WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 June 1922, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

DUNEDIN NORTH. THE BY-ELECTION. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, May 26. Strangely little interest is being displayed here in the Dunedin North by-elec-tion from the purely party point of view. It is recognised that whether a Government supporter or an Oppositionist is returned in succession to the late Mr. Kellett, the new member will make little difference in the course of events during the approaching session of Parliament. There is, however, a good deal of curiosity being felt in political circles as to the attitude of the Liberal, the Liberal-Labor and the Independent Labor parties towards, the contest. Mr. Statham and Mr. Sidey are in Wellington to-day, conferring with Mr. Wilford in regard to the choice of a candidate, and it is being whispered about that there is a prospect of the three sections of the Opposition joining hands for the occasion. If this arrangement should be brought off it would make the return of the Opposition candidate fairly certain, and, more important still from the coalescing parties’ point of view, it would be a good augury for a similar arrangement being made at the general election a few months hence. TOWARDS UNITY. An Auckland visitor to Wellington discussing this aspect of the position to-day said that very considerable progress had been made in the Northern city towards a good understanding between the various sections of the Liberal and Labor parties which at least would prevent a recurrence of the wholesale vote splitting of three years ago. He was taking no active part in politics himself, but he was in a position to know what was going on in political circles, and he thought he was justified in saying the Liberal and Labor forces were closer together to-day than they had been at any other time since the election of 1911. There is no obvious sign of such a reconciliation being imminent in Wellington and judging from Mr. H. E. Holland’s recent speeches he and his friends are not anxious to bring it about. They, naturally, would prefer to reach their gaol without being indebted to any other party than their own, and while they imagine there is any prospect of their doing so they are not likely to view any compromise with favor. TEMPERANCE IN SCHOOLS. The Moderate League, probably by of keeping itself in form for the approaching licensing poll, sent a deputation to the Minister of Health and Education yesterday to protest against the biased teaching of a pamphlet dealing with alcohol admitted to the public schools. The spokesmen of the deputation were Mr. D. M. Findlay, the president of the League and a wellknown local solicitor, and Mr. W. Perry, another member of the legal profession. Both these gentlemen represented the League as fully approving of the teaching of temperance in the schools and desiring to see the children grow up sober, reputable citizens. But the League objected, as they did, to the children being taught that the parent who used alcohol even in “small doses” was weakening his self-control and pursuing the way to perdition. Mr. Pare, smiled blandly upon his learned brethren and thought they were stretching somewhat the language of the pamphlet. It had been carefully prepared by the medical officers of the Education Department and had been approved by the Health Department. However, he would look into the matter.