WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 July 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

\ HIS CONSTITUENTS FIRST. MEMBER 1 FOR MOTUEKA. .'.j (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 11. Mr G. C. Black, the very young member for Motueka, took his seat in the House of Representatives for the i'jj',- . first time on Tuesday afternoon and • £ at once plied the Prime Minister with | pertinent • questions concerning the needs of the sufferers from the earth--1 quakes on the West Coast of the J, South Island. He was assured by the h Prime Minister that steps were being taken to rehabilitate the sufferers in j their homes and farms; to maintain | the steamer service along the stricken districts of the Coast, and to alleviate \ in every way possible the calamities . that had overtaken a very deserving | section of the community. It would ? be impossible to restore the lives that f! had been lost or to repair in a week j: or. a month or a year the damage that i! had been done; but the Government ?: was fully alive to the responsibility ! ' that rested upon it and was determined to discharge it to the best of ! its means and ability.

AN ALTERNATIVE. -Meanwhile the Government is taking the necessary steps to ascertain in k some detail the extent of the damage K, done Z'-: within, the earthquake area, jf-'w,. Already there are estimates running Well into a million and presumably not one ' half of the total has yet been ascertained. It is not expected, of course, that a beneficent Government whole of the losses. A large share must remain with the sufferers themselves. It is hoped, however, that such recuperative arrangements will be made that a large proportion even v" of the heavy sufferers will be able to £ securely re-establish themselves in L their old homes. Even the politicians, p who, rightly or wrongly, are raising their voices against the completion of the South Island Trunk Railway are suggesting to the Government that the money intended for that undertaking 1.-,' this year should be applied to the rem haMlatibfi; • ’of i‘ the j ’ .devastated; .'West OAastV' s! ' Whether' or not' the Prime Minister is entertaining the suggestion k remains to be seen. i :IN'CONCILITORY MOOD. (j When the House resumed work on ' Tuesday after the week-end recess both $ Reform and .Labour appeared to be in |j a cbhcilitory mood. Mr W. M. Mac%Ponald,, the . member for Wairarapa, ,j aAd ! Mr {i F.^''Lye,’ the member for Waikato, speaking from the other side of the Chamber, certainly had something to say about “ Spoils to the Victors” , in reply to suggestions made by Mr H. S. Kyle, the member for Riccarton, at,the previous sitting, but they obtained only a casual hearing. The more tactful member for Wallace, Mr A. Hamilton, took the opportunity to (i (j„ congratulate the Prime Minister upon his return to the Treasury Benches and to assure him of the goodwill and assistance of the Opposition “so long as he did the right thing,” a qualification which produced laughter from both sides of the House. Mr H. E. Holland, the leader of the Labour also promised support to the “during good behav- ? iour ” and so contributed further bart mony to the proceedings.

£ GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE

Mr Holland, however, could not il-refrain from casting doubts upon the sincerity off the Government in its attituae towards State interference. “He had found himself wondering,” a reimport of his allusion to this subject SJ» runs, “ whether, when the Government’s legislation in that respect was m brought down, it would affect the % State Advances Department, the Publie Trust Office, the Post Office Sav’;'f ings Bank and a number of other in■;i stitutions which clashed with the legal the financial institutions £.and other private profiteering conSir Joseph Ward has made views and intentions in this respect f quite plain in his interviews and and there is no need for Mr to be speculating as to £ whether he meant this or that. Sir V: 'Joseph has stated.quite plainly that he Julias no intention of interfering in any fjiway with the legitimate operations of Hie institutions mentioned by Mr Holland. But just as plainly he has any of these institutions (tfifentering unfairly into competition with private enterprise of any : £‘kind.