WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 June 1926, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS

NEW HIGH COMMISSIONER . A GOOD BEGINNING. (Special to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, June 1. Tiie general opinion here is that Sir James Harr, in liis frank statement to the London Press concerning the Dominion’s imperial aspirations, has made a good beginning in his occupancy of tlie High Commissioner’s Office. The country will agree heartily with him that it wants no incrcas- ! ed status tWat would carry it any further along the road to independence. Even the rank and file of the Labour Party, however loosely some of ’heir leaders may talk on occasions, are agreed with the most ardent Imperialists on this point, and -stand firmly for the unity of the Empire under a constitution permitting the widest form of democratic self-government. Sir James again expressed popular opinion when he went as near as might ho to ridiculing the idea of sending Home la member of the Legislative Council to represent the Dominion in London. This suggestion was given short shrift here and it is just as well the fact should be emphasised abroad. Sir James seems also to have spoken timely words in regard to the Imperial settlement schemes so far as they affect Now Zealand and. to have given the authorities at the other end to understand that with all its loyalty the Dominion could not lie made a dumping ground for the Mother Country's surplus population. This is a truth that had to be spoken. STRANGE BEDFELLOWS. The Prime Minister, who will no*- '

rot,uru to town before the week oik! will nob be best pleased to find his bn; regulations endorsed by the Welling toil Trade and Labour Council on tin ground that they mark another slej towards the nationalisation <f tin means of transport. “ That this Conn eil,” the official resolutions runs “wholeheartedly endorses the motor om nilnis regulations introduced by the Go vernment, and strongly urges that in modification of the regulations as at present drafted should bo acceded It by tho Government, believing as wc do that tho regulations arc in the interests of the people as a, whole.’ 1 Commencing in jest and continuing ii: earnest the commercial community for months past lias been charging .Mr Coales with socialistic leanings raid this endorsement of his bus regulations by the militant head of the local Labour Party is bound to be quoted to his further discredit. 11 was the Labour members of the House of Representatives that made the passage of tlio Dairy Produce Control Bill through Parliament easy and they frankly stated that their purpose meanwhile was to ohtl.iin the best substitute they could for the nationalisation of the industry. It was .Mr Massov who bore the brunt of the criticism arising out of that incident, and probably by this time Mr Coates has learned to meet such aspersions with the same philosophy as* did ins former chief. THE BOOKMAKERS.

The growing disposition on iho part of magistrates to let otf bookmakers offending against the law with light penalties is a. matter of geneml comment hero and is seriously perturbing the anti-gambling and anti-racing folk. Auckland appears not only to discover the greatest number of offenders against the law, but also to treat them when caught with the greatest consideration. This morning a case is reported from the northern city in which the penalty seems to have been mitigated on the plea that the two knights of the pencil concerned, though admittedly carrying on their illicit- profession, had not been before the court for 'a number of years. This misplaced leniency, as the critics call tho magistrate’s acceptance of the plea, has thrown the active reformers into a breathless state of indignation. They do not pretend to be acquainted with tho details of the case, and they arc prepared to apologise to the magistrate if they are doing him any injustice; but meanwhile they maintain that the offenders’ immunity from prosecution for a number of years can have been due only to the connivance of the police and that instead of being made a reason for the mitigation of punishment should have been regarded ns a. reason for the infliction of the severest penalty. The Minister of Justice, they say, is to hear something about the matter. THE TUNNEL SCANDAL. Tho three Wellington' daily newspapers mlnnaged to write leading articles on the Northland tunnel scandal without mentioning the fact that the exposure of the methods of the Council was mainly duo to the persistence of Mr Robert Semple. The “Dominion,” however, lias made amends for its omission by saying what tho citizens 'are thinking of tlieir municipal authority. “Tho report shows,” it states, “that owing ,to a serious and inexcusable failure of organisation there lias been a huge waste of public money, and that no remedy for ibis state of affairs has yet been applied. The resolution implies that the council has decided, now that the facts have been made public, to fold its hands ■ <and hope that the time of trouble will soon be over As matters stand the city is given no assurance whatever that the council intends to overhaul and re-organise the city engineering department, much less that it proposes to deal with ibis reorganisation as a matter of imperative urgency. The council’s idea of duty scorns to bo to sleep at its post and drift with tho tide.” In duo course, no doubt, the Council will proceed to rearrange its staff. The ratepayers’ turn will come when they nave 1 an opportunity to rearrange their Council.