WELLINGTON NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 June 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON NEWS

OPENING OK PAH 1,1 AM EXT.

SPECULATION AND ANTICIPATION

(Special to “Guardian

WELLINGTON, June dm

].obby gossip m advance of tlie opening of' Parliament In-day lias cast liltio new light upon tl:o problems t| ui!; have been moated by the passing of Ah- .Massey and the constitution of a new Reform Government. .Members from the provinces a]>pear to have more open minds upon the I vision question than have those representing the citv cou.xti(.notifies ; hut the “ atnios|lh;,ro uhotit the " Rllildings ” does not suggest that either side is imticipatiuo with uiiii'li satisfaction the conclusion of a pact that would deprive it of it. party identity, it is lairly sale to ;.av. however, mat the Libeviil-Lah-onr Party will lie disposed to treat Mr I. nates and his colleagues with the consideration, due to Ministers while striving to adjust them-elves to their new conditions. Xor is there any ie.i;iOii to suppose that the Labour Party will he in any wav less chivalrous towards the new Administration. Mr Coates’ personality will count ai least as mucli ns will 111- policy with Liberals and Labourites alike, and the l'rinv* Minister's . ojlengues will share with their leader the advantages of

such a hanpv stale ol aflnirs. I ndei other circiiiiistanees they probably would have found the session an exLremciv troublesome one. with ■ ’ breath of fusion to ameliorate their hard lot. THK. HKKOHM VIK.W. This morning the "Dominion v.h.icn has kept its head hotter than have some of its contemporaries in dismissing the fusion .proposal, indicates what may be taken as the Leioi m view of the situation. "There is a growing and apparently well-grounded iiiclinaliou to assume, ’ it says, "that the possibilities of any lusioii agreement being reached prior to tin 1 next general election is remote. At the same time, it may he found desirable by both parties to reach a working understanding as to the business to be done. The legislation to lie introduced this session is not likely to he nt so controversial a nature as to make it difficult lor the Reform and LiberalLabour parties to co-operate reasonably in facilitating its passage. ’ Ihe "Dominion' 1 goes on to say that in the event of an actively hostile attitude living adopted by the Opposition the Government with the narrow, majority it possesses could make little progress. " An earlv appeal to the country,” it

adds in pointing the moral, " might become in these circuii'stam"'s the only course open to practical considelation.” An early dissolution is wanted by neither the Liberals nor the ’Reformers. and it will he surprising it the relations between them should nec-

essitate •.Ill'll a step. DAIRY CONTROL. An analysis of the voting at the recent election of three members to lill the nu linen's on the Dairy Hoard occasioned by the balloted retirement of Mr (;rounds and Mr Motion in the North Island and Mr Hamilton in the South Island, shows llml the great majority of the factory suppliers again were deplorably apathetic concerning their representation on a body whimi may do much to make or mar the fortunes of their industry. In the North Islam! there were do. 1 •In suppliers on the mil run! of these only 12JH7. or ;• I - f-ont.. voted: while in the

Smith Island wirb gu.:!:kf suppliers on ; the roll only P.IMiT, or :«>.* pec cent.. I voted. There were -II informal voting papers in the North Mam! an 1 , only ;|s ill the South Island, which, one critic maintains, shows that the suppliers in ihe South are ot a highm i.rder of intelligence than those in the North. The sigui lii-unt feature of the j figures, ]iow: \er. is revealed, when a : fomparisou is made I ‘.‘tween toe vof- j lug at the election of and the j luting at the eieoihm in IP2'i in its Mining lip.ill tin 1 quest lulls ol ” A bsO],il.e (',aitrol" and "Cmurol w ith Five . Marketing." These, practically, were ; the i- -lie - submitted to the ehclol's on | both occasions. In I Mil. 7! per cent. 1 of the total i alid voles were east for j " Absolute Control" and 2R per cent, for " < mil ml wit h Free M arketing.” j In ]SfJ.Y. I!0 ner tent, were east for the ; former and Id per cent, lor the latter. Ihe significance oi the changed figures can scarcely he missed. j SORE SHOTS IN THE CAPITAL. Ten years ago *‘ Wellington Slums ’’ were received a good deal ol undesir- j aide publicity from newspapers pub- j

li-hecl outside tin' t-;ii>iL:i 1 city. Fine a: then they have enjoyed cuniparative ; iiimiuiiity from the tlfmiiuits of the busy-bodies of .society, and :>i'eutlv have flourished amazingly in their obscurity. During; the recent' iiiimiripi.il elections, however, the l.ab- , our candidates ami their Irivuds revived the ohl stories, with emphasis, am! on Tuesday afternoon two of the lath- | our ( oUiteilhirs led a party including 1 the Prime .Minister and Lite Mayor

upon a tour of inspection of the localities in question. The representative of the •• post.” who accompanied tiio party writes of what he saw. as mildly as may he. “’1 his place. 1 he says of one rotting building, "was probably the worst ol iho lot as regards tlic shack itself, hut if had one virtue. It had ahittit, it a section ol almost reasonable dimensions, somewhere for the children to pet away from the dark

ami ill ventilated rooms, and from that overpowering drain." "A man. wife and live children in an abominable hovel, three rooms, no light, no conveniences, no anything, but a backdoor sink, and an over-llov. toy, loo! and malodorous drain,” is another picture of what lies only a stone’s throw, so to speak, from one of the busy shopping streets of the cil.v. Such was Mr Coates’s ollieial introtluclion to the urgency of the housing problem