WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3398, 31 January 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE SAMOAN TRIP,

SIR JAMES A,LLEN’S DEFENCE.

(Special Correspondent.) . ~___.... WELLINGTON, aJn. 29. Though many people are applying the familiar French proverb to Sir James Allen’_s« defence of the Samoa trip, holding the Minister’s excuses to justify the popular criticism of the “parliamentary jaunt,” the weight of sober public "opinion inclines to the view that if the members of the two Houses” apply themselves earnestly to the study of South Pacific problems during their absence Parliament will be much better qualified to deal with these problems when they come up for serious consideration than it is at [present This, at any rate, is the view members themselves are taking, the two sections of the Labour Party being, proportionately, as largely represented as the Reform and Liberal Partiers among the Minister's guests. Mr W. D. S. MacDonald, the leader

of the Liberal Party, has not declined :6 the invitation to join the glad throng ' as a mark of disapproval of the expenditure involved, but as a very proper concession to the authority of his medical adviser. _, THE LIBE,RAL LEADER. Mr MacDonald has not yet fully recovered from the accident which hefell him durin-g last session of Parliament, the very strenuous travelling he did during the election Campaign, much of it on horseback over extremely rough roads, having retarded the mending of his ‘broken arm_ But he is in daily attendance at his rooms in “the Buildings?’ and the business requiring his attention there has compelled him to -defer the brief holiday on which he intended starting this week, He has received a great number of congratulations upon his appointment as leader of his party, some of them from his political opponentslather dubious compliments,‘ ‘as he says himself, upon which he is plac-

ing the best possible interljfetation. 9 He is watching the course of events very’ keenly find though he is not anxious to hurry into disputationg he probably will have something to say on the political situation in the near future. ' THE COAL SHORTAGE. The deputation that come from Westport this week mainly to urge the opening up of the great coal measures at Charleston as a model State

mine did not get a great deal of sat-

isfaction from the Prime Minister. ‘gr Massey was attentive and sym-N -pathetic, but the discussion speedily drifted away from the new coal field to the attitude of the miners. The “go slow” policy was beyond the Minister’s comprehension, particularly as the miners themselves were the chief sufierers from its operation, and -he could not understand why the men should deny themselves a further conference With the owners by insisting upon the recognition of the Alliance of Labour. He believed that Without this demand an agreement satisfactory to -both parties could be speedily reached; This drew" the member for Buller into the discussion and the main purpose of the deputatioii drifted out of sight. THE PRIME MINISTER TURNS. Addressing another deputation that waited upon him yesterday Mr Massey protested, apparently with some reason, against the growing disposition of the public to lean on the Government. “Just now,” he said, “if a man

wants a pound of sugar or a gallon of petrol he sends a telegram to the Prime Minister and asks that it be sent to him by post. The same is ,-’ being done about coal_ I don’f think éthere need be any anxiety about the supply of coal for some time to come andpl have information which shows that the Sugar Company is turning . out as much sugar to-day as it has at any previous time in its history.” This, of course, is one of the penal- ; ties a. democratic Government suf- ‘ ferg for entering upon trading «anterprises, but if these enterprises were accompanied by more business-like management they probably _ cmlld prove very much less of a Worry to - the Pl'ime Minister and his colleagues.