WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3457, 10 April 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

I ROUGH WEATHER. ii SCARCITY OF FUEL. { (Special Correspondent.) 1 ' WELLINGTON, April 9. ‘ No sooner were the Easter holidays over than Wellington, which had revelled in a week of delightful, sum-mer-like weather, was swept by a furious gale of wind and rain and plunged into all the discomforts of winter, including a prediction by -the Government Meteorologist that snow is at hand. Shipping is utterly disorganis—ed and all but absolutely necessary outside occupations suspended, while people compelled to come into town from the widely scattered suburbs are doing so with the utmost discomfort. Wellington, in short, is at its worst. The disagreeable visitation has brought home to many a household in very disagreeable fashion the gravity of the coal sh-ortage.. V. The State Coal Depot and the private dealers have been keptbusy "during the last forty-eight hours telling a shivering public they have no’ supplies and-Awill have none‘ -till ‘next week—at earliest.- The former method bf distribution seems to have utterly broken down. ELEC'I‘O*RAL REFORM.

It--is sign-ificant"‘of the trend of public -opinion in regard to the "question of electoral reform‘ that the “Evenillg Post, 1’ which three "or four years ago was scofiing at proportional representation is now implying it is the only system offering safe*ty_-_for the Demo-cracy. It declares that “first past the post is Ibetter than "the second ballot, or rather that the second ballot is worse than kfirst past_ the post,” and urges Mr ‘MacDonald, the leader of the Liberal Party, to come forward with a bold proposal that will give the country a lead. Mr MacDonald when seen on the subject thismorning said he could not commit the Liberal Party to any particular system of electoral reform till he had conferred with its members_,“"on the subject, but personally he " thought electoral reform should be one of the first questions,dealt with by the Government and that the object of Parliament should be to make itself as nearly as possible a reflection of public opinion in thecountry . THE PRINCE’S SAFETY.

A good deal of curiosity and some amusement has been occasioned here by a statement made by the General Manager of Railways to the effect that it would be unsafe to bring the train by which the Prince of Vvales will arrive in Wellington‘ on to the Lanibton Station and that his Royal Highness will have to alight at Thorndon Station, a dingy edifice dumped down in a part of the capital city of which its people are not particularly proud. The “Dominion? referring to the matter this morning suggests that an easy Way to settle the controversy that is going on would be for "the General Manager “to explain exactly what the hidden perils are that make communication between Thorndon and Lambton so preca.rious.” As a matter of fact hundreds of people travel between the two stations every day of the week. The public is waiting for the managerfs report. REVIVED ZEAL. Another subject of more or l.ess amused comment in the city is the publication this morning of new regulations ‘designed for ‘restricting the use of the Post and Telegraph Office for betting purposes. Of course the use of the offices for these purposes is prohibited by the Gaming Act, but of late years the law has Ibeen more scandalised in its breach than‘ honoured in its observance. In Welling*?oll. at any rate, both the Host Oflice and the Telegraph Oflice have been as freely used tpr betting transactions ‘as they have for business communications. and apparently no effort at all has been made to repair this state of affairs. Now, however, renewed threats have been sprung upon the offenders; ‘and if the authorities prove themselves to he in earnest they win do much for the correction» of public morality. ‘

. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. f Taiha.pe.——B\H.C.; 11 Child:-en’s sets vice; 7 p.m. " . ' i MozLwhang.o.——-2.30. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. ‘Q Taihape.——ll a.m. Communion Set-I vice, Rev, J. 0. Loan. Taihape.-7 p.m., Rev. J. C. Loan. Matal-0a.——2.3<0 p.m. Communion: Service, Rev. J. 0. Loan, SALVATION ARMY. I;

Taihape.——ll am. and 7 p.m., Brig” adier Toomer. f Bennett’s Siding.——3 p.m., Brigadiefi;

Toomer

Sunday 11th, is known as Mothers’ Day throughout the Salvation Army,, and ser°vices will be conducted bin Brigadier and Mrs Toomer in the Army Hall, On Monday night thel Brigadier will give experiences ofi. early day warfare, concluded by a‘Blanc Mange and Jelly Supper. Ticku ets can be had for the small sum ofi sixpence. ' ‘ - ‘

‘CATHOLIC CHURCH. Taiha.pe.—-Mass 9 a.m.; Devotions‘

7* pm.“

2vlallg'(-m"veka_—Mass, 11 21.111