WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 10 January 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE GERMAN ESCAPEES. COURT OF INQUIRY. 4 (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, January 9, The findings cf the Court of Inquiry upon the escape of the German prisoners fronuMotuihi Island runs on much lines everyone who read the newspaper reports of the evidence must have expected. Acting upon these findings Cabinet has decided that Colonel Turner shall be court-martialled that Colonel Pattersson and Major Lilly shall appear before a futher Court of Inquiry and that the extent of the responsibility of Major-General Sir A. Robin, the Commandant of the New Zcalamd Forces, shall be considered.. Any subsequent proceedings in regard to Colonel Patterson and Major Lilly will depend upon the report of the further Court of Inquiry, while the result of the Consideration of General Robin’s responsibility is a matter only for speculation This is <«,s far as the mere layman in view of military custom, precedent and etiquette may go at present, but it is an open seer j that Cabinet, which sat for long hours " on Monday and Tuesday, was very much exercised over tho whole affair and that Ministers were by no means unanimous in the final decision.

DEFENCE ' EXPENDITURE. 'A substitute on the War Expenditure Commission for Mr. Justice Stringer, who was unable to undertake the duties of the chairmanship, has been found in Brigadier-General Sir Robert Anderson, who is said to possess very special qualifications for the position and w r ho recently conducted a similar inquiry for the Australian - Federal Government. Sir Robert was a banker in civil life, but lately has been serving the Commonwealth Defence Department as a business man and the rank he holds testifies to the success with which he has borne his high responsibilities. An idea has got abroad that Sir James Allen has been opposing the appointment of the Com* mission and that his attitude has occasioned the delay in its constitution; but from such reliable information as can be obtained the stories to this' effect ; that have been going the round are 1 entirely, without foundation. "There have been some differences of -; s opinion in Cabinet as to the order of.-, m; but these have been , anjicr as* ably settled and a - thoroughly- . comprehenfilve -and. searching investigation*is now assured. =■ 1.--:;.. ' ' COST ..QF living. The .Board of - Ti-ade, has been mak- . > ing some; inquiries into the prices of groceries <ih Wellington,. which in respect to . some , articles compare very unfavourably,, from . the pqrcbasgr/s.it: point of view,, with the prices charged-1 r;i in - other centres and even in some..re- 1 , mote hamlets, but so far it has not,-ip. obtained --sufficient .information to make any definite recommendation, to the Government The fact of the mat- . ter seems to be that the prosperity of the capital city, due in a measure to conditions brought about by the war, is largely responsible for the increase in the cost of living within its boundaries. The grocers are paying high, - rents and high wages and high prices to the wholesale houses, which in turn are paying high prices for their supplies, and it is difficult for the Board of Trade with all its good intentions, to discover where the cutting should begin. It is scarcely likely to find any relief for the consumers till the end of the war and even then Wellington may have to tolerate high prices for a year or two. In the meantime the citizens are enjoying the consolation of being highly prosperous themselves.

ELECTORAL. ' The death of Mr Taare Parata, the member for the Southern Maori District, who was one of the most conscientious and one of the best informed representatives ever sent to Parliament by the Maori electors, will necessitate another by-election in the early future. Maori members are nofc always over-firmly rooted in their party allegiance, but Mr. Parata was such a staunch Liberal by inheritance and disposition that there can be no question of the “colour” of his successor hinder /the (Conditions of Uhe party truce. Already the names of several likely candidates are being mentioned, but the contest, if there is a contest, will not excite a great deal of interest outside the ranks of the electors immediately concerned. As regards the impending by-election iru Wellington North, it is understood that the Hon. A. L. Herdman’s elevation to the Supreme Court Bench has been postponed and that no vacancy will occur in the respresentation of the constituency for a month or so. All Mr. Herdman will deeply deplore the cause of the postponement, but probably the postponement itself is a relief to the Prime Minister, who seined a little while ago confronted by a grave split in his own party over, the choice of a candidate. Time ana circumstances may solve the problem and make the return of a worthy successor to Mr. Herdman an easy matter. •