WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 28 April 1930, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

PARTY ETIQUETTE.

A LUDICROUS ASSUMPTION

(Special Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, April 24,

■Partisan newspaper correspondents and other people of leisure continue to make what capital they can- out of the obscure suggestion made by the Hon. W. A. Veitch in Auckland last week to the effect that Sir Joseph Ward’s illness was largely due to the Refoim■crs’ persistent opposition last session to the financial proposals of the Government. No doubt the Minister of Labour has regretted ever since he opened the way to such criticism hi* rath, er clumsy utterance, which quite honestly might have been taken to mean that when the Prime Minister is sick lie and his colleagues should be free to pass through Parliament without opposition any sort of legislation that might take their fancy or suit their purposes. Needless to say neither Sir Joseph nor Mr Veitch has been guilty of any such ludicrous assumption. They both are old enough parliamentarians to know that the ill-luck must be taken with the good and that the rules of the game must be observed.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

For a quarter of a century or so Mr James .Thorn;-the national president, of the New Zealand Labour Party, has been pouring, out,in, increasing volume to an unmoved world an eloquence worthy Cf better things. “This conference,” he told a body of very earnest sane workers here the other day,; is a mile-stone in the Labour Party’s jopyney, a point at which we can.take stock of evefits, our what we need to effect improvements, and impor" taut as it obviously is, it demands from delegates a careful consideration of its business and an approach to the problems before it in the spirit of helpfulness and goodwill.” All this, of course was very fine and large as it came from Mr'Thorn’s earger lips; but in cold

print it leaves the reader wondering from whence it comes and whither it ' goes. On these points apparently, official L E<Sboui , :has frothing (f’ohererit to sav 'Consequently the, (passes remain. -,i ~i .M n - ■ 51 •• v umnstuyctedf .. <•. j i 1 , • LABOUR AND iLABOUR,:.: \-. '

Mr Thorn's peroratiPn ’mjlsfed beiiig heroic billy by being jinihteuigible , . ( ‘“L appeal 1 'for j the’ Jraternal.feelingwith which jyej gnow the now ■?ocie,tji;o | f pup vision must be animated,”-l\fit. /l’tfn,;

“Joiheil togpth<jr,by feljy>y|hip !? i^rnied. with knMdgi' witji 4jpa||ion| : foi| jut], tice, aiiijl with in nihefgrent’ ’cause' the Lajbyur • wjllj tivepcKme; every diffibiilW and' move invincibly'towards the accomplishment of its purpose. It will indeed be all army with banners marching to the tramp of the masses of the people, winning victories over every oppression and wrong.” This again is, all very fine and large, and again , s The Labour Party in the Mother Country, without anv fireworks and without any denunciation of private enterprise lias won its way again to the administration of Imperial affairs and the custody of the welfare of the nation. On the other hand, successive Labour parties in Australia, lacking- in vision and understanding, have gone far towards embarrassing the Commonwealth. SEEKING ANOTHER ROLE, The übiquitous E. Davey, who has in turn for both the Reform Party and the United Party, and now wishes to organize another party, figures in this, morning paper with a criticism of the. Budget the Prime Minister has not yet produced. He had “rather expected,” he tells the world at large, “that the Government was anticipating a deficit of three millions, but doubtless the Hon. G. TV. Forbes, Minister of Lands and Deputy Leader of the Government, may be able to elucidate this.” " “Is it a fact”, IxC;asks:nq. one in particular ‘that a. cir.milar has 'been ,sept to.'departmental heads in Wellington announcing the probability qLa three million deficit and asking for'hi! retrenchment in expenditure possible?'” The Post end Telegraph and tM‘Defence Departments, he declares, ‘particularly: are expected to reduce their cost by about £250,000 to be'-.exact:-£266,000.-! It is strange this demand was not made upon these departments..before the closing of the financial year a month ago.