WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1921, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

.MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, April 11. Wellington has not made such a signal success of its municipal government that it need be quoted as an example to other centres of population in this respect. It has beep honestly concerning itflelf, however, during the last two or three weeks over the superfluity of aspirants i for the occupancy of the mayoral chair and to-day it is announced that an arrangement has been made by which one of the two Candidates who have been specially appealing to the Moderate-Progressive-Sane electors will retire, in evder to present a solid front to the Reform - Prohibition and the Labor champions. The arrangement, obtains more than mere local interest from the composition of the committee that is to decide between the two "moderate” candidates. It is representative of the Welfare League, the Central Chamber of Commerce the Scottish Society, the Returned Soldiers’ Association, the Moderate League and the Progress League. Surely there never was a stronger conglomeration of widely diversified interests.

THE PATEA ELECTION. Mr. Massey has returned from his flying electioneering visit to the Patea constituency highly pleased by the reception accorded to him everywhere, and by the prospect of his candidate retaining the seat for the Reform Party. He is not perturbed by the reminder that a year or two ago his candidate was a pillar of Liberalism. "We all,” (he laughingly retorts, ‘‘are evolving a new and better Liberalism from the old.” But he is a little concerned by the unanimity of the feeling displayed at his meeting. “The opposition stopped away,” he complains, "and I had no opportunity to convince them.” Lookers on at the game point to the same fact as a cause for Reform uneasiness. They predict a majority of votes against the Government, but expect them when divided between two candidates to fail in their purpose.

TOTALISATOR AND FINANCIAL STRINGENCY. The totalisatoi; business at the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting last week confirms the popular impression that it is the country clubs rather than the metropolitan clubs that are suffering in revenue from the financial depression. There was a great crowd at Trentham on Saturday and it swarmed around the totalisator as if Mr. Massey’s loan already were floated and the banks had withdrawn their restrictions upon overdrafts. The result was an increase in the investments for the two days, compared with the investments for the corresponding days last year, of £7.789, that is from £131.413 to £139,202. This does not reach the great record of the Auckland Club at Easter time, which showed an increase of twice as much, but still Wellington, like the Queen City, is able to plume itself upon substantial evidence of its financial stability. MR. MASSEY’S PORTFOLIOS. It is rumored that the arrangement, semi-officially announced some days ago, for the custody of the Prime Minister’s portfolio’s during his absence from the Dominion has been revised in several important particulars. It is stated, apparently with authority, that the Hon. D. H. Guthrie will not take railways, and that Sir Francis Bell will assume even greater responsibilities than those allotted to him by the earlier reports. The irony of the position is that Sir Francis, who has been looking forward to a trip Home ever since the conclusion of the war. and who certainly has earned a respite from departmental labors, is to have his burden enormously increased during the absence of his political chief. And that in a company of young stalwarts of the Reform Party. The country may thank its stars, as Mr. Massey doubtless thanks his, that at least one of the old brigade survives.