WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 April 1922, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE POST AND TELEGRAPH REVOLT. GOVERNMENT MAY INTERVENE. SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. WELLINGTON, April 7. The determination of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Associaiion to join forces with the Alliance of Labour- —the One Big Union —is Stiil the talk of the towii. the iocai nfewspajrfS art 1 t-htihi-liious in denouncing tlib action of a majority of the members of the Association and in urging the Government to intervene. Rarely have they been in such cordial agreement on any national topic. The “Dominion” likens the designs of the Alliance of Labour to those of tinRussian Communists and consigns them to the same inevitable failure and disaster. The “New Zealand Tillies' 1 declares that “no Goverilmeiit worthy to be called a Government can accept the situation created by this very ill-ad-vised, most rash ballot,’ but it is willing to allow the Prime Minister and bis colleagues a little time to think over the matter. The Prime Minister, grateful, no doubt, for the days or grace, is thinking over the matter very seriously and probably will make an official announcement in the course of a day or two, He at least realises the gravity of the situation as fully as do his many advisers, A DIFFICULT POSITION.

The position is made all the more difficult for the Government by the fact that before the ballot Ministers were urging every member of the Association to record bis vote. This did not necessarily imply that they approved of the question being submitted to the mem-b-TS of tbe Association or that they were prepared to accept the verdict which ever way it might go. But the friends of the Alliance of Labour arc putting it that way and arguing, plausibly enough, that the Government has no right to interfere now. On the other 1 hand, there are individuals and organisations insisting that the Government, having failed to prohibit the ballot, must make amends for its negligence by prohibiting • tbe affiliation. But Mr Massey cannot afford to move in this fashion without being very sure of his ground, lie could not have prohibited tbe ballot and it is very doubtful if lie could prohibit the affiliation. What he could do would be to let the members of the Association understand quite plainly that the public, through

its constitutional representatives, remains its master and that no outside interference of any kind will be tolerated for a single moment. SHADOW OF ELECTION.

The approaching geueraj election is foreshadowed by the elaborate arrangements being made for the preparation of .the rolls. The Electoral Department is the chief agency in this activity, but during the next six or seven months it will be making big demands upon otliei Departments, particularly the Post Office, for assistance. It is certain now that Parliament will open at the usual time in June and that the session will run into at least four mouths, This will leave members little more than a month to woo their constituencies on the spot, even if they are lucky enough to get away so early, and as there ire bound to be a number of new candidate* in the field the sitting members may be sure of a strenuous campaign. Tbe Reform Party has its organisation well in hand, and Labour, of course, is al wavs on the alert; but tbe Libetals do not yet appear to have made much progress towards effective consolidation. Mr Wilford may have something to sa.t on the subject shortly, but at the moment he is not seeking undue publicity. BOOKM A KERB’ PETITION.

The bookmakers, whose calling Parliament lias solemnly announced to be criminal, are out in the open with a petition as solemnly asking the same Parliament to put them on side with thc law again. “It is common knowledge,” they sav, in one of their advertisements appealing for signatures to their petition, “that the suppression of the bookmaker lias been more or less of a farce.” In this there is a good deal of truth, but the fact remains that diere is gambling ami gambling and that the variety : ncoorag.d b\ the great majority of the bookmakers in New Zealand is not good for society or for ti e State. However, that is not the m int for discussion just here. A matter of more immediate consequence is that numbers of people are signing the bookmakers’ petition under the impression it is being promoted by the Sports Protection League, a body subsidised by the racing clubs aml oilier sporan •: bodies for the protection of their interests and entirely opposed to the prare, of the bookmakers.