WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 January 1931, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

PRIME MINISTER'S RETURN

BUSY TIME BEFORE HTM

(Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, Jan If)

From all appearances it looks as if the Right Hon. G. W. Forbes win he confronted by a very busy time when lie returns from his Imperial Conference trip to-morrow. The party that will greet- him, steamer awaits pratique, will him, of course, a very hearty welcome, and the crowd on the wharf will he mainly friendly. But there is no saying what sort- of reception the vanguard that assembled in the Trades Hall last night to heckle Mr R. Semple, Labour member of Parliament, and Mr W. Bromley, a member of the Unemployment Board, will give the returning Prime Minister. Wellington, uiifnmmnt-ly. is beset just now by a number of disgruntled folk, who are making prevalence of unemployment an opportunity for enlarging uoisely upon the grievances which have little or nothing to do with the existing grave trouble. A dozen or two or these nuisances may inflame a whole crowd with their inexcusable demonstrations.

IN HARNESS AGAIN

The main tasks of the Prime Minister, however, will be to pick up the threads he handed over to his colleagues for months ago, and to familiarize himself with what has happened bore since then. The Hon. E. A Ransom has played the part of Acting Prime Minister so well and has been so loyally supported by bis colleagues that the story no'd not he very long in the telling. There are big questions, to he determined, however. which could not be decided during the absence of the head of the Cabinet. The most urgent of these, perhaps is the proposal for an early session of Parliament, beginning, it is suggested, in March and extending over the close of the financial year at the end of the month. Mr Forbes has not yet had an opportunity to consider this proposal and it obviously is one bis colleagues cannot decide. At the moment it seems unlikely that the suecial session will he held.

NEXT YEAR’S WHEAT CROP. One matter that may weigh with the Prime Minister in determining whether or not Parliament shall be called together earlier than usual this year, is the importance of letting the wheatgrowers know as early as possible what assistance they are to be given for their next year’s crop, it its leading columns on Saturday the “Dominion” referred to poultry fanning as an industry “admirably suited for small holdings,” “It would he a real boon to the poultry farmer, to say nothing of the incentive to others,” it said, “if fowl wheat could he purchased at an import price of 3s 6d per bushel, instead of at the present burdensome protected price ot 7s 6d.” ft- would he indeed a boon to the poultry farmer were his cost of production reduced by one half, but accompanied by a similar reduction in the price of wheat the wheat- growers of the Dominion would be simply driven out of business. It is for the Government to say wb p ther this would he a desirable end.

RESTRICT!"YE CONTROL

Air H E. Stephens, who has been the representative of the New Zealand j Fruit Control Board in London for tho last three years, appears to nave driven yet another nail into the coffin jof restrictive control. He brought ■back to the Dominion what lie con- | sidered “some wonderfully good offers” to buy large quantities of New Zealand fruit on forward delivery; hut the Control Board would not countenance such trading as it wanted to adopt a new plan of sending everything for the Continent on commission. Air Stephens had received an offer for 120,000 cases from Hamburg at 13s a case, payment to be made before the fruit left New Zealand, but this did not suit the Board which apparently preferred speculation to certainty. It is true that the prospects of the market this year are favourable; but the price and conditions offered in this case, and in several other cases, are so satisfactory that private enterprise might have been entrusted with its opportunity.