WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 October 1918, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE BY-ELECTION.

LAST WORDS.

. (Special Coresepondsnt.) Wellington, Sept. .30. Mr. flildreth, the nominee of the Liboral Party and the accepted candidate of the National Cabinet for the vacant Wellington Central seat in the House of Representatives, made his iirst platform appearance on Friday evcnng, and, on the whole, acquitted himself well. He spoke clearly and fluently and with a good understanding of most of the questions he discussed. Generaly his speech was an endorsement of the policy put forward by the Liberal Party at the last general election—proportional tation, reduction in cost of living, nationalisation of coal mines and shipping services, State control ol the liquor traffic, revision of labor laws, «ind so forth—and the complaint of the Labor and Radical parties is that he has vaised their flag tor the purpose of getting into Parliament with the intention of servin» under the leaders of the "Tory" com" bmation.

A CENERAL ELECTION. The suggestion that Mr. Hildretb. is sailing under false colors jo, of course", not justified. He has accepted the Liberal nomination—not eagerly, as some of biß opponents have stated, tot with very considerable reluctance—on the understanding that he will observe the terms of the "party truce" till after the war. But this is not preventing him urging in most emphatic terms that a general election should be held at the earliest possible moment In this he is receiving support from members of the two older parties as well as from membens pf the (Labor Party, and from all one sees and hears it would not bo at all surprising to find the Cabinet itself, during the approaching session facilitating the way towards a dissolution. It is being whispered about that neither Mr. Massey nor Sir Joseph Ward would be averse to such a development.

THURSDAY'S .DECISION. The general opinion here is that the contest on Thursday, for all practical purposes, will lie between Mr. Hildreth, the Government's candidate, and Mr P. Eraser, the Labor candidate, Mr. Mack will detach a, good many votes from both the official candidates, but probably in such equal numbers that his presence in the field will not materially affect their relative positions on the poll. Mr Atmore, probably the most effective platform speaker of all the canf didates, will have no solid body of support behind him and cannot hope to do better than fill fourth place. The other two candidates, both, of course, inspired iby . admirable intentions, need not be taken into serious account. As hetweeen Mr. Hildreth and Mr. Fraser, the deciding factor will be the loyalty. <©i the Reform electors to the party com? pact. With their support the Liberal nominee will be safe. THE TRAMWAY TROUBLE. , '.

The tramway trouble dragging on its tiresome and rather ludicrous way, The long-suffering iniljjic, at first inclined to sympathise with the men, are now pronouncing a plaugue ijjj both parties and blaming the City council for not exercising a stronger hand in bringing about a settlement, The men's grievance is that their living wage, in tho face of the high cost of living, is dependent upon their wording overtime. This, of course, is opposed to all the tenets of modern Labor creed, and. so far, the men seem to stand on fairly firm ground. But the "go-slow" policy, which means missed trains and much business and social inconvenience, is rapidly exhausting the patience of.the public, and if a settlement is not reached'within the next few days there will he an insistent demand from many quarters for intervention by the highest authorities-