WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, 1 April 1919, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

POLITICAL CHANGES

SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

WELLINGTON, March 31 Commenting uopn the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald’s recent statement in regard to the difficulties besetting the National Government the “Dominion” his morning accepts as inevitable the early dissolution of the Reform-Liber-al combination. “One thing is very obvious,” it says, “and that is 1 that the National Government under existing conditions has nothing to offer And the reason is to be found in the fact that those forming the Government, expects very soon to be divided into separate camps.” This is no new r conviction brought home to what was formerly described, usually derisively, as the Reform organ by the events of the last few weeks, but the deliberate conclusion of a careful observer of public opinion that has been surprisingly ready to read the social and economic lessons of the war and to adopt the new outlook upon political life.

ADJUSTING) THE POSITION. This new apostle of progress takes the acting leader of the Liberal Party to task for having suggested that certain politicians were trimming their party sails to catch the progress ivc wind. “If Mr MacDonald,” it re- 1 torts, “has not changed any of his opinions as the result of the war and conditions arising out of the war then he must be a very much duller man than he is credited with being. The one thing to-day this country will not tolerate is a political party too wooden or too deeply buried in its own selfcomplacency to have profited by the lessons of the war.” The hit is a perfectly fair one, and Mr. MacDonald cheerfully admits the fact, but the Minister still thinks there is some difference in the purposes to which the lessons of the war may be turned. THE NEW POLITICAL CREED. One of the good results Mr. MacDonald expects to follow upon the association of Liberals and Reformers in the National Cabinet is a much improved personal feeling between the 1 parties. “This. ’ he declares warmly “will bo a matter for general congratiti illation,” But .which ever party may' be in power, he wants to see the Opposition doing its constitutional “There are difficult times before' us,” ho says, “and the country will require a strong capable Parliament to steer it through thorn. A graver responsibility than over will rest upon the electors in choosing their representatives, and upon the representatives in dealing with the vast new problems that have arisen There need be no party bickerings, but there must be very earnest political action.** This all is good common sense and coming from the blunt Minister of Agriculture it sounds like the Ireal thing. GAMBLING. The bookmakers are driving such a flourish business in Wellington and, indeed, all over the country without attracting any serious attention from the authorities that it is not very surprising the recent Police descent upon the Chinese pak-a-poo houses, is provoking a good deal of merriment and some indignation. “Why is this acitivity directed against the Chinese?” one of the local papers asks. “Why are not worse offenders dragged before the Court? Why are bookmakers allowed to practice their calling with* impujnity and prey pn the The whole business certainly is a little incongruous. People who have played pak-a-poo say it is not easy to lose half-a-drown at the game in an hour, but many a patron of the bookmakers loses £5 03: £lO ,or even more to these gentlemen, in two minutes.