WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

STILL POLITICAL PARTIES. MODERATE AND EXTREME LABOUR. (Our Special Correspondent!, WELLINGTON, May 11,

Whatever Sir James Allen may have said or intended to say in his communication to the “Manchester Guardian’’ concerning the complexion of the political parties in this country, the cable,] summary of his remarks has served the useful purpose of stirring them all into a certain measure of activity. First oi all Mr T. M. Wilford. the leader o! the Liberal Party, was moved into disclaiming any sympathy with the official Labour Party; then the local organ of the Reform Party became suro the High Commissioner had suggested nothing of the kind, and now Mr Peter Fraser, the fighting chief of the “Social Democrats’’, jibes loudly, and as offen sively as he can, at the make-believe differences between the two capitalistic parties”, dubbing them the Tory Twe?dledee and the Liberal Tweedledum. M ■ Fraser’s humour is mostly borrowed and some of it is a little strained but so fnr he seems to have tho best of the exchange of pleasantries.

BLIND EGOTISM

What is so tiresome about the “So cial Democrats” of Mr Fraser’s type, whose good intentions, according t-> their lights no one need doubt, is then tremendous egotism. This quality not only prevents them seeing any question from the other fellow’s point of view it actually prevents them seeing the other fellow himself, whether in units or in multitudes. At the last general election some 206,000 votes were recorded for Reform candidates, 196,000 for Liber-Labour candidates, and 127,000 for “Social Democrats”. On the strength of these figures Mr Fraser and his friends have been proclaiming ever since the results wore announced that their party has only to continue its previous rate of progress to have possession of the Treasury Benches after the next general election. They ask sane people to believe that eighteen months ago 127,000 represented its voting strength in the country. Of course everyone else knows that at least one half of the 127,000 consisted of Reform, Liberal and Labour votes, which were cast for “Social Democracy” not because their holders loved that creed, but because they hated some other creed more.

STX MONTHS HARD. For the moment Mr Justice Herdman’s committal of a well-known Christchurch bookmaker to gaol for sixmonths with hard labour is occasioning more comment and discussion here than is the Li hour trouble or the Irish tragedy at the other end of the world. An idea had grown up in Wellington that both the 'Government and the Courts had become a little half-hearted over the administration of the new gaming law, aud that the worst that could happen to the Christchurch offender would he a stiff fine, possibly as much as £SOO But while a considerable section of the community thinks the bookmaker has been hardly treated in this ca.se, another considerable section probably the larger one, >s glad to see the majesty of the law vindicated. Whether or not what has ha )- poned will make Wellington- juries less averse to assisting in the administration of the statute remains to be seen, but the bookmakers themselves may be expected to move more warily in the immediate future. IMMIGRATION.

The movement among the farmers towards a reduction in the wages of their employees has produced much am’ mated talk on the waterfront and in other places where good unionists con gregate to express their views on social industrial and political matters in general. The main subject of discussion at these gatherings during the last day or two has been that of immigration and the great majority of the speakers have shown themselves by t«o means disposed to accept the assurance of the Miniter that only nominat'd immigrants guaranteed employment on their arrival here, are being brought out. But, they say, admitting Mr Nosworthy’s statement to be correct, it only means that the new arrivals will oust workers now in employment and so aggravote the difficulties of a hard winter.. The Minister smiles blandly. “There will he work enough for every, one,” he declares, “and the Government has not the slightest intention of inim dating the country with cheap labour ”