WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 April 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. MORE KICKS THAN COMPLIMENTS. L At the luncheon preemnng the annual meeting of the Wellington Cham- , her of Commerce, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance made speeches ■which were intended for others than the business man to whom they were immediately addressed. Both the Ministers had somethin., to say about the criticism that had been, directed against the National Government and they said it in a half-humor-ous vein entirely appropriate to the occasion. Mr. Massey protested that he and his colelagues had received more kicks than compliments, but he was satisfied that when the public understood all they had done and the reason for doing it, the compliments would “come along” right enough. Simply the Government had been toe modest, a mistake it meant to avoid in the future. The sally evoked a. burst of merriment which the Minister accepted as an endorsement of his. view, THE TREASURER’S E 1 TRAVAGANCES. Sir, Joseph Ward took his cue fronr his chief and before dealing with more serious matters alluded to someof the extravagances that had been, laid to his charge. He had beem. accused of taking a party of ladies to the theatre and spending 50s on chocolates for his guests. He had not spent a single shilling. A certain: newspaper had declared the furniture in his office had cost £IO,OOO. He certainly had had it valued by an expert and had been told it was worth £IOO. But these w r ere the sort of things that gave zest and variety te public life and helped a Minister who was doing his best to believe his real' delinquencies were not so dreadful and flagrant after all. Surely if Mr. Massey and he had committed any grave misdemeanour it would not be necessary to count the number or chocolates their lady friends ate nor to queston their right to use chairs and tables in their services to the country. THE MISSION HOME. Speaking in a more serious' st^'id 1 the Ministers touched upon some of the big post-war problems that : before the Dominion.' "They were not going Home on a pleasure jaunt, but upon a great Imperial mission, to represent the views of New Zealand,‘as. far as they might, on a number of questions that closely fcofccerned 1 "feV-i ery man and woman ' Ini the' country." Party politics, . of course, were; debarred; but Mr. Massey emphasised the need for vastly increased .production and Sir Joseph the importance of making the Empire self-sustaining by~ the rapid and effective development: of all its resources. An interjection gave the Minister of Finance an opportunity to digress for a moment and to express an optimistic view of the future relations between Capital and Labour. Capital would do its part and Labour would do its part, with betterunderstanding and higher aspirations, and the Empire would be strengthened at every point by their frank and friendly co-operation.

CLASS B RESERYIc r ~ The ballot for ten thousand Class B Reservists, married men with one child, has brought the war very near to many homes and numbers of commercial houses. As far as oneicaiL. gather during the twenty-four 'Hours following upon the publication of thelist, there will be a cheerful and in many cases an eager response from, the great majority of the men called to the colours. Hundreds of Reservists included in this class have been waiting their turn, not through any reluctance to serve, but through a desire to make the best possible provision for their families. They have welcomed compulsory service because it. placed upon the State the responsibility of saying just when they, wererequired. The business houses are in a rather different position, some of~ them having to face the loss of a large proportion of their men, and unless returned soldiers come forward? in increasing numbers there will be a much inceased demand for women lahour, '