WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

— UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANTS. SOME ALARMING STATEMENTS. (Special to “Guardian”.) WELLINGTON. April 27.

A New Zealander, now residing in England, passing through Wellington last week on his way home after a leisurely tour through the Dominion, had a good deal to say about the emigrants from the Old Country that are being brought to the Dominion. He had travelled out in one of the direct liners which, he said, was carrying between ADO and 100 emigrants, and, still taking a keen interest in the welfare of this country, he had made it his business to see a,s much as lie could of these people during the voyage. Ilis first impression of them was not favourable and it was not improved by a closer acquaintance*. They were speaking generally, lacking in physique and intelligence, many of them were without even the rudiments of education and not twenty per cent of the male adults were equipped with a trade or with a working knowledge of agricultural pursuits. Ship-heard, he admitted, was not the place where women and children appeared at their best, but I e bad seen families of a much better class than were bis fellow travellers on this occasion, embarking for Canada and Australia. He had heard from others in London, wliat he had seen for himself on his way out. and if Mr Massov, with whom he had some personal acquaintance, had been about, he would have sougnt an interview with him on the subject. New Zealand, be said emphatically, was not getting as immigrants its lair share ol the desirable people that were available. FINANCE. Naturally with Mr Massey laid aside by illness and with Air ffownie Stewart, tiic only one of the Prime- Minister's colleagues in the House familiar with the public accounts, away in America cm a health trip, there is not much open discussion of the Dominion s finances j list now. There is a feeling abroad, however, that in the nhrenee of the restraining hand cd the Minister of l* inauec there is a disposition on the part of his colleagues rn the slant, to redan the strict supervision of expenditure? to which Mr Massey was pledged. I ho. compulsory superannuation of high-sala-ried officers, still in the prime of their , Ifieial life, already has been mentioned in this column. Presumably the purpose oT this policy is to make way for vnan ser me;' v, In. epiite n 'iurally and quite properly, aspire to the high a positions anil the bigger salaries. Rut the gratified their respirations means not merl.v the loss of the services of capable and exponented men. but also very substantial additions to the Stale’s contributions to the Superannuation Fund. Then the Minister of Education is appointing costly outside committees and commissions to inquire into problems which the olficeiv ol hi.s own department should he well able to solve, mid the Minister of Agriculture is finding salaries for experts to lie. employed by dairy-larmorx in advising thorn on the care of their cows. At the Treasury itself the retirement of Mr Esson has necessitated a stop-up through many grades of the department and the retention of Mr IN-on with a substantial pension, in addition to his new salary, as adviser in ohiof. And so on and so on through the whole rorvieo. NEXT PARLIAMENT. - There is a growing feeling here that Sir Joseph Ward will return to the House of Representatives at the approaching general election and that Ins presence in tin* House will laeilitnte a teturn to the two party system, which . Labor I'd ill profe-ses to desire as fervently as do the two older parties. By what line of reasoning it has satisfied itself that it has something to gain by the healing e.f the divisions between the other parties it is difficult to imagine. At last general eh* lion it gained .... von seat'; by vol e -Hit ting, and did - not lose one by the division of it- own I'erie-;. Rut perhaps it is dreaming *'-f a vast accession to its strength at the polls this year through desertions from both the other camp. It flattered i i -elf in Ur; wav in 1322 when it doubled the number of Rents it. captured in 1 DIO. As a matter of fact, however, the number of votes it polled in 1010 entitled it to just upon eighteen seats while the number it polled in 1022 entitled it to only (seventeen. It was the superior organisation of the I Reformers in 1010, not their superior numbers, that brought about the debacle of both the Liberals and tlie Labourites. Tn 1!(22 the parties met on something like level terms in this respect and the number of seats each of them won was just about the same • n they would have captured had the election been conducted under an efficient proportional representation system. It is expected by the way. that the concession of proportional representation would be one ol Hie. terms the Liberals would insist upon in any liegol iatie.ns for a coalition with the Reformers. M I'XICTPA L ELECTIONS. The Wellington municipal elections campaign is bring carried on with exceptional vigor by the various candidates and their ardent, supporters, and the* great body ol electees seems to have boon aroused in some measure frr.ni its customary apathy. The eonlending parties are divided broadly into City-Leaguers and Labe,rites, lint there is the usual -sprinkling of Independents in tne field, hoping to profit, as they probably will, from tlie sharply defined differences between the two official parlii s. A pew fac tor in the contest is introduced by the active participation of the Protestant Political Association which has placed its imprimatur upon certain candidates and presumably is t working in its usual way to secure I their return. A more ] leasing feature of tlie contest is the appearance on I the hustings of one or two out-spoken capable business men. who are ignoring

the mere expediences cl' clotficnoet'ing and putting the plain facts concerning municipal affairs before the ratepayers in plain language. Tn the foreground of tlie contingent is Afr A. E. AA'hyte, known host to the multitude as secretary of the- AA'ellington Racing Club, hut widely recognised as one of the soundest and most alert business men in the city. He calls a spade a spade with refreshing candour and 1 offers AA’ellington services of which it stands much in need. The dry hones of municipal mediocTacy would he much stirred by their acceptance.