaids. The member for Chrjsjichurch North was exercised in his mind because the legislation of 1910 which that no more women should be allowed to enter the profession of bar-tending, had not appreciably reduced the number of barmaids nor palpably, increased their apparent age or lessened the personal charms of those remaining in practice. The only explanation he could suggest was that the licenses issued in 1910 had been transferred from one Hebe to another and that in this way the number and youth of the members of the profession had been maintained. The Minister, 'practically, admits the impeachment.