WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 September 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE VACANT SEAT. THE GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Sept. 8. The Government has lost no time in announcing its candidate for the Bay of Plenty seat in the House of Representatives, vacated bv the death of the Hon. W. D. S. Mao Donald. Mr. K. S. Williams, whom Mr. Mao Donald defeat* ed at the general election by a thousand odd votes, has again been selected to carry the Reform banner, and probably in personal equipment no stronger candidate os that side of politics could be found. Mr. Williams is a good sportsman,- ii farmer, and withal a good fellow. His lines have been cast in pleasant places and he has not made them less agreeable. But he has had no,occasion, and perhaps no,groat inclination, to make himself acquainted with national politics. So far he has been content to take his views from his party' leader, as most young candidates for Parliament do, and to adapt them to circumstances as they arise. But lie has had experience on local bodies, and in this sphere is lacking neither in initi. ative nor administrative ability. THE OTHER SIDE. The members of the Liberal Party in the House held a meeting last evening for the purpose of discussing the question of party leadership, and presumably at this meeting the approaching byelection was mentioned; but at the time of writing no official announcement ia regard to the candidate has been made. Bay of Plenty is very largely a farming constituency, and the general opinion in party circles is that it was hold by Mr. AlacDonald on account of hia personal popularity, and not on account of hia politics. Mr. Mao Donald himself did not subscribe to' this view, and discussing With some of his friends two or three months ago the possibility of his illhealth compelling him to retire, he expressed himself as satisfied that a really progressive man, a farmer for preference, with Radical tendencies could hold the constituency for Liberalism. It wag a mistake, he said, to suppose the farmers were a conservative section of the community. Their very occupation made them observant and enterprising New the teat has to be made there appears to be no one remaining in the ranks of the Liberal' Party quite so confident about the matter. PENSIONS. Members found an opportunity in the House yesterday afternoon to talk pen sions in five minute spells, and, notwithstanding this limitation of time, they managed to say a great many things concerning old age, widows', and military pensions which ought to set Parliament and the country thinking, The amounts of pensions were fixed when the cost of living was some 50 per cent, lower than it is to-day, and, just sufficient to keep body and soul together ten or fifteen years ago, are now falling far short of that inadequate service. Mr. George Mitchell made a special appeal for the military pensioners, whose needs perhaps were more obvious than those of pther sufferers. The member for Wellington South had been in communication with Ministers on the subject before, urging a 75 per cent, increase all vound, but though he obtained a promise from the Prime Minister to make some concession this season, he was not encouraged to hope it would nearly approach what he conceived to be the men's due.

BUTTER. Though the local retail price of butter from the beginning of next month ia not yet officially fixed., it seems unlikely to be less than 2s !)d or 2s lOd a pound. Of course, if the Government decides to subsidise the producers from the Consolidated Fund, as it eventually did last season, the price may not rise higher than 23 Cd a pound, but even this would be a tremendous jump from the Is 9d the consumers are now paying. Mr. Massey is setting up a committee of the House to advise him on the subsidising question, a proceeding which would have provoked many a jibe in the "bad old days" when Mr Massey himself was among those constantly jeering at the Ministers of the day for screening themselves behind select committees and royal commissions. But the House does not indulge in criticism of that kind in these days, and there never was any real harm in the Government seeking' the assistance of committees or commissions in solving knotty problem*,