WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE PRIME MINISTER. ENCOURAGING REPORT. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, December 4. Speaking at Day’s Ray in support of Air J. Kerr’s candidature for* the vacant Hutt seat in the House of Representatives, the Hon. W. A. \ eitch, the Minister of Labour, Mines, and Transport, stated, incidentally, that at last he was able to say the Prime Minister was making definite progress towards convalescence. Fie had passed through a very trying time, made all the more trying by his insistence upon keeping abreast of everything that was going on in the political and administrative spheres; hut he was now gaining strength and there was every reason to hope lie would he getting about again shortly. Probably his recovery would have been more speedy had lie eschewed politics and business altogether; hut that, said the Minister, is not the •way with men of his temperament, who keep on working the whole year round and seem to enjoy their jobs no matter how arduous they may appear to ho. Air Veitch’s reassuring remarks were greeted with warm applause from a gratified audience. AIEAIBERS’ BONUS.

Referring to other matters in the course of his supplement to Air lierr’s address, Mr Veitch said he was quite ready to bear his share of the blame, if blame there were, for the addition of £IOO to the honorarium of members of the House of Representatives, this year. Personally he was not concerned about the payment, as Alinisters of the Crown did not participate in the additional honorarium ; hut he knew enough about the financial difficulties of many members off the House to realise that the payment was justified. It had to he remembered that the increase applied only to the current year and that _ few of the members, if any, had spent as little as £l5O upon the recent election. This would have left even the most frugal member with only £3OO, and from this sum he would have to meet subscriptions, and other incidental demands, as well as the maintenance of two homes, if he happened to live out of-Wellington, as nine members out off ten did. THREE-CORNERED Q'ONIEST. i • The three-cornered contest for the vacant Hutt seat in Parliament is producing some lively personal exchanges between the three aspirants for the occupancy of the Hon. T. M. Wilford’s shoes. Air H. F. Johnston, the Reform candidate,'whose chance of success lies in the splitting of votes between United' and Labour, is concentrating his attack upon Labour and dealing comparatively lightly with the United candidate, all of which is good tactics from the Opposition’s point of view. Speaking at Eastbourne on Monday night, however, Air Johnston seems to have somewhat overstepped the confines off his capacious brief. He told his audience that if Labour came into power it would seize the savings of the poor and needy deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank, and then would go on to the Public Trust Office to secure the money of the widows and orphans deposited there.. That, he declared, was the policy to which every man swore allegiance when he became a member of the Labour Party. LABOUR RETORTS.

Naturally ivhen Mr Nash, the Labour candidate, came to address a large audience from the same platform last night he had something to say concerning Mr Johnston’s astounding assersions. Ho declared that the Reform candidate, who was not lacking in ordinary intelligence, had made vicious, libellous and absurd attacks upon the J,abour Party which he must have known to be as false as they were ludicrous. Mir Nash paid a very high tribute to the service and the management of the Post Office Savings Bank and the Public Trust Office, and expressed a hope they never would come under the influence of the capitalists or the proprietary banks. Labour’s effort, at any rate, would be to extend the beneficient uses df these institutions nnd vtpi extend in every way possible their,;value to the community at large. Mr Johnston, who had been appraised of Mr Nash’s intention to contradict his statement, speaking last night in another part of the constituency, declared that whatever the Labour Party might say its policy was one of confiscation.