WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 December 1930, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE WHEAT CROP.; ~., ; THE CONSUMERS’ VIEW. (Special Correspondent.).WELLINGTON, ; Nov. '27. 1 The allusions- in Hie -papers?.tb-day '• to the wheat .surplurrin . A.rner.i'ca. hnd . the reports -; of court -.pf dcbeditigs - -illDunedin concerning wheat pools .have renewed ■ some ‘of"‘--th© old- ' protests against itlie privileges extepded to wheat 'growers ‘in: the Doininibii at the expense pt tlie consumers. t lt is ; the less prosperous members of the community • who are complaining, foi the simple reason that , thby the folk suffering most from the inflated price of bread. At. tbe, present, -thug bread is at a higher price in , New Zealand than it is in any other part of the Etmpife '.of . Any;, consequence, and wheat is actually, being, sent out of the country to keep up its price for the farmers. Both the Reiorniers and the Uniteds have lent their aid to the maintenance of high pricep; and if the men on,the waterfront-are to >e credited, Labour is not going, to remain silent on the subject at-the next general election, . ... ... • SANE FUSION. ,v- ■• - Folk here, who know something about the politics and the politicians of the Dominion, countenance the statement made by the Hon,- W. Dawnio Stewart iff pu ned ip yestey<l «y , concerning the fusion gossip, the sanest, they say, that has .beep .uttered * on the subject- pince the first meeting of the present Parliament. Mr- fße\yart might have rightly olainied to have been the first member of the House to suggest in 1915. that all the parties should get together for the'winning of the war. Only a, few .weeks id his speech in the debate the National Government was formed, and he cheerfully' stepped back to the lines of the rank and fiie. Then,, a@ now, he discouraged the idea of the two old parties excluding- Labour from their counsel and again got his way. To-day, with Mr Massey and .Sir Joseph Ward no longer here, in? is the most capable financier in the House, and in this respect his services would be valuable to any. Government. THE FARMERS’ PLEA. ‘ * The “Dominion”' this morning, while seeing it ip not possible for the whole community to subsist on the “dole,” has. to admit that .the case. of. the farmers is worthy of oonsiderajtion. “Olbviously,” it hays, “every- £ one cannot go on .the dole, because rthere would be no one left to pay it. '.At the same time the result of the first of the New Zealand series of

wool sales, reinforced by daily reports ;--of values of other of our -primary show how hard it, is going be for the farmer to meet -his commitments, ■ Serious thought : shorn 1 therefore be given by those' In au» thoritv as to how the farmer is to be helped over the present difficult place AH tine, of, course, is very obvious •• and very pathetic, The farmers in the midst of wealth are on the‘ very verge of poverty. The problem seems to be one of re adjustment. If the conditions and prices of 1913 were restored all would be: well. v I

THE SICK MINISTER. « The news from Dannevirke thjs evening suggests that the Hoit-.8. A* RSansoimi, ithe acting-Frime Minister, has shown some improvement in health since his return to his own home; for rest. Twelve months of .hard, serious work, in Parliament ; .and out, is enough to strain..the...nerves, of. any man, and Mr Ransom is now pay mg the penalty for attempting too, much. It is unlikely that he. will, return to ."Wellington before next week, .-at the earliest, and meanwhile he wiii he administering.a whole lap full of portfolios a less diligent worker would pass on to a subordinate. Added to these burdens are demands from all parts of the country, such es that from the West Coast, of the South Island clamouring for a gang of men-at each end of a railway' now in progress, and a score or so of other impossible requests. The aotiiig-Prime Minister meets these appeals with consistent courtesy, but they are not good for his health.