WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3448, 30 March 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

.._-..—_.__._.._j -.__—..._.__.. THE SAMOAN PARTY. IMPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS. ‘ ‘ (Special Correspondent.) i WELLINGTON, March 29. *, The Wellington and Southern nlembers of the parliamentary expedition ito Samoa reached town on Saturday with many pleas-ant impressions of the ‘islands they ‘visited, and some diverse opinions as to their future administration and development. They are unaniitnous in thinking labour the crying ineed of the South Pacific, but here their unanimity ends. Some see no alternative to the “indentured” system, others would retain it with cer'tain modifications and tlle Labour members of the party would sweep it away altogether. Mr Holland and his friends are preparing a report upon their investigations for} publication, ‘but meanwhile they are making it E quite plain that the existing order of lthings does not meet. with their approval. Sir James Allen, the leader of i the expedition, will not return to VVel- - Eington before Tliursday. and until his £arri\—'al his colleagues will not discuss the subject. 1 LIBERALISM AND LABOUR. 5 The Dominion is a. little exercised iby the fact that a Labour candidate I has not yet entered the contest for the iStrat.ford seat. It has been stated by one or two of the papers published in the constituency that Mr Masters is the nominee of the Liberal and Labour parties, and the Wellington paper wants to know if Labour has abandonled the sturdy independence it professed and practised at the general «flec‘tion. “There was a time not. so long ago,” it says, “when Oflicial Labour ‘threatened to contest every vacant iseat, yet there are two by-elections lafoot, and not an Official Labour can- [ didate in sight.” Of course, -there was ‘not. a Labour candidate in either the iStrat.ford of the Bruce seat last De‘ceniber, and there is not likely to be lone at either of the by-eleetiorrs, but lit is obvious that the chances of the ‘party in power would be vastly improved if Labour could be persuaded to enter the contest. A LABOUR VIEW.

A representative member of the Labour Party, discussing the position this morning-——'unot’fieially, as he was; careful to say——protested against the assumption that Laboifr was ready to be made the tool of either of the other parties at election time. For educa-A tive purposes, the Labour Party contested several seats at the general election without any great hope of success, but its candidates were not put forward with the wanton purpose of helping the Reformers against the Liberals, or the Liberals against the Reformers. What did happen in several constituencies. notably in Avon, was that the Reforrners by Withholding any candidate of their own and casting their votes for the Labour cunditlnte. managed to wrest seats from the Liberals. But there had been no sort of collusion between Labour and Reform, and Labour was not likely to enter either the Stratford or the Bruce contest merely to help one of the other parties. BOARD OF TRADE. Mr W. G. Mt-Donald, the chairman of’ the Board of Trade, has given to the newspapers :1 statement concerning the operations by the Board which contains one or two crumbs of comfort. for the public. He states that in spite of the fact of a rise in the price of sugar in Australia there is no immediate prospect. of arise in the price here. He admits the method of distribution is net ent.il-ely satisfactory, but the Board is trying to effect an improvement. If there is any ‘hoarding it is on the part of consumers, noton the part of speculators, and, in any case cannot be on a large scale. The cenieirt position ‘is being Idaily ‘improved, owing to the better supply of coal, and it is hoped that in the course of a few weeks the shortage will be relieved altogether. As for petrol, there is new suflicient stocks in sight to sa.tisfy_a"Jl normal requirements, and there is no lon,r__rer any danger of daiigving operations tbeing inflerrupt-' ed through the luck at‘ driving‘ power ‘for milking machinery.

SPORTING.

SWANEE RIVER SCRATCHED. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Swannee River has been scratched for all engagements at the. G.J.C. meeting.