WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1920, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

REFORMING THE CONSTITUTION, THE ELECTIVE EXECUTIVE, Correspondent.)' , Wellington, Oct. 4 Mr. Statham with his Elective Executive Bill and Mr. Hunter with his Gaming Bill No. 2, were wise in not accepting for this evening's sitting of the House the "fair runs" the Prime Minister has promised them for their measures. Monday sittings this session so far have not been taken very seriously and members living at a distance trom Wellington have not denied themselves their usual "week ends." As it happens, both Mr. Statham and Mr. Hunter will be awa,y from the House this evening, but even had they been present and accepted Mr. Massey's siifegestion they would have been at the mercy of a handful of members that inight have given their proposals a short shrift and a speedy dispatch. This is likely to be the fate of Mr. Statham's Bill in any ease. The elective executive, though admirable in theory, does not for various reasons appeal to present day politicians and the mere fact that its adoption would involve a far reaching reform of the Constitution itself will provide them with a ready excuse for their opposition. THE GAMING BILL. J

Mr. Hunter's Gaming Bill is a measure of quite a different character and probably will be treated in quite a different way. It proposes to increase the number of totalisator permits by thirtysix, twenty to b;> awarded to trotting clubs, ten to racing clubs, and eight to hunt clubs, and as many members of the House have had its virtues expounded to them by their constituents it is more likely than not it will make its way on to the Statute Book. Even Mr. Luke, the Mayor of Wellington and member for the northern division of the city, who habitually looks askance at all frivolities of life, has given something more than a lhalf-iheairted promise of support to the measure. The serious opposition will come from Mr. Isitt, Mr. McCombs and half a dozen other avowed "anti-r&cing" members, who may manage at this stage of the session to kill the Bill by the sheer obstruction a determined minority can always maintain.

BUTTER. i TIiJ local retail price to be fixed for , the new season's butter is a question wi tli more interest for the great mass of the community just now than has either the Elective Executive Bill or the Gaming Bill. In an obviously inspired statement published this morning it is indicated that no official announcement on the subject will be made for a few days yet. The Butter Committee still has to report to the Government, and when it does this the Government will have to determine whether or not any concession shall be obtained for the con. sumers .by a subsidy to the producers from the Consolidated Fund. The constitution of the committee and the evidence of the dairymen have left little doubt in the minds of observant people that the farmers will get the price they are demanding, but there is a feelin'" abroad that the intervention of the Government will keep the retail price below the 2a (id or 2s 10 a pound that has been predicted. PARTIES AND POLITICS. SIR JAMES CARROLL'S VIEW. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Oet. G. < Sir James Carroll, who stood sponsor for Mr. Lysnar during the Bay of Plenty by-election, accepts the defeat of the Independent Liberal candidate as philosophically as he did his own defeat in the adjoining constituency last December, "It was a good contest," he says, "carried out in a sporting spirit on both sides. The polling was disappointingly small, but the roads all over the district were atrociously bad and with no real party issue at stake it is easier than it usually is to make excuses for the people wiio did not record their votes." Sir James does not think a full poll would have jnade any material difference in the result. The Bay of Plenty seat, he explains, was held by Mr. MaeDonald rather than by the Liberal Party, and when Mr. MaeDonald passed away the inclination of a majority of the electors was towards the ' ''top dog'' in politic*. APPALLING APATHY. "This may not be very admirable," Sir James said by way of comment upon the "cop dog" tendency, "but it is very natural. Our present system of administration loaves the gifti of all good things in the hands of (lie Government of the day and the vast majority of Hie electors imagine Governments habitually look with more favor in this respect upon their political friends than tlioy do upon their political opponents. This 1 is unjust to the average Minister of any < color so far as it implies that he pur- 1 chases and rewards support by bribes 1 from the public purse or by improper ; concessions. .Such things are not done these days. Tliev have never been done within my recollection. The peril to our public life is not the corruption of Parliament, but the appalling apathy , of the people." THE EVOLUTION PROCESS f Sir James smiles at the suggestion I that the Liberal Party is "down and i out." "What matter," he asks, "so long as Liberal principles and Liberal ideals persist?" He remembers tile time when the comparatively mild Liberalism preached by Mr. John fiallance was being denounced by Mr. Masscy arid his friends as red revolution, and the Liberal Premier ami his six colleagues stigmatised as the /'Seven Devils of Socialism"; but year by year lie has seen the Conservatives of these days, now J figuring under another title, appropriating more and more of the red revolu- " tionary policy, till now they have absorbed pretty well the whole lot and are J looking anxiously around for more. The ' supply must come from the progressive 11 elements in the House, and by and by " the progressive elements wili get together again and see the advantage of administering their own policy for them- [j selves. ° THE LEADERSHIP. ll Meanwhile Sir James congratulates o Mr. Wilford upon his promotion to the ( leadership of the Liberal Party. He ei not only hopes, but he also believes, the o: member for ffutt will fill the position D with credit to himself and with advan- n; lage to the party and the country. He ha» youth on hit aid#, at yeutt it «avmt' .*3Hf out, 4

Ed among politicians, tho veteran points out, many years of accumulated ftxporieiice, a generous education and the fighting qualities of his race, But Sir James loo\a for no strenuous fighting during the life of the present Parliament. Mr, Massey ia the man in possession, and it would be quite futile to attempt to oust him, except in the improbable event of his being guilty of some flaming indiscretion. The policy of the Liberal Party should be to make the welfare of the whole community its first concern and to give its cordial support to every reasonAble measure introduced by the Government towards that end. I