WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3440, 20 March 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

_WELLINGTON, March 19.

The Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald returned to Wellington on VVednesd3_V night after an absence of five or six weeks during which he has been resting and receiving treatment for his injured arm. He is greatly improved in health, but his arm still is giving him some trouble,‘ and he is not yet out of the handsgof the doctors. The immediate purpose of his return to town was to join in the farewell to his old colleague, the Hon. A. M. Myers, and he is not inclined to discuss politics in any detail while the Prime Minister is lying on a sick bed. In a chat this morning, however, he indicated very plainly he had no intention of offering any factions opposition to the Government. “We want to help the Ministry in dealing with the big problems by which it isi'confronted,” he said, “and [ hope Mr Massey will accept our assistance in the spirit it will be ofi:'ered.” ‘That ‘is the Liberal policy for the moment. ', BON VOYAGE. .

It. was a very cordial gathering inaugurated. by the :-Commercial Travel-. lers’ Association yesterday, to bid. farewell to the Hon. A. M. Myers, who is leaving today with his family on 8, visit to England. After the commercial men had - paid warm. tributes ‘to! their guest’s perso'nala-wand business qualities, the politicians out-did them in rh"0i1" eulogisticireferences to «Me? Mr Myers’ loyalty as a colleague, chivalry as an opponent and industry, _. ability and integrity as a public ser-__ vant. Mr W; D. s. MacDonald said’ New’ Zealand eauld never know‘ the“ full measure of its indebtedness to Mr Myers, but for years to come it would i be benefiting from his foresight, sound administraiion, and untiring devotion to duty. No man had done more for this Dominion in the days of its greatest. trial and none deserved better of its people.’ His absence even for a. single session would be a great loss to Parliament and to the eountny. THE STRATFOR-D SEAT.

The unseating of Mr Robert Masters, the chosen representative of a. n_lajol'ity of the electors of Stratford, has come as a surprise to political circles here. Of course, the intepretation of the law by the learned judges is not questioned for a single moment. Their finding is clearly expressed and is incontrovertibly supported by the statute. But the law itself is being widely denounced as the proverbial “Hass.” It. seems to have created a purely technical oifenvi of which the most punctilious candigate for Parliament, nfight be guilty, and t 0 II3,V'C pl‘Ovided a penalty that could fall justly only on corruption. That the judges recognised its flagrant inconsistency may be gathered from the fact that they have held Mr Masters to be innocent of any intentional impropriety, and given him leave to contest the seat again. It is cold comfrot, but apparently all they could offer. Whether Mr Masters will recontest the seat is not yet known, but already :1 movement is on foot. to ensure his

doing so. THE MINISTER OF LANDS.

The ‘Hon. D. H. Guthrie, the Minisfor of Lands, has been alarming some of his timid friends lately by talking at large of a Land Amendment Bill

he has in preparation for the approaching session of Parliament. Possibly the newspaper reports of his rcmarks -have not given a very clear in» rlicntion of his intent-ions. but many people have read them to mean that he is contemplating granting the freehold of endowment lands,‘ and employing‘ compulsion in the subdivision _of native estates. If these. are planks in the Minis‘ter’3 new land policy they will revive many of the old controversies and give mortal offence to the native members sitting on his own side of the House. No doubt Mr Gruthire will disclose the main features of his Bi]! before the House meets. but at the moment speculation is running Plot. round the subject, and Hm Miinster’3 critics are not seeking to make his way easy. A