WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 28 March 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE DEFENCE DEPARTMENjfc *

ADMINISTRATIVE ERRORS^

WELLINGTON, March 27.

Sir James Allen’s attempt to conciliate Mi\ Vigor Brown, the member for Napier, has signally failed. During the last four or five months Mr Brown has been keeping up a continuous fusillade of criticism against the administration of the Defence Department and a little while ago the , Minister wrote to him pointing out what seemed to be some grave discrepancies between his statements and the actual facts. The fragments of his reply published in “New Zealand Times” this morning show the critic is in no humour to be “The patience of the average man who objects to the existing order of things,” he tells Sir James, “ is worn somewhat threadbare by your denial.” By way of illustration, as he puts it, he drags up half a dozen of the Minister’s previous denials, which have not satisfied the

public, and proclaims his intention to substantiate his new charges on the floor of the House. Such are|t«the minor troubles that loom ahead for the short session.

ALLEGED WASTE.

Along the line of attack he has foreshadowed Mr. Brown is not likely to obtain support from any considerable mimber of the members of the House. The time will not be regarded as opportune for the revival of “scandals” dating back to the very beginning of the war. But unless discussion is barred by the existence of the Defence Expenditure Commission certain allegations of a later date concerning departmental waste and extravagance are bound to be' mentioned. It is reported, for instance, on what appears to be the very best authority, that one of the transports which returned to the Dominion just the other day brought back several hundred men who must, have been utterly unfit for service when they were sent away. # One of them had only one hand. the other having been amputated years ago. and quite a number were permanent cripples. The rejects must have cost the country at least £250,000 by the time they were landed here and now many of them arc applicants for pensions. CITY MILK SUPPLY. After much labour the committebrnppointed by the Wellington Council has. brought, forth Its report on the eity/ milk supply. It suggests three of dealing with the present intolerable state of affairs. The Council might facilitate the promotion of a jfdnt stock company, “or perhaps two companies,” to take over the whole busi-

ness; it might take over the supply of milk to tho'clty and operate it under the control of a separate "board,' to hold office during the pleasure of the Council, or it might take over the whole milk distribution problem and

control it as a municipal "’trading department. The best and the worst that is being said of the report so far is that it is just what might have been expected from a committee drawn from the ranks of the councillors. The committee favours the second suggestion, but it would not be surprising if a majority of the Council, tempted by a subject for interminable discussion, inclined towards the third. PILLAGING CARGO.

The surprise of the Stipendiary Magistrate at Lyttelton that a ship’s officer should treat lightly a charge against two men for pillaging cargo is shared by shippers and by a great majority of the workers on the water front here. Pillaging had become so

rampant in Wellington some months ago that the authorities were compelled to take very strong measures to check it, and though there has been a marked improvement since then there is scarcely a vessel coming to the port with general cargo that does suffer to some extent. The wharf hands resent very strongly the reflections cast upon them by the pilfering, that goes on, but of course, they can do nothing to control the members Of the crews and they feel that if cases of theft are condemned for the sake of retaining the services of men afloat their own position will be made even more uncomfortable than It is at present. i