WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 24 December 1923, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES

CITY M.fLK SUPPLY. SOME DIFFICULTIES. [.Special To Tin; Ccauwan.] AY ELLINGTON, Dor. 10. Tin l long spoil of dry, liot venthei, broken liy only 011 c considerable rainfall (luring the past month, has been mainly responsible for a number of complaints con corn in.;:; the municipal milk supply. The matter was mentioned at the last meeting of the City Council, alien Comioillor Chapman, one ol the Labour members, asked Councillor \A . f|. Pennell, the Chairman of the .Milk Committee, if the report that the Department had lost, customers through the inferiority of the milk supplied was true. Councillor liennett, aho is finite one ol the most, capable members of the Council, ns he is one of the most aetivo, replied that the report, was not justified; hut it was true that a certain number of eustomeis had sought sup plies elsewhere and that some ot tinfarmers under contract to the Council had been keeping their mill: too long. To prevent a recurrence of Ibis trouble it had been arranged that milk should be in rim -I- -ot twice a ,1 ~ ~,,1 i ;il i ;,i! -u.-i .. a - of sttdeness -li*.nl:t be -•niiioveO, On th< top of this g, ,u.r.v flnti •• prescribed but-i.-.r-fa! " ■ ,tcur ( >f th municipal milk .... ~„t lif-m.,/ con dstcntly maintained ... ,1, r.'u’idav. when the demand !■ team is high the Babcock tost is correspondingly low. CITY COUNCILLORS' RIGHTS.

The question ol -'parties ' also "as raised at the last mooting of the City Council, Councillor \Y. 11. Bennett protesting against Councillor A. L. Montcith M.P., siding with a section ol the employees of the Council in a dispute concerning wages and conditions. Ihe outcome of this incident is a resolution from the Wellington Labour Representation Committee which sufficiently explains itself. "This committee,” it runs, ••resents the imputation that Councillor Monteith lum no right to intere-t himself ill the well-being of a trade union while the council associates itself with the Employers ]• (--deration by appointing one of its agents to oppose the union's claims lor better conditions. The L.li.C. points out that if the council's association with the Employers’ Federation is not an adieu apposed to tiie public interest, the appointment of the union secretary to represent the eoum-il by a Labour majority on that body in similar eireumstaneo, must lie placed in the same category. The 1..R.C. congratulates both Councillors .MonU-ith and ( hnp-mi-.u on tbeir altitude in the council, ami condemns ns cant the pi*'lessioif of regard for public interest ml the part of their critics, who are known to In- representative of employers’ interests in iin- city.” I’rohably tins i-. am the last word in the controversy. PREFERENCE.

Tiie local papers continue to discuss xvit!i concern the probable elici tol the English general election upon the commercial relations between the Dominions and the .Mother Country. "The position,” the “Post” reflects, "is indeed lull of irony, if Mr Bruce and .Mr .Massey had been less successful in their pleading for preference, it is <1 uite likely that there would have been no ground for fearing the complete wreck of the programme that they helped the Conference to carry. The mystery of Mr 'Baldwin’s precipitate appeal to the con it try on an issue which united the Liberals, divided his own forces, alul wrecked his Government, jn t: ns ii wrecked a much stronger Govenim. m when it was lust tried, lias not* been I ally explained. But the iu-llm-nee of Mr .Bruce’s powerful argument and of the strong support that ii i eeei\oil from liis colleagues in the Conference is commonly regarded a one of the causes of that singular stampede. And it is certain that if i hen- bail been no appeal to the conntry Imperial preference would have received no set-hack and the rest m the work of the Conference would have been in no peril.” The critics mo longer arc- blaming; Mr .Massey lor the fervency of 1 1 i< regrets. It has become the proper note in Llie expression of the Imperial spiiTf.

TilE HAIRY COXTROR HOARD. The fleet ion of the producers’ rof.Tosontntives on the Dairy Control Hoard resulted much its was expected Unpeople who hart lollowerl the enmpaig'. at all closely. The "ticket” selected in the North Island constituency hy the supporters of control was simply irresistible, consisting as it ditl. of gentlemen closely associated with the industry and enjoying wide personal popularity, and the “ticket” in the South Island appears to have been tmieh the same. There is some curiosity as to the Government's appointments to the Board, there being a very general feeling that the Prime .Minister and the Minister of Agriculture are not exactly agreed as to the policy which should be pursued hy the controlling body. The point ol speculation is as to whether the appointments will he made at once or whether they will he deferred till Mr .Massey's return. The “ticket” in the North Island was returned hy such an overwhelming majority that there van hy no question as to a hat would have been the result under any system of voting; hut the' requirement that each elector should exercise the whole of his six votes is still being criticised. It extinguished so the authorities say. all chance of the minority obtaining any share of representation.