WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1922, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

SIR JOSEPH WAJtD. DECLINES INVITATION. SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. WELLINGTON, Nov. 15

Sir Joseph Ward having declined the invitation to contest the Wellington North seat in the House of Representatives, the “Dominion” promptly proceeded to consign him to the Legislative Council. “Wo arc not in the confidence of the ex-leader of the Liberal party,” it said, “and are not aware of his political intentions regarding the- future. If, however, it is .acceptable to him, it would he a graceful act on the part of the Government to offer him a place in the Legislative Council. In his appointments to that chamber Mr Massey lias set an admirable example by ignoring party considerations when occasion warranted, and Sir Joseph Ward’s long record of public services would he ample justification for his nomination to the Upper House.” The Reform organ doubtless means well and Mr Massey may he trusted to give generous consideration to its suggestion, hut the personal and political; friends of Sir Joseph Ward will continue to hope that he is destined for some happier fate than the deadly dullness of “the other place.” It would be difficult to think of anyone who would less readily accommodate himself to its somnolent atmosphere. A GENEROUS TRIBUTE.

The “Post” strikes a much happier note when referring to the Liberal leader’s decision. “The return of Sir Joseph Ward to politics,” it says, after paying a fine tribute to his past ser--vices, “would have helped materially to redress an inequality which is very damaging to the State. It would have inspired the Liberals with fresh hope : it would have given them a leader of. experience, of authority and of capacity for exciting enthusiasm, and even within three or four weeks of the election it might have made them once more a formidable fighting force. Nor would the. benefit have been monopolised by the party to which Sir Joseph Ward returned. The criticism of a vigilant and active Opposition is essential to. the satisfactory working of tile party system. It is not good even for the. party in office to have too much power,, as the Liberals themselves found before their long reign was over, and it is certainly not good for the country.” The view taken by the evening paper is endorsed by many members of the commercial community, who look with some trepidation upon Reform finance, and would have warmly welcomed Sir Joseph’s return to Parliament. THE NEW LEADER. Sir Joseph Ward’s determination not' to re-enter public life at the present, time should put an end to the insidious stories that have been industriously circulated suggesting a hitter rivalry between the old and the new leader of the Liberal party. It would be idle to speculate as to what would have happened had Sir Joseph been elected to flic new Parliament, but it is certain that the old leader would have had no desire to displace the new. He would have preferred lor a time, at any rate, to. have been without the responsibilities of leadership and to have exercised an untrammelled voice in the House. In his fine fighting speech at Auckland Mr Wilford paid a very high, tribute to his old loader, warmly applauding his ability ami statesmanship, and there is no doubt that in similar circumstances Sir Joseph would have been equally chivalrous. Mr Wilford lays no c laim to Sir Joseph's facility in dealing with finance, but lie has many, qualifications for the task of leadership, including the vigour of comparative youth, an intimate acquaintance ait 1 1 the political history of the country, a buoyant temperament, and a habit of • “playing the game.”

REFORM CANDIDATES. “TUMBLING OVER ONE ANOTHER.” WELLINGTON, Nov. 17 In one of his recent speeches the Prime Minister said that Reform candidates were tumbling over one another in their desire to have the honour of representing the popular party in the new Parliament. Of course lie did not intend to he taken quite literally. The average politician is a coy sort of person, who loves to dissemble and to be pressed to sacrifice himself to the interests of his country. Rut really Mr Ma ssey does seem to he embarrassed just now by a superfluity of willing martyrs. In Jhuvera Mr G. A', Pearce, who lost this seat in 1019 through certain happenings his constituents would not condone, lias reappeared on the scene with a requisition signed by over 1100 electors to stand again in his hand, and a determination to defy all opposition in his heart. Then in Napier, Mr Vigor Brown, who had expected to make his seat secure by trimming his sails to the hree/.e of Reform, is refusing to make way for a less recent convert to the faith. In Christchurch North an out and out supporter of Mr Massey is taking no heed of Mr Leonard Isitt’s written pledge, and in a number of other constituencies Reform discipline is being sadly flouted. RESTORING ORDER. No doubt -most of these tangled threads of election strategy will be straightened out before polling day. Mr .Massey is-no less adept than Mr Seddon was in bringing the super-, (lous candidate to reason. Mr Brown’s ease was the subject of a conferences between the Napier branch of the Reform League and the Prime Minister the other day and it is reported that Mr Massey expressed himself to the effect that uiiless one of the Reform candidates stood down the chances of the Government winning the seat would he very small. “It may he,” the “Evening Post” remarks significantly, “that should Mr Brown stand down it will he considered that his services to the country should entitle him to a seat in the Legislative Council.” Air Pearce’s ease will not permit of such an easy solution. The former representative of TTawern, for obvious reasons, could not he propi- ! tinted by a seat in the Council, and' 1 nothing less, his friends say, would ' induce him to retire. The position throws a very disagreeable .responsi-j bility upon Mr Massey and it will he I a veritable triumph of diplomacy

should he succeed in clearing the way j for his own nominee. 1 A MINISTER THREATENED. It would socm from the election gossip coming to town, that the Hon D. H. Guthrie, the Minister of Lands, personally one of the m®st populai members of the Cabinet, is being vciy hardly pressed by his young opponent in the contest for the Orona seat.

That his political friends are anxious about the result of the fight may be judged from the tone of a leader which 1 appeared in the “Dominion” jester-' day. “There is good reason for the Liberal-Labour Party desiring to get rid of the present Minister of Lands,” the Reform journal says, “for he lias 1 been a difficult man for them to score against. llis record ns head of the Lands Department is indeed a very fine one. It is mainly flue to his

judgment and sympathetic handling of the soldier settlement scheme that it. has proved the great success now universallv recognised and his administration of the Lands Department has practicullv disarmed criticism.” As a matter of fact the handling of) the soldier settlement scheme and the administration of the Lands Department have provided Mr Guthrie’s opponent in the present contest with : most of his ammunition and he has employed it so effectively that the ’ Minister’s maim has been very gravely impaired. ; ‘ THE STRIKE.

The ill-advised seaman’s strike that was threatening to dislocate the whole sea transport of the country only a few days ago appears now to he on the wav to collapse. Plenty of lab- ( our is available for the deserted ships, and no one is ftny strenuous opposition to it being employed. The truth is that, the seamen started out, on their wild enterprise without eon-. Milling anv of the workers ongaged ( in other industries and now are finding themselves without financial as-, sistance or moral support. .It is evident too, in spite of what has been said on all-sides of polities to the contrary, that the better class of workers have an increasing respect for the Arbitration Court and are nut going to he drawn lightly into renouncing, its decrees. The employers have taken the right stand from the first and. Mi- Wilford's early announcement that, the strikers had no sympathy from the J.iherahLahour Party did much to, restore many deluded workers to their right mind.