WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE SESSION MAKING HASTE, j SI’KCIAI. TO (iUAIIWAN. | WELLINGTON, Des. 6 ! The possibility and the propriety of closing the session before Christmas have been much discussed ill political circles din illg the week end. <>l the possibility there appears to he little doubt. Ministers, no less than private itieinhors. are anxious to avoid carrying 1 business ovoi into tiie New Year, and the public, speaking generally, ipiile uiiconeerned about the matter. , The "Dominion" reminds its readers ' ibis morning that the Tariff Dili of , 1907 was put through all its stages in the House in a little over three weeks j nod sees no reason why -Mr Massey and ; his colleagues should not vastly | prove upon tliiS* notable achievement. Hi some circumstances. It says, haste would give definite grounds for criticism. But in the present ease, the j Reform organ conveniently assumes,; “the House reflects a belief hold by a j majority of its members that no usetul t purpose' would he served by dragging! out debate on n tarilf which Ims been based on the best expert advice avail-, able, and which breaks new ground so far as this country is coiicenied and admittedly is in some respects highly experimental.” This nearly enough ex- , presses the attitude of Parliament. ON TRUST. i 111 former years highly experimental | legislation breaking new ground would j net have been accepted on mist, however capable the expert advice behind | it might have been. Mr Massey when I silting on the other side of the House was the very lirsL and the most vehement in denouncing any attempt at this sort of thing. Hut the present Opposition, with tin- exception of the official Labour section, seems quite incapable of sustaining any serious light against the forces of the Government. If t-he |,ill,.nil group would insist upon the work of the session being completed in a decent and orderly lashinii it would receive support not only Irom its associates, but also from a number of Independent* and Relortneis. Then' is a feeling in the House itscli that the work of the session is being scamped, and without turning this to account for mere parly purposes. Mr Y\ illord would lie quite within his rights ill giving it an* opportunity for expression. Of course Mr Massey would have his war whatever happened, lull he always is a,,,,.1iab1e to the reason that would have him shape his way along the line nl least resistance, and ii is the duty ol

(!„■ Opposition to point mit to him the diieetinii in which that line lies. A VINDICATION.

A h'ttei I rom the seerclaiv ol the Sheepownors’ and I'armors I'ediqativu i,.ad liv the Prime Minister in Hie | |,,i|..e ,1 week nt two ago conveyed to must people the impression that lhe depat a iron from ihe producers ot the Dominion which waited upon Mr Massey sonic time earliei had been guilty of a gross indiscretion in referring to the land lot of the farmers. The Secretary of the Fedoration, who, with two of his principals, had been st member of the deputation, in lbs letter told Mr Massey that he and the Federation wished te dissoeiale themselves altogether Horn the representations made to him and to express their regret that they had been dragged into the affair under a misapprehension. Naturally, this hioiight verv strong protests trolll other members of the deputation and these had 1 lie immediate efleet of inducing the secretary to climb down precipitately without waiting to he shot at further, lie says now that he and his colleagues bad a'ppioved of Mr AY. D. Hunt’s address to the Minister before it was delivered and that they still think it admirable in every particular. Ibe ieiiui Hi- he had repudiated were the unrecorded Utterances of some other people. It IS a pity he did not sav so jn writing to Mr Mass.y. Had he done so he "would have saved the Minister

1,0111 a vorv embarrassing position. Til E TRADE AND TilE TAR I Pl'. A conference of licensed victuallers i» to lie hehl heir to-morrow lor the purpose of fixing a new scale id prices Ini the various alcoholic drinks a Hoc ted hj the tariff now passing through Parliament. That there will he very substantial rises there can he no doubt Hefore the war and the increased taxation a bottle of passable whisky could lie bought in Wellington tor as little as os till. Hat situs- then the price "I the same spirit has advanced, IVoin one cause and another, to l'Js bd, and itis expected the conference will put on a. further -s tid to'cover the extra duty. The Tiaile bail fairly long amlgtolerably precise notice of how it was going to fare under the m-w tjarilf and most ol the licensed victuallers In the city had laid ill huge slocks; lull it is expected i(icv will bi-gilt to trade on ••replacement values" at the beginning of the new vein. Smaller "spots" and shorter drinks are expected aauaig the eeotio-