WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 May 1922, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE PUBLIC SERVICE. • RUMOURED RESTRICTIONS.^ SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. WELLINGTON, May 29. It is stated, on what seems to be very good authority, that the Government i proposes to introduce legislation during { the impending session of Parliament de- , barring members of the Public Service j from joining or affiliating with any La- , hour organisation outside their. own , association. If this step lenlly is taken j il will be due, of course, to the trouble which arose a. little while ago between ( the Government and the Post alid Tele- | graph Officers’ Association in coiise- f quence of ti c latter determining to join ( the Alliance of. Labour. The Labour j leaders here, however, profess to believe tile Government will not dare to place sucli a limitation on what they call the I liberty of the subject. “This surely,” j one of them said to-day, “would be the last straw to tlie patience of fl com- ( munity which lias been having its rights whittled away ever since the beginning of the wnr,” W’hat the community or the Public Service would do if the re- , port Should prove to he true this authority was not prepared to sav, but lie was sure there would be trouble. Mean- ' while Mr M nssey is absent from town and bis colleagues are not disposed to talk about the matter. THE GENERAL ELECTION. | Except that the Prime Minister is ■ moving about the country a good deal just now and an army of temporary employees is abroad collecting names for the rolls, there are few signs of the ap- ! proacli of a general election. The war . sadly blunted the popular interest in party politics and it 1 1 a - recovered its edge. The Reformers have their organisation well forward, tlieir"former activities having been resumed immediately after the termination of the party truce, and official Labour . always is ready ; but the Liberals and the Independents appear still to bo waiting for something to turn up. Mr Wilford has nominated candidates in a number- of constituencies, doubtless with the approval of his local friends, hut lie has not yet disclosed is policy nor undertaken any systematic organisation. Sir Joseph Ward has been invited to contest several constituencies but up to the pieseiit lie has lcfrflinod from committing himself to ativ of them. Probably licTs disinclined to take any action till be ascertains from bis former associates whether they want him ill the fray or not* INDEPENDENCE. Tins mOHling, with the general election in view, tlie “iloinillioli” produces mi entertaining homily oil the question ~f political independence. Sir Andrew Bussell having pledged himself to support the present Government, in spite of any criticism ho may feel moved to direct against its measures and administration, is accepted as the true type of Independent. With any other type the “Dominion” lias no patience. “As matters stand in this country,” it says, “every Independent candidate should le required to state whether he would tote lot or against tiie Government or for any alternative party on a wam-of-con-fidence motion. Any so-called Independent. who evades this plain issue will stand self-confessed as alt opportunist who is thinking only of his own advantage. The variety of political self-seek-ing that masquerades as independence is a poor thing at any time. It is particularly out of place in the present state of politics ill this country.” There is much common sense in all this, hut the difficulty of the pledged Independent arises when lie has to choose between his own principles and the fate of the Government. A want of confidence motion is not required to place him in this predicament. TAXATION.

The Prime Minister’s mention of “n policy measure dealing with taxation as one of the matters to receive attention during the approaching session of Parliament is of special interest to the business community here. Wellington as the head quarters of most of the lug companies operating in the Dominion is fully alive to the inequalities of the company income tax, hut there <ue other burdens Imposed upon trade ana commerce which the sufferers me anxious to have reviewed. A mass or information on these subjects has been placed before the Taxation Committee,, and, though Mr Massey has given lie members of the Committee to understand there must he no reduction in the volume of taxation, it is expected they will devise some more equitable arrangement of the incidence. Comparisons with the Australian States show twit while the bigger companies escape much more lightly in the Commonwealth than they do in the Dominion, the smaller companies are required to make larger contributions. Probably in tins dircction the recommendations of the l ommittee will proceed.