WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 July 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

' JiCTI!I * UIMENT . M *'■ taken too literally. lli-h : V < . • j/ru; • ...... (Special Correspondent.) ; ; ’ WELLINGTON, Jupe 27. * In the. last of his pie-sessional addresses' in Auckland, at the beginning of, theweek, the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, the Minister of Health, made ; * an allusion to “ retrenchment ” which .J deleft his audience vvith the impression 4 ‘ that the Government was bent upon 2 r*>l reductions in both salaries and ser- ”! vices. The piisapprehension was .so widely circulated that the Prime Minis‘?tl ter and the Minister of Railways, who 'S- - also is Conimissioner of State -Forests, '"'h'l' dbemeH.-it necessary to disclaim any intention of “ retrenching ” in the ; manner usually, applied to the term. “Nothing in the nature of retrenchmerit in the Civil.Service,of the kind •A'-, made on previous occasions,” Sir Joseph ■PS lo Ward declared, “is contemplated.” !,II A V There IS not the slightest founda'•lJ. tion,” said Mr Taverner, “for the report that the afforestation operations 0 f the. Government are to be curtail'■"il , ed.” No doubt it was the word “economy,” not the alarming one of "retrenchment,” Mr Stall worthy intended to employ! “Retrenchment” is a term ?* : .'.•• of eyil tradition with the, Civil Service, 'i-'f; .'.itAS IT SHOULD BE. • The “Dominion” this morning comRenting, upon the incident includes the Minister of Health among those unfor- ,, A ; tunate individuals who allow them'•'■‘V. selves to be swept away by “the exub- '. ?J f !i .erance of their own verbosity.” It takes it for granted/ that Mr Stall-

worthy employed 'the word attributed ' and, ' approves of Sir Joseph Ward’s correction, of his colleague. “ It is the'Prime Minister’s preroga--1 . tive,” ; it says, “to make policy an- * noun cements when they are decided on, i and the public rebuke administered by V * Sir Joseph. . Ward to his colleague, though unusual,. apparently has been invited. At the same time the fact AA cannot be .overlooked that in taking • /info hisGabin'et inexperienced members rtl< 'f unfamiliar with the inner workiwgcf the political machine the Prime - ' was courting trouble.” DpubtJqs Sir Joseph Ward, materially inabased his own labours for a time in (SBooiatiug... himself with uninitiated r-;y members.;'but so far his venture has ‘lliFtf attended by encouraging results V-M and with experience added to enthusViasfti His team should be a particularly , string bno. ' - THE REFORM DO.WNFALL. The “Post” on the .eve of the openjjfr ing of Parliament prefaces some admir- *- able’, advice to the contending parties // ’ “ with a brief review of the circumstances. which .Mr Coates and his followers to !, the Opposition benches. “In the pre-election Parliament,” it 4 reminds its readers,” the Reform Gov- ' '■ ;an assured, not. to say unwieldiy, maj'ority, aiid it was able in f’Wc\ consequence to ignore the pressure of the Opposition unless that pressure ■jPPpl was supported by sections on the Government benches. The position was Mi . not U, healthy one, either for the Government or the country. There was an absence of effective criticism. The.Opfsr position could not support its objections with an effective vote, and the .Government back benches showed.no 4 disposition to break away from the M ~ attitude of passive acceptance begotten iMy ' of many years in office, and'make a critical examination of the Government I Policy* The consequence is known to 7 everybody.” Bluntly speaking, Re^ was undone by its own unwieldiy majority-and the insignificance of the v - Opposition. 4 igi AND NOW— ■ ;,• • 5 rlpp* Having delivered itself of thig homily the “Post” proceeds to instruct : i the parties upon . their duty to the ;; State. “The 1928 election is over, and "I grab;the 1928 short session too,” it says. # “ The country is not particularly in- ? m A terested now in how Mr Coates came to StpM>}|ibe put out or Sir Joseph -Ward to be sl%sput in. It is primarily interested in M At what Sir Joseph intends, to do and the of the Reform and Labour : Opposition to his proposals. The genattitude is' known.lt was declar!’;ed during the short session, and has enlarged, upon since. Both secss Actions of the Opposition have promised “ jf’F the United Party an opportunity to *0 vy make good. . . . There is no call, therefore, to waste time with want-of- %' ■' confidence amendments or such debates as relate to no particular measure. - proceedings would be sure to fail and could do nothing to advance the A business-of the country.” With this •K-.;iview the great majority of the mem--1 bers of the House agree.