WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 26 March 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES

I THE. TAURANGA CAMPAIGN. ( I.USING DAYS. I SPECIAL To Tiik Guahdun.] WELLINGTON. -March 23 Hie day of decision approaches Hie local interest in the strenuous contest, between Sir Joseph Ward and Mr Alassey for the Tauraiigo seat in I’arliiiuiciit increases. All one hears about the Reform candidate in the campaign is ll'.at he weighs twenty-one stone and deservedly enjoys a large measure of personal popularity in the district. ".MacMillan is an excellent fellow.” one of Sir Joseph Ward’s supporters in tlie constituency writes to a friend here; "hut he is being utterly obscured by the Prime Minister’s dominating presence and we have not yet heard what his own views on any particular subject are. He and Sir Joseph are excellent friends and all the lutd knocks come from the ministerial contingent; that is over-running the constituency.” Unfortunately the two morning papers here are too partisan to allow their readers to know what "the other fellow” is doing, hut after Manning them both the discerning searcher for information may judge that it is likely to he a very dose finish. Sir Joseph Ward appear* to he having the better meetings—or, at any rate, the more spontaneously enthusiastic—but he has the underground forces of previous contests working against him, and on their effect the result will largely depend. THK 1.1 Ill'll’A I. VIEW. In its daily effort on behalf of Sir Joseph Ward this morning, "The New Zealand Times’’ makes its point rather neatly. "In attacking the financial policy outlined by Sir Joseph Ward during the Tauranga contest,” it

says, . . . "the Prime Minister concentrated in abuse and neglected proof entirely. D is easy to call out "frenzied finance,” hut ad the heat at the hack of the most violent rhetoric t-amini give that abusive term the effect of a brand burnt' in as a mark fur all time. Sir Joseph proved the cry to he just hot air by merely referring to what the line of polity lie is advocating lias done in tile past. Among the instances of the application of i lie system nl payment lor lands hv State bonds, lie mentioned Cheviot, the magnificent estate bought h v the Liberal Government in the onrlv ’nineties by this met hod. Aeveryone knows, that piirclmso was a huge success.” Ihe "limes’ rounds oil' the moral of its story very ailrmtIv. "When General Grant was accused of drunkenness,” it recalls from history, ‘‘Abraham Lincoln asked what brand of whisky the gallant general favoured, because lie was anxious to supply (he other generals with trainlnads of it.” The obvious inference is that if the purchase of Cheviot was frenzied linance, then more of the same kind of froiwv would he wry ,acceptable at the present time. TIIK OTHER SIDE. The "Dominion,” of course, takes quite another view of Sir Joseph’s litianeial proposals. It sees in his suggestion nothing but tlireateneu disaster to the country. "Hoes Sir Joseph Ward really think,” it asks, "the Government could go on issuing bonds of a face value of .I’lOO and worth only Cf’H or less in the open market, and get CIOO worth of goods fur them 'the thing is absurd. IVlint would happen would he that the contractor or whoever ii might he who wa- paid with the bonds, will'll fixing Ills prne would allnv.’ lor the fart th.d the bonds were worth less as a nego- ; ja Me security, than l heir fine value, and make his charge high enough in cover the depreciation. He would be nothing hut a fool it he did not do so.” One would not venture to decide between two siidi weighty authorities, hut it certainly does appear that il New Zealand, bonds wre so depreeiated iii value as to seriously allevt tlic.'i purchasing power lower services and fewer goods would he obtained for any

I given pa reel l■ I tlll'lll. I>ut till-' late 111 ! inU-ic-t illl'S were hearing would not !„. i,!!’,-clt'il sin• I their -i'lf value Mould ! |;e determined by the eredit el 'be ' (diiihi'v IVt l!i«* lime b‘iug. T! I K HKSI-I.T. I Speellhll ion as In di C result. ‘>l die i emitesl ranges from an easy victory for one side or the other to die very narrowest margin. J’ruhahly il Mr MaeMillan Imd been lei 1 to himself he would have heeii hopelessly overwhelmed, the Helena eandidate heme no rnateli lor Sir doseph Ward mi die i,lal Inriii. lint the appearance of Mr Massey and a host of *thcr helpers in the i e.listil neiicy has made a vast diN iV-ivme in the position. Purine the last fortnight the seat of (Joverumeiit lias been in Taiiraliga and Ministers j ,-ery naturally, have been much more | open-minded and aniemihle m reason | than diev ever can he when euiiiined i to their permanent aniees in \\ elling- | t,,n. Hut the optiinisfs among Sir j Jo-.eph Ward's friends argue dial die importation of Ministers is not going to lie’ll Mr MneMiilaii at all. It has provoked, so they «av. a certain amount of svmpathy lor the l.ihi-val j eandidate who is lighting single-hand- | ed hall'-a-dozen opponents <'r,nipped j l with all the advantages that can be ! obtained from the p-- - -ion of office, j There may he some mu I, in 1 his—it would he strange, indeed, if there I were not—but Mr Mi yis the "nM j dog for the haul road" and he will bo very hard to lie.it.