WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3314, 18 October 1919, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

~ :‘- THE NAVY. ADNiIRA*-L J-ELLI.COE’S REPORT. ’ ' (Special Correspondent.) - - , ‘WELLINGTON, Oct. 17. iLord J ellicoe’s report upon naval defence, which was handed to the Grover-nor-General just before his Lord.ship’s departure fnom New Zealand, and which is ’§fi"mmarised in the newspapers this morning, is a very comprehensive document. Of _course, the whole of ‘the report is not made public, there being portions of it ‘that must be regarded as confidential, but suflicient ‘details are available to make it plain that the Admiral proposes the Dominion should‘ take up its fair share of the cost of maintaining the Pacific Fleet, beginningwith an annual expenditure of £357,000 and advancing‘ by rapid graduations to £1,166,100. This is- a somewhat large? expenditure than -the politicians on ‘outlier side of -the poli-' tics have been contemplating, the contribution being on'e-fourth of that suggested .’_c'or Australia. while the population of New Zealand is only one-fifth of; that of the Commonwealth. The contributions, however are calculated upon population and external (nude together and possibly public -unn*ml in the Don‘-.inl'u: will r--gird this h-Isis as sound-ezlou,;‘~_l. . - THE POLITICAL ' ASPECT. The “Dominion” insists that. the Admiral’s proposals should put an end to the controversy between the -advocates of creating a “so-called local navy.” It does not state fully the difference between the contending parties, but it admits “both points of view have much to commend them,” -and claims “both are-Ireasonably -met under -Lord Jellicoe’s' recommendations.” There this aspect ‘of the questionwvery well'may be allowed to rest, but it is evident from what was said ‘by the party leaders. in the House. yesterday there is still room. for some diflerence of ‘opinion. Sir Joseph Ward, in asking that a day should be set aside-fiotr the dis-« cussion of «the report, urged that"every part of -the country was deeply inter-‘ ested,in the subject, and that while it was desirable it-should be fully con-, sidered it was equally desirable. it should be kept free from party polirtics. Mr Massey concurred'with this .view, and promised that not, less, thanan afternoon, and possibly a whole day, would be given to the discussion of the report. The scheme would not come into -operation till 1920-21, so that its adoption mould not affect this year ’s finance. ‘ - SUGA-R SUPPLIES. ' House-wives who have been alarmed by the shortage of sugar during the last‘ few weeks will be reassured by a memorandum furnished to the Prime Minister by the Board of Trade yesterday. “The Colonial Sugar Company state,” this memorandum runs, “that the shortage of supplies in‘ southern, -ports is due to lack of shipping, __and that the shortage in Auckland was due to a-week’s wet weather preventing the loading and discharging of sugar. The Company has, however, this week ship? ped, per s.s.. Navua, 240 tons to Oamaru, Timaru and Dunedin, per s.-s. Mokoia 700 tons 1330 Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin, and 3-20 ‘tons have been dis. tributed in Auckland. This should re-4 lieve the plress'ure.” While writing in this encouraging way of the ap--preaching relief, the Board admits that the position generally is not so favourable as it was last season. The lack of reserve stocks is due to the shortened output during the epidemic, and to shipping difliculties, and the ‘former position cannot be restored for some time.

THE ELECTIONS. . Though the business before Parliament and in "view is sufiiciemt to keep it occupied fair _another two or three months, the Prime Minister is giving members to understand they will be re. leased not later than the first week of November. This will mean jettisonnig a large amount of the matter now on the Order Paper, and putting the Pub-I lic Works Estimates through Committee at lightning speed, but the majority -of the members are in the mood to assist the Government in this direcQtion. They are growing very restless in face of a report thartthe election will ' be held not later than the second Week in December. For four years they have done little platform work in their constituencies, and many -of them are confrontegl with altered boundaries and ’ unknown electors. The general ofiinion here isvthat the campaign will not- be prolonged fo,r._more than five weeks after the en‘d of the session, and that ' an unusual number of fresh faces will appear in the new Pafliament. Each of M the three parties, of course, professes - to ‘believe the changes are. going to be In its favour, but, as a. niatter of fact, very‘ little information can "be i=-vigbtained in Wellington concternifig the temper of the constituencies, and most of the predictions are based upon ‘the ‘ wisll<whic‘n is father to the thought.