WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 18 July 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

DAIRY HOARD. .MR GROFNDS RE-ELECTEJ) CHAIRMAN. (Special to “ Guardian ”.) WELLINGTON, July 1L The re-election yesterday of Mr Grounds as eliainnan of the Dairy Hoard was not unexpected, not even niulesired. hy a majority of those of his critics who had strenuously opposed his policy of absolute control and pricefixing. Mr Grounds has thrown hintself zealously into the business of the Hoard, and showing himscll to he a capable administrator ami an indetatleiahle worker, and now that his scheme of " i uinpnlsion " has I si efieofualiy checked even the free-marketers are content th;it ho should have another opportunity so tuns his undoubted gill* to the promotion ol the best interests of the daisy industry as a whole. His Socialism, which attracted the members ot the House ol Representatives to his side in Parliament and on the platform, is not a very comprehensive or a very militant, creed, and in view of the rebuff it has just received he doubt /ess will find it expedient to lav it aside, at tiny rate so tar as the Dairy Hoard is concerned. Mr lornrs. who contested the chairmanship with Mr Grounds and was deleated, it is understood by a narrow ma.iorit t. litis not till the " parts ” of the successful iundulate : hut to his credit remains the fact that he drove the last nail into the eullin of compulsion and made Mr Grounds's re-election possible. I NOIM’OR’ITNE. The '■ Evening Post " protests mildly enough against the advance ol Id-- a tun in the price ot flour. " 1 nemployuieiit is more prevalent throughout the Dominion than is usual during the slack winter months." it says. ‘ and the public has subscribed and is subscribing thousands lor relict ot uneniploved. and the workers themselves ate eivnie weekly In aid the workless. Aet this is the time chosen by the mii'iers to raise the price ol Hour. Il is not as if the Dominion were short of wheat ; on the contrary, the yield of wheat this harvest was approximately 7.700,000 bushels, as compared with 1.700,000 bushels last year. The Dominion lias now practically raised sufficient for its needs without recourse to imports. Flour can he obtained in Australia at L'-'l per ton under New Zealand flour, hut it has to bear sea freight and a duly ol OH per ton bus to be paid upon its admission into tbe Dominion. Millers and whoutgrowers. then, have been very .substantially protected against this, competition, with the result that tbe price of Hour bus been advanced Ids per ton. Mho knows what further advance is in pro-j sped?’’ Parliament will he asked In deal with the matter later on and the Government's commitments seem certain to tip the scale on the side of the growers and mii'iers. THE NATIONAL SPORT. To the holiday-maker who takes no more than a casual interest in the legislation ami administration ot the national sport, the two interesting features of the meeting of the Racing Conference yesterday was the re-elec-tion for th thirty-first time of Sir George Clifford as president, and the modification of the sentence ol life disquulifit at ion imposed a year or so ago upon Hector Gray, the Dominion’s most accomplished jockey, into one ot suspension. Sir George made an eloquent appeal to he relieved ol his very responsible and onerous duties. " It is assuredly time.” lie pleaded, " that a younger and more active administrator should succeed me in the office in which you have tor so long shown me so much kindness and forbearance, and so I would beg you to consider how best to provide for a continuance of the good work in which we have hitherto so happily co-operated. Hill the Cunenee again refused to relieve its great leader and he now enters upon his thirty-second term ot office. As tor the leniency extended towards Gray, which means that lie now limy follow all the avocations of a jockey short of race riding, it will he very widely hoped that in the near future he will he granted a license again il only that he may serve as a shining light to the younger generation in the "witching art " of horsemanship. LI HER ALX AND LIBERALS.

Though Mr Vcitcli, the member for M’anganui. expresses complete satisfaction with the progress lie is making towards the formation of a " New Liberal Party.” there is at the moment, no striking manifestation ol the fruit of his i’ahours. Apparently the conference between the Nationalists and the New Liberals, which was mentioned at the beginning of the session, has not yet taken place. The only notable incident bearing on the situation at all, indeed, is an announcement by Mr R. M’. Smith, the member for M'aimarino. to tbe elfeet that be was not a Nationalist, though sitting on the Nationalist honchos. Gut an Independent Liberal. As a matter of fact Mr .Smith has maintained a large measure of independence in his attitude towards the parties, and as be was not in the House when the Liberals made the mistake of assuming the titi’e of Nationalists lie does not feel under any obligation to follow their lead. M’hether or not he will join up with Sir Joseph Maid and share with him tho titi’e of Liberal remains to be seen. That would seem to he the most appropriate course to follow, but Sir Joseph, who still is confined to his bedroom, is entertaining no ambitions just now in regard to leadership.