WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 February 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE PRIME AHNISTER

RETURN TO HEALTH.

(Special to "Guardi-xi”.)

WELLINGTON, Feb. 9

Though the good news of the Prune Minister's returning health, first given publieily by tho way, through this column, has been confirmed by the medical men in attendance upon Air Massey, it must not ho assumed that the Minister will be ready to take up tie arduous work of ins office during the next few weeks. Some time ago. before tho gravity of the Prime Minister’s indisposition became known, theie was serious talk of an early session, Air Massey realising that with the general election taking place at the end of the year it would he unfair to ask members to remain in Wellington beyond the middle of October. But the idea apparentlv has !>cen abandoned, as it was semi-officially announced last week that the House would reassemble at the usual time. It is doubtful, howoerv if Alt’ AlaSsey will he ready even bv the end of .lime to engage m the rough and tumble of a last session of a Parliament which inevitably partakes more or less of the nature of an electioneering tourney. Air Masses has been promising himself a trip to Australia, and if lie should go no further afield lie might be hack in time to take his place, in the House at the opening of the session. Should he not he, folk will see in his appointment of a locum tenons more than ordinary significance. Meanwhile the T « Minister thinks two months luithci “rest will he sufficient to completely restore him to health. THE JUDGE AND THE APPRENTICE.

There was some surprise here among laymen, as well as among members ol (.he lend profession, at the appointment of Air 0. T. Alpers as successor to Air Justice Hoskings on the Supreme Court Bench. Though Air Alpers had displayed exceptional ability m Ms profession and built up for the him with which he was associated a la rise practice, be somehow had failed to lili the public eye, so to speak, as even an aspirant for a, judgeship. People «ho know the new judge intimately, however. speak warmly of Ins personal and professional qualifications for the Inga . Hire to which he has been appointed. H is stated that Air Alpers is the first lawver of foreign birth that has been elevated to the Supreme Court bench in New Zealand, and this distinguished rccooiiitinn of his good citizen-hip is meted out to a very promising iU‘limrton youth, who after qualifying as by live years’ npnveiitu eship and being accepted tor 12 veins service in the New Zealand Navy, was “retired” on the discovery that Ins Father, though naturalised in New Zealand and long resident here, had been born in New York. This ungracious treatment, it, appears, was in accordance with a new regulation issued by tlio Admiralty, which requires that none save British horn subjects of the King shall he admitted into the navy. The lad was horn in New Zealand ami had never left its shores nor known of his “foreign” birth. Naturally lie leseuts being branded as all untrustworthy person and many loyal subjects idvc him their sympathy. AUSTRALIAN CRITICTSAI. Australian visitors to New Zealand appear to lie more critical of the Dominion this season than they have been on former occasions. The other day the principal of one of the New South Wales agricultural high schools, on returnin''' to Sydney from a tour thiougli the North Island” drew for the benefit of the newspapers many comparisons between fanfling in New Zealand and in Australia in which all the odium rested with the Dominion. 11 is strong points were that, Australia knew more about wheat growing than New Zealand did, and that agricultural education in the Commonwealth was far ahead of that in the Dominion. U was necessary only to mention that this gentleman had not seen the wheat growing districts ot New Zealand to, discredit one half of his story, and to explain the difference between the systems of agricultural education to demolish the other half. The officers ot the Department of Agriculture did this rather well. Now Air C. L. Lock, described as a well-known Victorian grazier. and Mr Maurice MeNamaia. a Melbourne stock and station broker, who apparently saw even less ot the Dominion that did the schoolmaster, saw calamity awaiting this country, in (he fact that the buying and selling of land had ceased. The obvious retort to this is the one returned by the Afinister of Agriculture, that the buying and selling of land are suggestive rather of speculation than of prosperity, and are rarely associated with periods of large production. The moral of this story is that Australia, and New Zealand would ho much bettor employed in advertising their achievements than in (licking holes in one another’s efforts. TOT AI. ISATOR PERAI ITS. Tt s expected that the decision of the Minister'of Internal Affairs, the Hon. R. F. Bollard, in regard to the new totnlisatnr permits will fie announced this week, just possibly before those lilies can appear in print. Speculation is rife as to the recipients of these additional licenses to gamble, and guesses differ so widely it may ho assumed the Al blister has betrayed no preferences during his tour of inspection and investigation. It is sale to assume, however, that tho great hulk of the new licenses for galloping meetings will he allotted to North Island C’luhs. Such ellihs as Hamilton and Stratford are practically certain to he given an additional license, and the .Minister cannot disregard the claims of other clubs in the North simply because uti-

generous folk may suspect him of local bias. It will not lie surprising if the Nelson club receives a permit lor an additional meeting. It is well up in the running, not solely because Nelson is generally held to be the birth-place of high-chlss racing in the Dominion, hut largely because it is a favorite holiday resort with Wellington people, who are not so well served with race meetings as are the folk residing in Palmerston North and other towns along the west const of this Island. There will not be the same risk for trotting permits at this end of the Island as there will ho in the Auckland province, but "Wellington, Wanganui and Wairarapa are likely to have their reasonable demands satisfied. The Minister’s decisions will be reviewed by Cabinet, but Air Bollard has followed a definite policy which is likely to appeal to his colleagues.