WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 June 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

WELLINGTON’S FINANCES. ; : i AN UNPLEASANT PREDICAMENT. a (Onr Special Correspondent!. WELLINGTON, June 27 AVellington ratepayers are beginning to realise the significance of the statement concerning the city’s finances the new Mayor 1 placed before the Council last week. Mr Wright’s task cannot have been a pleasant one. During the early stages of the mayoral election , campaign which resulted in his easy victory over the Labour candidate, Air P. Hickey, be was opposed by the Hon AV. T. Hislop, a former mayor and at one time a Alinister of the Crown. Air Hislop had been impelled to enter the contest by a strong conviction that till was not well with the finances of the city and his platform speeches were devoted mainly to a scathing overhaul of the municipal accounts for which he held the Mayor, now Sir John Luke, primarily and Air Wright largely responsible. To what extent Mr Wright was to blame for the conditions alleged by bis critic was not made quite clear, but in the promotion of bis candidature the ■citizens’ nominee’ thought it necessary to defend Ins friend and himself from the structures of this extremely vigort ous veteran. THEN CANDI DATE NOW REPRESENTATIVE. A very large part of Air Wright’s own speeches were devoted to tin attempt to show that everything in the Council’s financial garden was lovely and that the accounts presented not the slightest occasion for anxiety. The electors, as many a more distinguished politician than the present mayor has discovered, always prefer an optimist to a pessimist, and when it came to a question oi consolidating the “Moderates” against the

“Extremists,” in order that the administration of the affairs of the city should not fall into tTfe inexperienced and reckless bands of Labour, Air Hislop was induced by very liigli influence to retire from the oentost and finis leave Alt Wright alone to avert the impending catastrophe. It was a veritable triumph of electioneering tactics. But now the new Alayor, were lie not a born fighter, might lie regretting bis success, lie is beset, by a whole sea of trouble from which be can scarcely hope to emerge before the end of his term of office. He Ims begun well, however, by justilying his discarded opponent in the eyes of the electors. CHANGING TIMES.

Praise for himself from the AYejfare League probably will be regarded by Air Robert Semple with the suspicion proverbially accorded to gifts from the Greeks, but really it does honour to the little hand of progressive thinkers among the capitalists who tire honestly living to draw employers and employees closer together. “We appreciate the plainness of this speech,” it says in its comments upon Air Semple’s recent address to the workers, “and we hope that some equally plain spoken advocate will arise amongst the employers who will fearlessly proclaim that capitalists must have some son of social conseoitice. If is the mem without conscience, both amongst capitalists and workers, who are playing the deuce with the wot Id to-day. Credit; is due to Air Semple for bis courage iit pul ting very plain truths to the men of bis own class. In. facing the problem in a'prac-tical-minded way, slr Semple and bis colleagues are doing good service to Hie w bole community.” People who have known Mr Semple intimately for years maintain it is no change in Lis ideals and aspirations that lias brought about this appreciation, but a very radical change in the point of view ol't'oe more observant among bis former critics. SAMOA.

The somewhat precipitate departure oi the Minister of External Affairs for Samoa does not lorebode any alarming crisis in the “foreign policy” of the Dominion. The Hon E. P. Lee is visiting the most important of New Zealand s “dependencies” in the partial fulfillment of a promise made during last

session that the Prime Minister and lie would make a tour of the islands during lbe recess. The Imperial Conference lias swallowed up Air Massey, and bis colleague is making the* trip alone rather in discharge of a social obligation tban with any idea of dealing with oicnt questions of Statin He is accompanied by Mrs Lee, whose inclusion in a mission of this kind probably will impress the Native mind 4 more than anything else will. Alt E. N. G. Poulfon, the most capable of private sectetaries, and Ah 4. I). Gray, the permanent bead „f the Extehiaf Alfairs Department, who lias many of the qualities required jo a Foreign Secretary, including a

cheery personality which already lias made its irresistible appeal to the Samoans. Mr Lee will return by way of Sydney and while there will center with the Australian authorities upon a number of island questions in which both the Commonweath and the Dominion are concerned.