WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE SAMOA TEIP. SIR JAMES ALLEN'S DEFENCE. (Special Correspondent) Though many people are applying the familiar French proverb to Sir James Allen's defence ot the Samoa trip, holdinif the Minister's excuses to justify the popular criticism of the "parliamentary jaunt," the weight of sober public opinion inclines to the view that if the members of the two Houses apply 'themselves earnestly to the study of South Pacific problems during their absence.'Parliament will be. much better qualified to deal with these problems when they come up for serious consideration than it is at present. This, at any rate, is the view members themselves are taking, the two the Labor Party being, proportionately, as largely represented as the Reform and Liberal Parties among the Minister's guests. Mr. W D. S. Mac Donald, the leader of the Liberal Party, has not declined the invitation to' join the glad throng as a mark of disapproval of the expenditure involved, but as a very proper concession to the authority of his medical adviser. THE LIBERAL LEADER. Mr. Mac Donald has not yet fully recovered from the accident which befel him during last session of Parliament, the very strenuous travelling hj did during the election campaign, much of it on horse-back over extremely rougft roads, having retarded the mending of his broken arm. But he is in daily attendance at his rooms in "the Buildings," and the business requiring his attention there has compelled him to defer the brief holiday on which he intended starting this week. He has received a great number of congratulations upon his appointment as leader of his party, some of them from his political opponents—lather dubious compliments, as he says himself, upon which he is placing the best possible interpretation. He is watching the course of events very keenly and though he is not anxious to hurry into disputations he probably will have something to say on the political situation in the near future. THE COAL SHORTAGE The deputation that came from Westport this week, mainly to urge the opening up of the great coal measures at Charleston as a model State mine, did not get a great deal of satisfaction from the Prime Minister. Mr. Masseywas attentive and sympathetic, but tlie discussion speedily drifted away from the new coal field to the attitude of the miners. The "go slow" policy was beyond the Minister's comprehension, particularly as the miners themsjlves were the chief Aifferers from its operation, and ho could not understand why the pien should deny themselves a further conference with the owners by insisting upon the recognition of the Alliance of Labor. He believed that without this demand an agreement satisfactory to both parties could be speedily reached. This drew the member for Buller into the discussion and the main purpose of the deputation drifted out of eightTHE PRIME MINISTER TURNS. Addressing another deputation that waited upon him yesterday Mr. Masscy protested, apparently with some reason, against the growing disposition, of the public to lean on the Government. ''Just now," he said, "if a man wants a pound of sugar or a gallon of petrol he send? a telegram to the Prime Min : ister and asks that it be sent to him by post. The same is being done about coal. I don't thin there need be any anxiet.v about the supply of coal for some time to come, and I have information which shows that the Sugar Company is turning out as much sugar today as it has at any previous time in its history." This, of course, is one of the penalties a democratic Government suffers for entering upon trading enterprises, but if these enterprises were accompanied by more ibusinessi-like management thev ptqbably would prove very i much less of a wry to the Prime Miii- ' s*tei ius