WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 April 1921, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE PATEA ELECTION. THE MINORITY PREVAILS (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, April 15. Even some of his political friends, disapproved of the Prime Minister taking an active personal part in the Patea byelection. It was unnecessary and undignified, they declared, and likely to do the Reform Party, if not the Reform candidate, more harm than good. But Mr. Massey knows more about the art of electioneering than does any other politician in public life at the present time and again his judgment has been justified. Had he not appeared on the scene at the most critical stage in the contest his nominee might have found the Liberal and Labor forces too strong for him, and at a most inopportune moment the party might have suffered a defeat. As it is, an analysis of the figures provides the victors with only' scant ground for jubilation. Again, their champion in the constituency received only a minority of the votes polled and has to thank extreme Labor, at any rabe in part, for the seat he will occupy in the House. THE DEFECTIVE ELECTORAL SYSTE.y. The Evening Post, in congratulating the Prime Minister upon having been saved from a rebuff on the eve of his departure for the Imperial Conference, urges him not to disregard the lessons of his narrow escape. “It has reminded him and his colleagues who will be carrying on the ordinary business of the country during the next five or six months,” it says, “that they must not. presume too much upon the verdict of thr last general election and the demoralisation and disintegration of the opposing forces in Parliament. The size of the Government’s majority at the general election was in a measure due to the accidents of an imperfect representative system.” The evening journal goes on to say that the Government, which was 30 short of an absolute majority in the constituency at the general election, is now 34 short, and while disclaiming any desire to magnify the significance of a single poll, warns Mr. Massey that his big majority in the House- is not an accurate reflection of the strength of parties in the country. THE PRIME MINISTER’S DEPARTURE. The Prime Minister left here by the mail train last evening to catch the Niagara at Auckland and so begin the first stage of his journey to the Imperial Conference. He was deluged with messages anti verbal expressions of goodwill throughout yesterday and expressed himself as greatly encouraged and helped by the kindly attitude of both political friends and- political opponents. His chief labors at Home will be, if course, in connection with the conference, but he will have many other matters to occupy any spare hours he may have. Among them are the p®eparation of the way for a five million loan and the investigation of the wool profits held in suspense. The loan is not likely to present any great difficulty, apart from the rate of interest, but the recovery of the suspended wool profits may prove a difficult business. SOLDIER SETTLEMENT. Though the Minister of Lands continues to issue impressive figures concerning the magnitude and progress of soldier settlement, he has not yet bug*

ceeded in dissipating the feeling that a large number of the men placed upon the land are finding themselves very much embarrassed by the fall in prices and the scarcity of money. A deputation was in town this week representing that a very considerable number of the men would be unable to carry on unless the Government were prepared to cancel their existing obligations and substantially reduce their valuations. It was stated that men who had put in two or three years’ labor on their holdings, spent all their own money and all the advances obtained from the Government now found their land valued at a lower figure than when they took it up. Cases of this sort, happily, are n®t aumerous, but they are not unonmnaaw