WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES

A VISITOR FROM IRELAND. (Special to “Guardi mi”.) WELLINGTON, January 22. Tlic Hon. Andrew Jamieson, a nremcr of the Irish Senate, was a visitor at Trentham on the opening day of the Wellington Racing Club's Summer Mooting, dividing his attention between the sport and the people and taking a keen interest in the whole proceedings. .Mr Jamieson returned South by the ferry steamer on Wednesday night with a view to obtaining a closer acquaintance with its scenery and its fishing of which he already has had a foretaste. He was disinclined when interviewed to talk about Irish politics—or any other polities for the matter of that—but he expressed an optimistic view of the future of Ireland and of the Irish people. He lias been .surprised, he said, to find how much more New Zealand knew of the -Mother Country than England, Scotland and Ireland knew of New Zealand. The Wembley Exhibition had done much to advertise the Dominion ; hut the good work begun so well ought to ho continued vigorously. He had seen enough of New Zealand to realise there was room in the country for thousands of immigrants of the right type and Ireland could supply its quota of nation-builders. THE PRIME MINISTER AGAIN.

Disquieting rumours concerning Mr Massey's health continue to be circulated and the silence maintained by the local newspapers on the subject is giving them a long start. Every complaint to which human flesh is heir to has been attributed to the Prime .Minister by the gossips and his early retirement from public life is among the least of the calamities they are allotting to him. When a man has entered upon his seventieth year, after two decades of strenuous labour in the most exacting and arduous of avocations, he cannot expect to escape all the penalties that Nature imposes upon those who disregard her precepts. Mr Massey admittedly is suffering from overwork' and worry —from having taken upon himself burdens which could have been borne by one of his colleagues, and by making so many other peoples’ troubles his own—but he is now enjoying the rest of which he stood much in need even before the opening of last session, and his medical attendant reports to-dnv that he is making good progress towards complete recovery. INFANTILE PARALYSIS. The infantile paralysis epidemic continues to occupy its daily columns in the newspapers and to keep timid parents in a feverish state of trepidation. Among the numerous preventatives and remedies that have been urged during the past week or two none has emphasised the value of the cheerful attitude and the composed mind. On Wednesday the Minister of Health announced that after the following night no children under 1G years of age would lie allowed to travel between the North and South Islands. The result has been a rush of holiday-making children from both ends and the exchange of fervid good-byes which in no way conformed to Sir Truby King’s prescription jot' .all {intimate farewells. The scene on tile wharf here last night, had it not been relieved by the shouts and laughter of such youngsters as could not lie impressed by the significance of their flight, would have been positively pathetic. As it was, it seemed a sadly strange ending to a holiday that had been counted the best and the longest holiday of the year. THE LIBERAL PARTY. Mr T. M. Wilford is now arranging for n meeting of the executive of the Liberal Party to be held in Christchurch next week or during the first week in February. The leader of the Opposition prefers not to make any definite statement concerning the intentions of hi- party I ill he has had an opportunity to oml'cr with Ins colleagues, and he does not wish to con\-

mi-nee an active platform campaign while Mr Massey is laid aside by illness. He feels, however, that his party has to lie prepared for a very strenuous session and that it should not ignore the possibility of a dissolution coming before the usual time. AAlmt is perturbing him more than anything else at the present time, however, is the extraordinary apathy in regard to political matters pervading the whole country. “At present,” lie said this afternoon, “ the Dominion is being governed practically by Sir Francis 8011, who has no mandate from the electors, and a number of very capable, but wholly irresponsible heads of Departments. Surely this is a burlesque of democratic government.” It depends a good deal of course, upon the side of polities from which the situation is observed.