WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, 26 March 1919, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

LABOUR AND MUNICIPAL

POLITICS.

A FULL TICKET.

(Special Correspondent.)

HELLINGTON, March 24.

Labour issued its full ticket foi the municipal elections this morning, and -will begin its active campaign to-night. The gentlemen selected to contest the Mayoralty, Mr J. Read, has strong claims on the party for service rendered in the past, but he is only moderately equipped for the task that lies before him. He will arouse no enthusiasm among the members of his own party and will lattract little supoprt from the great army of unattached voters. Should there be any large amount of vote-splitting among two or three more orthodox candidates, however, the superior organisation of the Labourites would tell, and the capital city might bo saddled during the- approaching time of crisis with a mayor who would scarcely prove acceptable to the business community. WAKING UP. But there is a growing feeling throughout the city that new blood of a vigorous, reforming kind is required in the Council. The “old gang” is calling to its aid the vital statistics and claiming they show Wellington to have the lowest deathrate among the lajvgc centres of population, and, therefore, to be the best manage}! municipality in the Dominion. But many 'observant electors are beginning to realise that the city owes its happy position in this respect to its invigorating climate, its high winds and its torrential rains, which repair much of the neglect of its local authority. Firm in this belief, many of them will give votes to some of the more sano and stable Labour candidates for the Council in The hope they will stir that body into greater activity.

The Welfare League and the New Political Party are oorh busy, each in its own way, explaining they have no connection with one mother. The difference between them seems to be that while the Welfare League would make a drastic revision of the personnel of the present Par 01101001; the New Political Party would icav; the rank and file alone and provide them with new leaders. Both o sanitations are suffering severely from their aversion to publicity. The Welfare League in rather ambiguous terms, bas declared its attachment to certain high ideals, mainly the common property of all parties, and the New Political Party has confined itself, so far, to conjuring with names. Neither has yet taken the public into its confid encc, and both are hazarding the cheap jests that have brought about the downfall of many a similar enterprise THE ABSENT MINISTERS. The latest nows of "Mr. Massey ana Sir Joseph Ward, gathered from other sources than those primarily open to the public, in that both the Ministers are being kept very busy in connection ■with the Peace Conference. The littre misunderstanding in regard to a second delegate from New Zealand wm

speedily overcome in a way entire': 7 satisfactory to them both and S:r Joseph. Ward’s status in the proceedings is now no less distinguished than that of his child. It is certain that the Dominion will be represented In London by a Resident Minister, an arrangement which will make frequent

trips Home by other Minister unnr—cssary. This, of course will be subject to the approval of Parliamen*. but that is scarcely likely to be wlrnheld. The signing of peace will followed quickly by the return of noth Ministers to New Zealand.