WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 December 1919, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE HOLIDAYS. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Dec. 29. Wellington is celebrating the Christmas festival with all the joyous irresponsibility of the pre-war days. Not that it did less than justice to the traditions o£ the season when the tragedy of conflicting civilisations was saddening tlie whole world. But it is different now. The clouds of uncertainty have passed away and the work of reparation and reconstruction has begun. One can rejoice without haunting fears for the future and without apologies for throwing off the cankering cares of every day life for a time. The bettered cpnditions are reflected in the cheery spirit that is abroad, in the crowded trams and trains and steamers, in the tradesmen's takings and in the atmosphere of friendliness and goodwill that prevails everywhere. It is the old peace time back again, with a people chastened by anxiety and sorrow and inspired by new hopes and high resolves. Christmas this year is a festival of very special significance.

A DISCORDANT NOTE. But folic who read their newspapers this morning found just one discordant note had been struck amidst all this rejoicing. Mr. H. E. Holland, the leader of the Official Labor Party, gathered around him on Christmas Sunday in one of tlir city theatres what a reliable witness describes as a "somewhat sparse audience," and poured out for its delectation all the accumulated party bitterness of the election campaign, which wholesome men and women of all shades of opinion lmd laid aside with their work-a-day clothes for the season. Of course his tirade was directed inninly against Sir Joseph Ward, whom he committed to dishonored obscurity for the rest of his days, but it did not spare Mr. Massey, nor any other politician, past, present or to come, who might not see eye to eye with the little party of ex-' treroists that stands for the narrowest interpretation of the democratic creed.

Electoral reform, though its importance has been brought into renewed prominence by the result of the recent appeal to the constituencies, is very properly being discussed as a non-party question by politicians of all shades of opinion. Mr. Massey already has committed himself to the application of proportional representation in the election of members of the Legislative Council, and though the measure lie passed through Parliament towards this end was held in suspense during the continuance of the party truce, it is expected it now will be brought into operation. This will not satisfy the Reformers who have been calling out for the application of the system to the House of Representatives, hut it will discharge the only promise Mr. Mitssey lias made on the subject and with this the Reformers prohablv will have to lie satisfied for the present. A number of Mr. Massey's own supporters, however, are favorable to an extension of the system to the Lower House and they I may force the hand of their leader.