WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 December 1920, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

LICENSING. GENERAL LAXITY. (Our Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, .Dec 8. Official Wellington liad been on very good terms with itself so far as the administraton of tho licensing law was concerned till it read the police report isresenfoif to the Licensing Committee this week. It may hrivo realised there was more drunkenness about the streets of tho capital city than there was about those of Christchurch of Dunedin, for instance, and that some 0 f tho smaller hotels were rather drinking shops tillin' places of refreshment and accommodation. But those sort of things, it argued were inevitable in a, busy shipping port and it was ridiculous to draw comparison's between the condition's here arid the conditions in the southern cities while their circumstances were so eritirelv different. A RUDE AWAKENING.

But the report of the Licensing Committee has .awakened official Wellington, as well as social Wellington find business Wellington (o tho fact that tile city richly deserves the evil reputation if bears in this respect among' observant visitors. it is no longer trying to disguise tho facts which have been apparent to every pa'ssef-by for years back anil at the inoMerit it is making very excellent resolutions towards repentance arid reform, jsu£ official Wellington lias suffered spasnis of this kind before—tho last was just before the introduction of six o’clock closing—and there is a feeling that this one will pass as the other ones did. But even if this should be the case, stimulated public opinion still will lie working its way. FAVOURED AUCLKAND.

The Central Progress League, instigated by its very, earnest and active secretary, Mr G. Mitchell M.P., is protesting loudly against what it deems the undue favour shown towards Auckland in the expenditure of public money. On paper it makes orit a very plausible ease. The amount spent in tlie Auckland province, with a, population of 308,760, during the last financial year, it seenis was £32i,398, while the amount spent in the central district, meaning presumably, the district around Wellington, with a population of 462,165, was only £i06,71i. Votes for the Auckland district, it is alleged were actually over-expended while those for the Central District were under-expend-ed by nearly one halt’. But the League is unable to show the nature of the. work iri the two districts arid to this extent, falls short of tho presentation of a complete case. ELECTORAL. REFORM.

t has been left to Mr T. 11, Humphries, the secretary of the Proportional Representation Society, to reply from his office in London to the criticism levelled here against the reform for which his society stands in its application to the New South Wales elections. Mr Humphries shows quite conclusively that the disfranchisement of numbers of electors in the Mother State was not, due to any adherent defect in the principle of proportional representation, hut to the presence on the ballot paper of a. provision entirely foreign to that principle. His retore td Mr Massey’s denunciation of proportional representation is tlie presentation of figures showing that the Prime Minister has very good reason to look with favour upon the first-past-the post-system of election. It is not new, lint it remains effective.