WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 12 March 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES

ABSOLUTE CONTROL. THE ORDER IX COUNCIL. (Special to “Guardi-.n”.) WELLINGTON, March 9. Speculations as to the possibility of the Government issuing the Order-in-1 Council it is necessary for the Dairy Board to possess before it can exercise absolute control over all dairy produce intended for export continues to grow. Lt is thought that Mr Massey’s illness and the absence of Mr Downie Stewart from the country rather favor the chances of the revolutionary majority on the Board getting its way. The Prime Minister and the Minister ot Customs are the only members of the Cabinet, sitting in the House, with any adequate acquaintance with finance and commerce, and in their absence some ol their colleagues, it is assumed, would he much easier swayed by the representations of Mr Grounds and Mr Goodfellow than they would lie in their presents. The Minister for Agriculture, v, bile positively refusing to make any definite statement on the subject, is assumed to he favorable towards absolute control, and it is stated that the desire c,f tile Board to obtain its order at the earliest possible moment is due to a fear that the influence of Mr Massey and Mr Downie Stewart might prejudice its chance of getting it at all. However, the Prime Minister has not delegated the whole ftf his authority on account of his illness, and in his absence Sir Francis Bell, his locum tenons as far as a member of tiie Legislative Council can he, will not allow his views on this subject to he ignored. Having regard to all the signs and portends, it looks as if the chance of the Board getting its Order all in a hurry is less promising than it appeared to he before other interested people began to protest. AN INDULGENT PRESS.

The Press Association is giving the utterances of Mr If. E. Holland more prominence than the leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party had any right

to expect in view of the fact that it ian organisation representing the “Capi-

talistic Press” lie is so fond of denouncing in season and out. Mr Holland is engaged on an election tour of the North Island just now, and at Masterton the other night he entertained a friendly audience with a recital of the i neons isteneies of Mr T. M. Milford ii: his attitude towards the Labor Party. From the lengthy report supplied to the Wellington papers by the Association it npenrs to have been a very funny story indeed, and to have provoked much merriment among the sympathetic auidence. But Mr Holland, to put it mildly, appears to have won his applause bv a rather glaring disregard of facts. First of all lie implied that Mr Will'ord laid been responsible for all the Liberal Party had done and leiL undone since it crossed over to the Opposition benches in 1912. while as a matter of fact, the poor man had kept his foot on the soft pedal for quite a time alter the Reformers took ollice. Then the leader of the present Liberal Opposition was ridiculed for having observed the pact between Lho R('formers and the Liberals ill regard to byelections during the existence of the National Government, and lor having suggested after the election of 1922 that the liberals and the Labourites should join forces for the sole purpose of obtaining proportional representation, to which both parties were pledged. and then get to a general election as spcedilv as possible. EXPEDIENCY.

JTad Mr Holland’s attitude towards these matters been as trank as that of Air AYilford. the leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party would bare no need to he excusing himself now. Whatever criticism may he levelled against the Liberal Party in connection with the manner in which is hastened the dissolution of the National Cabinet before the lifst general election following upon the conclusion of he war, no one acquainted with all the facts will deni it a large measure of credit for the cheery goodwill with which is subordinated its party aspirations to a high sense of patriotism. Apparently Mr Holland does not appreciate sentiments of this kind, hut an amenities of pul,lie life they are counted by loyalhearted people as the most- dear. AH Will'ord had no other part than that of a private member in the lormatioii ol 111,, National Cabinet’ and la» "as ill no way fes|Kinsihle lor its dissolution. The only part of Air Holland’s indictment that rests on any solid Inundation at all is the count that two years ago the Liberal leader was ready to j(un forces with Labor in obtaining proportional representation, which both the “progressive parties” had pronounced to he the most vital plank m their respective programmes. It was soon made obvious, however, that Mr Holland was no- more inclined to trust the mass ol the people than \\eic the more candid opponents of election reform in that direction. THE WATERSIDE TROUBLE. If the suggestive power of thought and fear is as potent as many people believe it to he, the patched up arrangement between the shipowners nnu tile waterside workers will not endure for manv weeks. Both parties are obtaining credit for the temporary peace, tie' n..'ii declaring that their firm adhesion to the letter and the spirit of the Conciliation and Arbitration Actrouted the employers, and the employers insisting that their determined stand over-awed the men. The truth is that- neither of the parties is entitled to much credit for what happened last week. 'l’he men had found themselves without funds and the employers had realised their ease was not a particularly strong one. Both sides were glad to save their faces by resuming the old relations without any confession of surrender. There are differences of opinion as to how long this indecisive peace will last, but most of the people who know the ways of the waterside workers and understand the temper of the shipowners give it only a brief existence. The season of the year, however, is not favorable fa open hostilities on the part of the men. With autumn here and winter approaching employment in the cities is not abundant and the watorsidors, speaking generally, are not looking for work in the country. Of course the question of the whole system of waterside service being reorganised is being revived in a hall-hearted fashion. hut with neither the men nor the

employers displaying any real interest in its settlement little progress is likely to he made.