WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 August 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

GOVERNMENT’S POSITION. TALK OF EARLY ELECTION. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 19. Mr Coates’s threatened amendment to the Custom’s Bill and the Prime Minister’s insistence upon his taxation proposals in general have kept alive the lobby talk condemning the prospects of an early appeal to the constituencies. It is recognised that as parties are represented ifjouse at tlie present time > the Uniteds with the goodwill of the Labourites are the only one that can carry on ‘ the government of the country with any confidence and dignity. So long as they have .the support of Mr Holland and his followers they need have ' no fear of the official Opposition. The will have no part or lot with the Reformers, but they very easily might make demands upon Sir Joseph Ward he could not concede. In that case there would be no alternative to another general election for which the Uniteds probably would be at least as well prepared as either of the other parties. At the moment it looks as if Labour had no desire to bring about such a development. ; . POLITICIANS’ PAY. A correspondent . writing to the “ Evening.. Post ” declares. tha.t, the movement organised last year for an increase in the payment of members of Parliament is being revived at the present time. “To my mi,nd,” this authority, signing himself" “ Taxpayer,” tells the country at - large, “it is an audacious suggestion that they are inadequately remunerated : for ; services rendered. I venture to say that in the case of most of those who are agitating for the increase they .are now being paid for a few months’ work more than they had hitherto been in receipt of for the full year, to sav nothing of the many perquisites attaching to membership.” So far nothing hfis been heard in' the lobbies of this descent upon the public purse. If any. movement of the kind is; on .foot it is confined to a small circle that'is dubious of the propriety of .launching such a proposal at the present The proposal might. income \yith* less impropriety twelve month s hence. V .

RIGHTS OF ' In giving his-verdipt .at an inquest! held on Saturday .on the victim ofa fatal motor accident on the Hutt road, Mr J. S. Barton,- S:M., propounded very clearly the rights , of pedestrians on the King’s highway and the responsibilities of mptor drivers. “That is my complete finding on all points' that are raised by the evidence given_ before me at this inquiry,” said Mr Barton, “but speaking of the general application of what I deem to be an elementally principle of law, I think it right and necessary to. add a rider that may net‘for the protection of the public. It is that pedestrians have the right to use the roads, including the ..bitumen portion' of the roads, and especially in country districts where there are no footpaths, they must be taken into account as persons reasonably , likely to be there.” Similar statements have been made by Mr Barton‘before, and by other magistrates, but the average motor driver has taken little heed of their purport.

MEMBERS’ SPEECHES. Mr J. O’Brien, the worthy member for Westland, has suggested to the Government that it should consider the establishment of a State newspaper in 'order .that members of Parliament might be sure of obtaining correct reports of their speeches. Perhaps there are other members of the House who think such an arrangement is due to themselves and their" con but the politician simply laughs at the suggestion. Already the average member of the House of Representatives receives quite as much attention from the newspapers as he deserves' . and a verbatim report of his speeches prepared by the Hansard staff a’ndv‘‘ revised f by.the member himself ■would cost a big. sum and be of interest only to the member and of value to no one. The newspapers must remain the best judges of what the public requires in this respect and to leave the choice, to the member himself in nine cases out of ten would be an infliction upon his constituents and a heavy burden upon the public.