WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 April 1921, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

! THE PATEA ELECTION. J | ■ THE MINORITY PREVAILS. (Our Special Correspondent;. WELLINGTON, April 15 Even some of his political friends disapproved of the Prime Minister taking an active personal part in the Patea by-election. It was unnecessary and undignified, they declared, and likely to do the Reform Party, if not the Reform candidate, more harm than good. But Mr Massey knows more about the art of electioneering . than does any other politician in public life at the present lime and again his judgment has been , justified. Had he not appeared on the scene at the most critical stage in the contest his nominee might have found the Liberal and Labour forces too strong for him and at a most inoppoitune moment the party might have suffered a defeat. As it is, an analysis of the figures provides the victors with only scant ground for jubilation. Again their champion in the constituency received only a minority of the votes i polled and has to thank Extreme Labour, at any rate in part, for the seat , lie will occupy in the House. THE DEFECTIVE ELECTORAL SYSTEM. The “Evening Post” in congratulat- , ing the Prime Minister upon having been saved from a rebuff on the eve of his departure for the Imperial Conference, urges him not to disregard the lessons of his narrow escape. “It lias reminded him and his colleagues who will be carrying on the ordinary business of the country durng the next five or -six months,” it says, “that thej must not presume too much upon the verdict of the last general election and the demoralisation and disintegration ; of the opposing forces in Parliament. The si«e of the Government’s majority at the general election was in a measure due to the accidents of an imperfc ■ representative system.” The evening journal goes on to say that the Government, which was 30 short of an absolute majority in the constituency at the general election, is now 134 , short, and while disclaiming any desire ■ to magnify tlie significance of a single , poll warns Mr Massey that his big majority in the House is not an accurate reflection of the strength of parties in the country. THE PRIME MINISTER’S DEPARTURE. ‘ The Prime Minister left here by the , nmii train last evening to catch the Niagara at Auckland and so begin the . first stage of his journey to the lml perial (onlerenco. He was deluged . with messages and verbal expressions of goodwill throughout yesterday and . expressed himself as greatly encouraged and helpful by the kindly attitude of both political friends and political oppiuuHils. His cliiel labouis at Home v.ill he, of course, in connection with the Conference, but he will have many other matters to occupy any spare , hours lie may have. Among them are , the preparatiion of the way tor a five million loan and the investigation ol I the wool profits held in suspense. The , loan is not likely to present any great difficulty, apart from the rate oi interest, lint the recovery of the suspended wool profits may prove a difficult busi- : ness. SOLDIER SETTLEMENT. Though the Minister of Lands continues to issue impressive figures concerning the magnitude and progress of , soldier settlement, he has not yet succeeded in dissipating the feeling that a large number of the men placed upon , the land are finding themselves very much embarrassed by the fall in prices j nml the scarcity of money. A deputation was in town this week representing that a very considerable number of the men would be unable to carry on unless the Government were prepared to cancel their existing obligations and substantially reduce their valuations. It was stated that men. who had put in two or three years’ labour on their holdings, spent all their own money ami all the advances obtained from the i Government now found their land valued at a lower figure than when they > took it up. Cases of this sort, happily, , are not numerous, hut they are not uncommon.