WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 June 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

Till-; l-TSION ( OXTERKXC'f'.

JOINT REPORT

(Special to "Guardi-,n”.)

AY ELLINGTON, June 22. Tli;- I'iisioii Conference concluded its siuiii.'s on Saturday morning. when the report drawn no l,y Mr . A. Voting. till- leader 111 the I’florill dele-i'atr-s. tvih approved anil passed on to iho party leaders. Later in tin.* flay 11,.. Prime Minister ‘ tilted In* would not submit tlio report to tin.* Rclorm (. allf-ns. to be lield as soon as possible niter the meeting ol 1 ’;irli;inifMt. but would l.,ive the Reform delegates

lionise!res to present it- substance to leeir fellow tneiehers. 'Unit, be beloved. would be the rniToot procedure. .!0:1 nwhile ho had noihing further to ;:v on il.o subject 1.■ rn' • 11. due leadrr ,f (1,,. I.il.era! Opposition will follow ; similar course. One or two ot tne li.-legat.Os left town while the report viiij receiving it - lin;d touche'-. with lour approval. niul those that were eft behind w*-re no more cniiMimuicai v • than were the piirty lenders. d be act that the two side-- have agreed to me report bins left plenty of room lor onliivling sjieeulations as to the inline ot it-, content-. It nay ne-au that .!-,!• delegates are ... near to iljtrtemeui ihtii their views may be expressed in ib ■ same words, or that they .are so far apart that further negotiations would be futile. I’robablv. however, the report lies somewhere between thc-e two extremes au*l ot intuitthe fOSit'eretie • to n i more than e pious ho;-' that some hash- of co-operation me.v b- discovered, IK IT,SB )X COAIES. Uv assuming that in the event ol fusion living brought, about between Ojlieial Reform and Ofiieiid Liberalism nor lent of the votes hitherto ia-1 for Liberal candidates will be lritn* I“r----red to Labour, Mr J. .MV('omb.-. t!:-*

capable l.itbour ncmiber for Lyttelton. Inis no diffiettllv in showing thr.L 11 1 <* lew " National Party " will be very hardly pressed at tile next general election. Approximately there were 2(;l.ont) votes nolle:! for I'eform mm.lidnl.'s in 11.22, I'••‘..t'lMl lor Liberal. Mo,fief! for Labour and 'id.C'ill i..c tndependeal. .Mr .Mcf ombs, who 'liu.di! Know I |:e disposition ol the Labour vole better than most people do. lakes it for planted that the 2.525 votes r-it si against Air Alassev in the franklin electorate three years npn were all Liberal, find argues frein the 2,1 of: votes recordeil against the Reform cau<i i c 1:11 .at the ! >y-.•!■■;-t ion last week that So per cent of the Liberal eleeI* r. changed over fi-. iii IT'era!i.-m to Labour. ‘-With only two parlies ill the field ami with a re-alignment of the radical votes." be rays, "it will not he very bug before New Zealand is rid of a Conservative (loverninent for ever.” ddiis is- to be brought about, of , eurse. by S', per cent ot the 1 Hip Liberal votes polled in IOMM ('■m-sing: over to Labour ami raising Unit party’s total, on last year’s figures, to 3u‘t.(K!fl. 12.000 alien,| of lie-form and only r>,ooo or C..01:0 short of an absolute tn.ijoritv of the votes polleil. WHAT HAPPENED IX ERANKEIX. All this might sound plausible enough if .Air Mef'iiiebs’s a .ssuni.pt ions concerning the tra 11--ler of Liberal \-otes to Labour could be accepted : hut- the facts heine; what they are. it is ridiculous to talk ol lesion ;i> il only 15 ner cent of the Liberals would be 'prepared to discuss with the lie-fornii'i-N ;i >*i‘n* r; , m<*viM*_s mimh*

of the old party as;- -ri 1 ie-. it !-. wellknown that tlier-* are many stsilw art* tina in any form bal di lavoiir. bid

own if fu-iun v. IT.' brought about. r.‘w of lliest* iiiV--i>ii;'!:iUr- ■ would •,■■!. :i - lliond 111:'. 1 li-r- I; < ii ’ ; over t■ > ill Labour camp. Mr McCombs's tii >ll tlni t: M per i <'nl nl the !.i 1 :i'f:i 1 electors :ir.■ prewired la d > •■> i' s ::li'iin 1. a- lira his dedm Linns Horn thy I'rauUiiu hy-cleci inn. ft i- perl'ecify wall km wo tJi:>* ■!..• I..•!:<.•«r >-.t - in ilia iu 1 rJ2 "a- <!.vul.a.l !otv.-f.>ii tin* liaii.n.i mi.l the l.ib-mi i a idldrlc. taut tho other ii.iv ii ivi l . ,-nst -all !|r far tin* Labour i-.i a! a, ni til’ll ai ii. mi ilnllhl. living to t’lio wliviti'.'s i I Mr ii. 11. ih'lliam! in tin- ' atr.]ai:::ii. I (ml the l.nhour Candida! • -on Ml tl. Ilia av.-.l good ('l il 11! Ia * 1 I, • ;111.• 1.;, 1 .!u mi!.l have ! -i t r i li,hi * lit* dill. Thou. h*.wi i i t*i*. All* M. in it* lit ha vo been a Til.« In oh. ini I hat tha u halo of I 1 a pro, ion- Liberal \ ..I r liacl h.'oii trims, t'on-oii In Labour. |...\( !•:!-:DI N(i Ti IK I-'S’TI A! ATFS. Il was quill’ .ha raelenst io ai the 11 an .). (L ( 'mil a- ilia ! altar confessing la a limited iitiittiuTitmti'O \\ ith the t iit'inim wavs ni politic- and 1 1.. ■ inlrii aoi.-,- i I iill!<iit* tin;.iif-i*. In- .-hould have .li'iiilnl l.i-. lir-t importill speech afl or his assumption i>! Ilia highest execiilive ollice in iho ni.niinii.il to a elu-o a tin lysis ni’ Iha ' Treasury accounts. Tho enurayo and Iho o:in.linii- nl tin* no.v Ihiii". .Mini-Tar ara a- iini-piconii-as iiro Ins pcr-nnnlity and charm. 1.,-.1 !■;ii.lt at Pukekoho during tln* prn-yla-s nl tho Franklin election. howaior. In* li.ld Ids aii.li -noo that tho in-oi-oa-od expand i t lira fur tin- tinam-ia! year ju-1 ol.isod had 1 rt "ant ioi;.at.-d in view id tin* statntury provision lor r-yrad’iny salarios and ivnjs-s id’ all pul.lie cinplnyoos and tho changes in tl.a Working hoar- of ti.o railway ,servioo." 11’ tho in.-ronse had hcon anticipate'! ill till- way it is lull'd to understand why the anticipation was laryoly exceeded in so many cases. Industries and C'.ntHitei-i e .ivoi-spont its estimate - hv L-h!;.."t‘»!) : Post and Telegraphs l-y L'Ha.Nli’; Internal Affairs l.y L' it). I 7 < 1 : Fu-toms l.v L-13.7(1(1; the Treasury it--elf hv C 15.777 and so mi. (II course Mr ('nates himself is not personally responsible I’.u- tlieso excesses of expenditure, and his attention can ho call.-.! to them only in the hone that lie will impress upon his Minister of Finance, the importance of keeping a tight hand upon the Treasury.