WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

COST OP LIVING. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Nov. 8. Mr. Massey is not always optimistic in these difficult days. Once or twiei lately he has struck dolorous note* concerning the finances of toe country and frequently has warned the pUDIu ' that expenditure must not go on mount* ing up as it has been doing in .thi recent past. In the House of. Repre* sentatives on Friday, however, he e*' ' pressed quite a cheerful view in regard to the cost of living—«ueerful, that i% in comparison with the actual expertenee of many a sorely perplexed nous*' wife. He thought that the CMt ol living had reached its" maximum and ] that in the near future there would b« an appreciable decline. Potatoes were down and tea was down. The bottom i had fallen out of the hides market and there was an over supply of wool. Cpn- ; sequently there must be a drop in the prices o*f boots and in the prices" of ,s clothes. ]i

COLD COMFOrm These statements were received In the House without any great outburst of enthusiasm. So few member* pretend to know anything about high finance or abtrusc questions of economics that the Prime Minister's little excur:Koji ; along these lines rarely provokes any discussion. Outside Parliament, how- ; ever, there are scoffers who refuse to believe the decline in the price of potatoes and in the price of tea, is going to he of any material advantage to people who really need relief. They say that even on Mr. Massey's own figures the saving to a family of three. or four will not be more than a shilling a week and will not nearly counter* ■, balance the increased cost of butter. Then, they say. there is sure to'be dearer bread and dearer milk and no immediate reduction in the prices of either boots or clothes. PERILOUS POLITICS.

The division in the House of R(tprt- ' sentativcg on the Legislative Council's amendment to the Marriage Bill is attracting more attention than has any other incident during the present session. The question seems to have been decided on strictly party lines and people are refusing to believe that practically all the Reformers honestly felt one way, and practically all the Liberal and Labour members honestly felt the, other way. Th« alternative is the as-' sumption that a very considerable pro.-, portion of the members on both side*; were swayed less by their concern fo*''.;'. the marriage law than by their expert* i enec during the election campaign, It V would appear from what was nam i»: the House that the Protestant Political Association took a very active part in the campaign and that in doing so re- ■ vived in the politics of the country, a very perilous element moat people had supposed to be dead.