WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 22 April 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE MAYORAL ELECTION. AXT I -LA JiO U H UN ITED. (Special to “Guardian’ 1 .) WELLINGTON, April ’2O. It was announced at the week-end that the threatened .split ol the anti--I,ahour vote at the approaching mayoral election had been averted hy the retirement of Mr Forsyth and the endorsement of Mr Norwood’s candidature by the C ivic League. In the circumstances Mr Forsyth appears to have behaved uncommonly well, since he had the League’s nomination in his pocket, in succession to Mr George Mitchell, and might reasonably have insisted upon the pledge being fulfilled. .Mr Norwood, however, was generally regarded as the stronger candidate of I lie two and his friends declare that the peril of the Labour nominee presiding at the Council table has passed. The Labour Party, however, is hy no means inclined to regard its chances as extinguished by what it calls the bargaining between the puppets of the f is-iC League.” and people who mav he supposed to know something ol the drift of munieipa! politics continue to predict that the contest will he a close cue. Labour organisation takes account of local elections, when it enters upon them, at all, just ns assiduously as it does of parliamentary elections, and it docs not miss n single vote on its side that can lie polled. On this occasion it will'he helped hy a fairly large contingent of Mr I'orsyths supporters who, in addition to being dissatisfied with the manner in which their candidate has been set aside, are

lisposed to think Labour is not half ,u undesirable as it appeared to be alien their o'wu champion was in the '.old, WHEAT AND HUE AD.

Ministers have' even graver matters than the prices of wheat and bread to engage their attention just now, and the Minister of Agriculture cannot he induced to return to the discussion ol a problem, which he hoped was finally off his hands when the duty i 1 ■ Hour | was raised lo C.T a ton. Hut the demands of the Canterbury and Otago wheat-growers for further concessions to their industry has aroused a good deal of genuine eoneeriramong consumers here and Mr Nosworthy will he a hold iimn if lie goes to the assistance of the southern farmers in holding up priies in New Zealand in spite of the declining markets in other countries. When the last ol the ” control ” arrangements ceased at the end of February the Minister stated emphatically that with the embargo on wheat renun ed and the duty on Hour raised he would have nothing more to do with further negotiations, lie was sick and tired of the whole business and would leave the farmers, merchants and millers lo settle l.lieir troubles as best they could. These are not his exact wolds, but they represent the purport of bis renunciation of authority. Apparently this renunciation was not intended to leave the millers and linkers with a free hand to deal with the public as they thought lit, since it was only the other dnv Sir Francis Hell, the Acting Prime Minister, told a Labour deputation, which waited upon him. to protest against the increase in the price of bread, that Cabinet had no intention ul allowing the imisimiers to he exploited.

LA HOLIES ASPIRATIONS. Delegates who attended the nmiiml t e*il'ereuc e of the Labour Party which concluded its sittings here at the end of Inst week, express themselves as highly gratified by the reports submitted by the executive. They revealed not only a very large addition to the membership, hut also a marked increase in enthusiasm and confidence. Oil" of tic- southern delegates when interviewed on Snt.urdav said he had route to M e!hMgt.c'l teeling a little oi->-appoinfed that the party in his ov\ h district had not made more tangible progress during the year; hut he was going home with a much lighter heart, satisfied that Labour would come into i!s own much earlier than seemed probable a year or two ego. He thought the improvement in the prospects ol the unity was largely due to the practical support it was rei eiving Irom experienced, educated men, who had discouraged extravagant talk and insisted upon e, listifntintial methods, lie admitted there still were a number ol prominent men in the party who had not vet caught the spirit ol the better way, which, in his opinion, was the nnlv way to assured success. A northern delegate, seen later io the day. spoke tu much the same effect. hut he ditiered from the suggestion that responsible mi'll in tit" party wcie habitually given to violent speech and sedition.-, action. The Labour movement, he i laiined, should he judged by the. men it sent to Parliament, who Irc(lueiitly were referred to as the brains o|_ the House, and not by the noisy talkers who loiild mil understand that ils days of responsibility were at hand. THE DAIRY C ONTROVKRKY.

Tlie discussion of tho decision of tho Dairv Hoard to assume absolute control of all hui tor exported from the Dominion alter August 1 of next year is beginning to interest a widening circle. The first impression of lbs public was that only the producers and the merchants who handled part of their produce were (oiicerned in the matter, and that if the producers had chosen to put their necks into the compulsion noose it was their own business, and il the merchants wore threatened with loss of commissions and other pickings they simply were suffering one of the reverses of commercial welfare. But a closer examination of the points at issue has disclosed some rather disconcerting facts. Among other things, it has been discovered that only about 111 per cent of the factory suppliers to whom, the Bill embodying the principle ~(* compulsion was submitted, voted for ils confirmation, and that lower tTinil 2o per cent of the same electors voted lor the hoard that decided to bring the principle into operation. Further it is admitted that the Dairy Board is unable to make any arrangement for carrying o,t tho producers who'have been dependent upon the merchants for their finance and that it lias so far no assurance that it will be able to obtain adequate advances for the producers upon their commandeered butter and choose. 111 the < ireumstances it looks as il the Dairy Export Control Act will have to come before Parliament again Indore it can lie in do fully operative and in that ease it could scarcely escape a rough handling.