WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 March 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

tiik tapkaxua seat. Sin JOSE I’M AVAR I) A CANDIDATE. fIPECIAL TO OUAUDIAN. WELLINGTON. March 7 Hie announcement that Sir Joseph Ward will be a candidate for tlio vacant Tauranga seat has given rise to a good deal of speculation here as to what will be the ex-Eiheral lender’s attitude towards the parties he will find there in the event if his being returned to the House ol Representatives. His more intimate friends bold to the belief that Sir Joseph’s own wish will be to remain unallied to any of the parties and to assume the role of a free-lance, unpledged to any faction and ready to give assistance to anv measure likely to conduce towards the welfare of the eountry. As much as this has been suggested by his public utterances since the general election. But the business community, which as a rule centres its attention upon the financial side of politics, hopes to see him filling quite a differcnl idle. It would have him occupying a scat at tile Cabinet table, not as Prime Minister and not necessarily, it so vs. as Minister of Finance, hut as general financial adviser and guide to the Govern incut. Tt is difficult to conceive Sit Joseph accepting such a i position, which would he that of a superior clerk doing the job cl the res- | ponsible heads, and it is difficult to • .’ivc of Mr Massey offering it to

him. since it was only a lew weeks back he declared that while be remained Prime Minister he would continue to direct the policy of the Treasury. THE PROSPECTS. The news from Tanvanga itself concerning the prospects of the election nre Tory inonirro. Ltvnl opinion is roported to he fairly evenly divided he tween Reform and Liberalism. Sir Mil pa.ni Herrics’s substantial lnajoritm having consisted largely cl Liberal all raided to the sitting member's side lather hv Ins personality than by hi par!'.- colour. But voting, after all. is much a mid ter of habit , and electors who have grown accustomed to voting i’ll mm side are loath to give their siipP’li IO the other. But lately tlm com ■A inwuev has grown a little more erdi ~..| , f |he Government than P "as a few years ago pei linos through no llngnmt fault on the part ol the Governmont -and it is certain no othei Reform candidate "ill poll as well as Sir William did. ff the contest were liaiT'iwecl down to a straight-out fight hot ween Sir Joseph \\ ard and a rmnpar tivelv unknown Reformer, the majority, so a local authority says quite confidently, would he with the cx-Lib-,.r:,l leader; hut. there Gno savin’.' at present what the Labour Pnrt.v will do. [f ft nuts up a candidate “in vindication of the great principles for which it stands.” as Mr Holland would say. he will draw votes only from tlm I oral side and then the chances oi the Reform candidate, whatever his claims may he. will be materially improved. PRESS COMMENT. The -‘New Zealand Tines the lorn' J.iheral paper, makes no editorial comment this mo niter ' n Kir J’-'ceh Ward’s reappearance in the I optical field, but publishes in its new coinin' s a very warm eulogy of the cx-f iber-d leader. The “Dominion”, from P e other point of view, is judicial and dignified in its at.titmP’. “If the Labour Party.” it s-iys. “adhe-es to :t pi-ofe-’i-d intention to make a fight io; every vacant seat, it will no doubt bring out the strongest possible candidate available. For the moment "hie interest centres in the attitude ol Si Joseph Ward- whether he "ill folio" in the footsteps of Mr Wilton! or Hr ;■

t a line of Ids own. Should

health permit him to conduct a vig oroiis campaign, which lie is heroin of doing, lie is likely to poll well Inn a good deal no doubt will depend oi the stand lie takes in regard to tin position of parties and the possibilitim of finding a way oat of the |Teseul unsatisfactory political situation.” Thy guarded utterance is entirely appreuriale to I lie occasion and ;s taken hi some people to imply that if S.r Jcis (lis -.o , d Pi make P-rms with Afr Afassey on a bads that wo; l.t g'• o t| u . eountry '« stable Goveramcnt la would he met. quite half-way. Sir Joseph relurne! from the North onlv 11 .; c afternoon and lie has not yet given his further confidences to tin newspapers, but it is tolerably sale P say that if returned to the House hr will concern himself more with lirond national issues than with mere fait’ differences. THE I.TBEIIAI. —I.ABOPP • > FM SITTON. Alueh curiosity wn, evinced 'oder dav as to what the members of tin ~r , w Libera 1-T.n'luiui Party v-onld think , f Sir Joseph's return to :"’tive p011tj,... tj,... The i-ur'oiis w-’re mu lelt loir j,, doubt ‘I am delighted at the do vision of Sir Jcscnli Ward to stand r,,,. Tar ■rang:;." '-(r Wilford. the loader

of t’-c Pa-tv, said in the course ol nr interview with a ronrosenP'tivo of tin

•‘Ev.Mtinsr Post”. "The i o-onti y oi Sir .1 o-eph Ward into politics is undoubtedly for the benefit of the conntry. for his knowledge lin'd understamli!lur of finance " ill he most helpful : •vvliile the famine: community and the I usiness men of Xew Zealand "ill see i„ r ofrrn much to rna’e thorn rojuice. I telegraphed Sir •lo«eph eaih this morning congratulating him on me (1, i-i<n of the meeting °1 I ;, st n ght. in,..’ hoping that he would make an nno.anncement of his willingness to contest the seat to-day. 1 am ready to iis-i-i his candidature in every way p «• s i! ; n._ f pl . them has never been a time in the history of the country "hen his financial ability has been more needed than it is to-day. This should finally set at rest the stories implying that the members of the Liberal-Labour Party are not well-disposed towards Sir Joseph and were disinclined to cooperate with him. Evidently the party clouds are clearing.