WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1929, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE PRIME MINISTER, BACK TO THE HOUSE. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, October 14. The fact that the Prime Minister is seventy-three years of age, and the further fact that during the last ten or twelve months he has been doing the work of three or four hale men, cannot be honestly denied. More than this, it is true that quite a number o't his close personal friends, with the best of intentions, both before and after the general election, begged him not to immerse himself again in the whirligig of politics as he previously had done for some forty odd years. Many of the stories that have been circulated concerning his present health have rested on purely speculative stories off an extravagant character. He will resume his place in the House this week, having thrown off the recurrence of an attack of influenza which kept him to bis room for a few days last month, and bis critics will find him as ready as he ever has been to exchange opinions with them.

PROROGATION. Sir Joseph Ward and bis colleagues still Hope to close the present session of Parliament not later than the first week in November without wholly discrediting the new Standing Orders. To a large extent, of course, the realisation of their wishes will depend upon the attitude of the Reform Opposition, which might prolong the proceedings to the middle of next month; but Mr Contes and his followers would not have much to gain by such a proceeding and the call of spring with its various activities at last is in the atmosphere. The Land and Income Tax Bill—the new one* that is, not the annual one—is likely to be the chief bone of contention ; but the Reformers have signalled their objections to Hie measure plainly enough and with both United and Labour arrayed against them further protests would be of little avail. The Transport Bill and the wheat and flour duties an other matters of magnitude and urgency. ■ ' ;

LANGUAGE. The-, heated tilt between the gentleman who signs himself as “ Chairmar of the United Political Party Organisation ” and tile 'four Wellington Labour members of the House of Representatives continues to brighten the -corres pondence columns of the local papers The Labour quarter writes of “the garbage tin of his mentality,” addressing themselves preumably To the chairman of the organisation, who “seeks refugi in a noisome accumulation of puerih personalities and peevish piffle,” who “foams and raves,” who “like liquid mud can rise only-to his own level oi mephitic mountebank mouthings,” anti so forth and so on. What the chairman of the organisation has to say in return remains to be seen. . Meanwhile, it is -interesting to find a correspondent who is unit a member of the Labour Party, .but one who watches the proceedings of the party with sympathetic interest, protesting in dignified terms against the outburst of the Wellington Labour representatives. No doubt tin retort of the chairman will be equally emphatic.

PRIMAGE DUTY. The “Dominion” this morning agaii chides the Labour Party with subordinating its principles to expediency “The Government,” it says, “is as sured of the support of the Labom Party on the land taxation proposals, but in regard to the primage duty tie position is different. Labour’s line o action in that regard lifts yet to be dis closed. Whether Reform and Labour will be found in the same lobby on the primage duty, however, is highly problematical in view of the number oi occasions Mr Holland and his followers have this session side-stepped- the chance of voting the Government out.” This, of course, is all very fine and large, but as voting the Governmen: out would mean voting the Reform Opposition in it is not surprising that Labour should prefer the half loaf to no bread. The fate of the primage duty still is undetermined, and if Sir •Joseph Ward should supplant it by a super-tax there would be plenty of good Uniteds ready to welcome the change.