WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 December 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

“APATHY AND SHIRK.” A CANDID FRIEND. (Our Special Correspondent). S WELLINGTON, Nov 29. j Taking as its text the address deliver- j ed by Mr C. Skerrett, the President of the Welfare League, to the Chambers of Commerce Conference, the “Post” makes one of its periodic protests ! against against the “apathy and shirk” • of tlio community ill general and bf the ' pol it loans In particular. Ml- Skerrett had emphasised the widespread nature of the “paradoxical predominance” of the “pushful alld energetic minority” over* the “supine majority,” and the local evening journal scores the point that It is not only a non-extremist Labour party that allows • itself to rest under the imputation of accepting extremist leadership, bid that Parliament itself submits meekly to the absolute will of a one-man Government. “Though Parliament continues to shamefully Ue_ gleet obvious duties, it says, “the busifiess manjahd executive persons of the community continue to be immersed in their private affairs and makes no attempt to come to the rescue,” All this is very true and its expression very opportune, hut the “Post” suggests no re. inedjy for What it regards as a deplorable State of affairs. misleading figures.

A few months ago all the three local papers were advocating proportional representation as the only means of obtaining a Parliament really representative of the sense and views of the various parties of the State, but &ihce then they have maintained art ominous silence on the subject, and it, perhaps, would not be unfair to assume they havo taken alarm at the prospect of representation giving Labour a largo accession of strength in Parliament. At the last general election the Official figures presented the Labour vote as being much larger than it really Was. It included a large number of Reform votes and a smaller num. her of Liberal votes which were cast for the Labour candidates when no candidate of tile electors’ owrt particular colour Was iri the field. This was a matter Of tactics, Which may or may not have been admirable, hut which certainly gave the Labour vote a much more impressive appearaheo in the returns than it otherwise would (have boriie. HANDICAPPED MINORITIES. But the Labour leaders themselves are not oblivious to the facts of the last general election. They do not. imagine that either the Reformers or the Literals helped them out of sheer good will or that eight seats in a House of seven-ty-six European members give them any thing like their fair share of representation. At the same time they realise that with their votes still constituting fewer than one-fourth of the total number polled their sole-hope of obtaining their full sharo of representation lies in proportional representation. Single electorates always hstve operated against Reformers in Mr Seddonls time, and against the Liberals and Labourites at last general election, and the recognition of this fact by the two parties constituting the present Opposition probably will bring them to some working understanding In the near future. DRAWING TOGETHER.

.-The idea was mooted during the recent session, but the members of the attenuated Liberal Party were by no means unanimous in the patter, one section taking the view that any sort 0 f alliance with the extremist was out of the question, and another maintaining that overtures towards this eild should come from the Labour benches. The members of the official Labour Party, on their part-, preferred to play a game of bluff in which the strong card was their reiterated declaration that they Were the only progressives in the House and that in the near future every sincere Liberal should range himself under their bartner; Since the prorogation, however, both Liberals nrtd Labourites have come to realise that tinless they can reach some understanding, Mr Massey and his colleagues, and their successors of the same party colour will be given a lOase-iii-perpetuity of the Treasury enches. Already there are indications that this prospect Is making for “sweet reasonableness” on both sides.