WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 23 November 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES

A Air.VISTKH’S WORD. BINDING AND IRREVOCABLE. [Special To The Guardian*.] WELLINGTON, Nov. 21. Yesterday, speaking to a deputation that had collie to Wellington to urge the claim of the soldier settlers on the Teviot Estate in Central Otago for the performance of a promise alleged to have lieen made to them hy the Alinisier ol Lands, the Tlon AV. No.sworthy, Air Guthrie’s loeuni tenons, declared that the word of any lneinher of the Cabinet was his bond and that whatever .Mr Guthrie had undertaken to do would be done. The boast ol course, would have been rather a vain one in any circumstance. No Alinisier can bind the Cabinet to any particular line of action, lie may he

supreme in his mvn Department, so long as lie keeps strictly within departmental bounds, but even there bis undertakings must l.e subject to the

trench upon the domains of another review of his colleagues directly they Department. Every .Minister of every Cabinet, has made promises and many of them he lias been unable to fulfil. Afr .Massey’s record in this respect must he mounting up, with the course of years, to the level of Air Seddon’s and Air Noswortliy himself, punctilious as he is in such matters, has done very well for a. beginner. mucks aytthoft straw.

But the promise attributed to Air Guthrie in this case was so essential to the success of the soldier settlers on the Teviot Estate, that it is easy to argue it ought to be honoured even if it was not expressed in definite terms. One of the members of the deputation stated that the sheep on

ihe estate when it was acquired were bought for the soldier settlers, and that they were to he handed over during tin' following year, when any p.-o-iit, made from them would he applied to the henolif, of the settlers. The settlers v,anted the stock, which was suited to the country, but the Government refused to let them have (In* sheep, and now were selling them to outside buyers. On account of the attitude taken Up by the Government most of the settlers had lost heavily during the winter. The Minister's reply to this imputation was that, the Government could not treat the Teviot settlers differently from other settlers and that its proposal was to shear the sheep and then sell them at current price to the soldiers for whom they had been secured. The difference between the two parties seems to lie whether or not the Government should make a trading profit out of its tenants. DAIRY PRODUCE CONTROL BOARD. The contests for the six seats on the Dairy Produce Control Board allottcd to North Island factory suppliers promises to develop some of the features of a general election. Numbers of candidates are making appeals to the voters through the post and addressing public meetings just as if a scat in the Legislature were to he the reward for their labours. The insistence upon the voter leaving the names of six candidates on his ballot paper, no more and no less, is bringing a number of “tickets” into existence, the natural desire of each party being to provide a sullioiont. number of eaudiatos of its own choosing to exhaust the whole of the votes of its supporters. Otherwise the surplus votes would have to lie given to opponents and might assl-v in securing

their return. Air Goodl'eilmv and Air Pa rev. so far. are the best known in dairying circles of the candidates in the lield. and. though they are on opposite :iiles in the contest, probably a largo majoriiv of I lie suppliers would like to see" tlmm Imih elected. Mr Baccy ha- issued a parfieiilarlv impressive appeal, which makes n quite clear that there are many points on which the suppliers could agree to the immense advantage of the indtist I V. A CHRISTMAS BON. The brisk demand tor all classes ol wool at yesterday's .-ales here seems to have put the whole community in good humour. “The sales.” tie- ''Dominion” says this morning, “should help to make the coming Christmas

season a merry one for our sheep farmers. Indeed, the result of the opening sal" of ihe -eason must he regarded decidedly good news for i 1 1 • - country generally. Not only was there a good advance in prices a- compared with closing prices of last, seasun, hut the demand was most spirited. and the classes of wool, which New '/calami chiefllv prodiie.es showed a distinct forward movement. .Most of the woo! offered appears to have been presented in excellent eoiiditinn. and tlm prices in some cases at least were due in the fact that clips were very clean and free from grease. This meant lighter fleeces, hut better prices per pound weight. The briskness of the demand at the prices realised is most eiuntiraging, though there appears to lie some measure of uncertainty as to the causes which have led to the keenness displayed by buyers.” The note of warning -truck ligfitly by the morning journal in its concluding sentence is echoed by the experts.