WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 July 1930, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

WEEKEND REVIEW

BEGINNING OF SESSION,

(Special Correspondent.!

WELLINGTON, July 1

The .proceedings in Parliament- during Thursday and Friday left nothing very impressive for discussion during the week-end. It was fairly olbvious from the early discussion of the Imprest Supply Bill that the suggestions made in various quarters during the recess for a truce between the United Party and the Reform Party had fallen on. barren ground. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Lead.er of the Reform Opposition snoke in a conciliatory tone; indeed their little tiff over the appointment of a new Chairman of Committee suggested that the two parties had drifted, further apart than ever during the recess. Air Forbes was ready to stake the existence of the Government on the acceptance of his nominee, and Air Coates probably would have pushed the .question to .a division had not the; Opposition’s United nominee somewhat ungraciously withdrawn. All this, of course, was meat and drink to the Labour Party, which could have turned the scale one way or the other at the bidding of its leader.

lAIPEiMAL CONFERENCE. Judging from 'the attitude cf the Reform Opposition (rather from what it implied than from wlmt it said) nt the week-end it is not particularly anxious to facilitate the Prime Alinister’s appearance at the approaching Imperial Conference. There is a fairly general feeling in political circles, indeed, that Air Seddon, .Sir Joseph Ward and Air Alassey fairly well exhausted the value of New . Zealand’s representation at the Imperial Conferences, and that some other member of Parliament-, other than the head of the Government, might be trusted to say what is expected from the Dominion’s representatives on such occasions. Mr Coates went to the Conference in 1926, just after a general election, with a huge majority at his iback, and with two sessions of Parliament still to come. Mr Forbes would go leaving a minority in the House and with only one session remaining. Air Coates at hast had an informative pleasure trip. Air Forbes would have only a rush Home and back and little reward for his trouble.

PALLIATIVE ONLY. Referring to th’e'efforts of the members of the Labour Party in the House of Representatives to “stir up the Government”’ to greater activity in the relief of tlie unemployed, the “Evening Post” quotes very appropriately a passage from a speech delivered by Mr’ Snowden, the Chancellor. of the Exchequer, in the Imperial Labour Government, to a gathering of British bankers a few weeks ago. “This high rate of, unemployment,” the Chancellor insisted, “is a phenomenon of all the industrial countries of tlie world. ... These facts seems to point to this—that there must be one common world cause ; I do not say sole cause, 'but one common world cause which is responsible in a largie measure for these results. And probably the main cause is that which your chairman mentioned, the appalling fall in world prices and the lag between wholesale and retail prices.” The conditions existing in the Mother Country necessarily operate bore, and the multiplication of doles is not going to mend matters,. FACING THE FACTS.

The “Evening Post” in commending M,r Snowden’s words to the active Labour element in this country emphasises the need for understanding and co-operation in dealing with the problem here. “The point to be noted.” it says, “is that Labour in office in Britain, admits its helplessness to find a cure. If Labour in opposition here would look at 'he difficulty in the same light it would be less critical of the Government, and with less criticism it might easily be mere constructively helpful.” Here clearly is a suggestion to which Air n. E. Holland and his followers well might take heed and very materially assist in bringing the manual woikers of the community to a prop'U* understanding of the positi :>’i. As it is, the Labour leaders for tlie most part, seem more bent on squeezing “doles” of one kind or another out of the Government than they do upon restoring the economic basis of the Dominion to a sound foundation. It is for Labour of all classes to review the position. _____