WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 May 1922, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

WAIRARAPA DEVIATION. THE ONE THING NEEDFUL. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, April 28. With the approach of the last sessimt of the present Parliament, and with a general election looming in the not far distance, Wellington is reviving its agitation for a deviation of the rape railway to avoid the climb over the Rimutakas, and to open up, so the agitators say, a large area of rich agricultural land. The Evening Post, the traditional leader of the movement, is quite frank in its appeal for the application of political pressure to the Government. “With the election near, and the loan still nearer, and with the third Parliamentary session in prospect,” it pleaded last night, “we hope that the people of Wairarapa and Wellington will renew their energy, and that another organised attack will be made upon Ministers.” This is the way Wellington always talks on the eve of a general election, but, to its credit, it does not mean what it implies. It attacks the Government of the day with deputations, but it does not cart its votes according to Ministers’ attitude towards its deviation aspirations. PUBLIC WORKS. The successful flotation of Mr. Massey’s five million loan has led many other people than the advocates of the Wairarapa deviation to imagine that abundance of money will be available for public works during the current financial year, and that the present time is opportune for approaching the Government with applications for local expenditure. Dr. Newman and Mr. George Mitchell, two Wellington members of Parliament, who should know as much abort the finances of the country as do the junior members of the Cabinet, were talking to this effect at the meeting of the Central Progress League the other day. But as a matter of fact the Government will have very little money indeed to devote to new railway undertakings thia year. There still are a number of gaps to epan in lines already under construction, r and it is tolerably safe to say the Minirtwr will give first attention to these and leave deviations to wait for a while. A vote for a survey of the route, a somewhat intangible boon, is all the advocates of the Wairarapa deviation can reasonably expert from the expiring Parliament. THE MEAT POOL. The official contradiction of the report from Wairoa that Mr. Jessep was going Home to organise the business of the Meat Producers’ Board in London has come aa £ relief to many people who are anxious Tor the success of this great co-operative experiment. Of course there is no question of Mr. Jessen’s zeal and good commonsense, but his business experience is limited to purely local affairs of much less consequence than the establishment of a great distributing department at the other end of the world. It is understood that the Government had in view two or three big figures in the meat trade at Home that may be suited for the work of organisation and development. Presumably Mr. Jenepfa task will be to confer with the TTigh Commissioner in regard to the qualifications of these gentlemen, and to make a recommendation to the Government on the subject. Meanwhile the Producers’ Board is going slow, making no commitments that could embarrass the London manager or hamper its own arrangements. Its general policy still has to be discussed, and it will be some months yet before it can be in active operation.