WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 June 1922, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE PUBLIC SERVICE. RUMORED RESTRICTIONS Correspondent.) Wellington, May 29. It is stated, on what seems very good authority, that the Government proposes to introduce legislation during the impending session of Parliament debarring members of the Public Service from, joining or affiliating with any labor organisation outside their own associations. If this step really is taken it will be due, of course, to the trouble which, arose a little while ago between the Government and the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association in consequence of th© latter determining to join the Alliance of Labor. The Labor leaders here; however, profess to believe the Government will not dare to place such a limitation on what they call the liberty. of the subject. “This surely,” one of them said to-day, “would -be the last straw to the patience of a community which has (been having its rights whittled away ever since the beginning of the war;” What the community or the Public Service would do if the report should prove to be true this authority was not prepared to say, but he was sure there would be tremble. Meanwhile Mr. Massey is absent from town and his colleagues are not disposed to talk about the matter. THE GENERAL ELECTION. Except that the Prime Minister is moving about the country a good deal just now, and an army of temporary employees is abroad collecting names for the rolls, there are few signs of the approach of a general election. The war sadly blunted the popular interest in ■party politics, and it has not yet recovered its edge. The Reformers have their organisation - well forward, their former activities having been resumed -immediately after the termination of the party truce, and official Labor always is ready; but the Liberals and the Independents appear still to be waiting for something to turn up. Mr. Wilford has nominated candidates in a number of constituencies, doubtless with the approval of his local friends, but he has not yet disclosed his policy nor undertaken any systematic organisation. Sir Joseph Ward has been invited to contest several constituencies, but up to the present he has refrained from committing himself to any of them. Probably he is disinclined to take any action till he ascertains from his former associates whether they want him in the fray or not. INDEPENDENCE. This morning, with the general election in view, the Dominion pronounces an entertaining homily on the question of political independence. Sir Andrew Russell having pledged himself to support the present Government, in spite of any criticism he may feel moved to direct against its measures and administration, is accepted as the true type of Independent. With any other type the Dominion has no patience. “As matters stand in this country,” it says, “every Independent candidate should be required to state whether he would vote for or against the Government or for any alternative party on a want-of-con-fidence motion. Any so-called Independent who evades this plain issue will stand self-confessed as an opportunist, who'is thinking only of his own advantage. The variety of political self-seek-ing that masquerades as independence is a poor thing at any time. It is particularly out of place in the present state of politics in this country.” There is much common-sense in all this, but the difficulty of the pledged Independent arises when he has to choose between his own principles and the fate of the Government. A want of confidence motion is not required to place him in this predicament. TAXATION. The Prime Minister’s mention of “a policy measure dealing with taxation,” as one of the matters to receive attention during the approaching session of Parliament, is of special interest to the business community here. Wellington, as the headquarters of most of the big companies operating in the Dominion, is fully alive to the inequalities the company tax, but there are other burdens imposed upon trade and commerce which the. sufferers are anxious to have reviewed. A mass of information on these subjects has beeji placed before the Taxation Committee, and, though Mr. Massey has given the members of the committee to understand there must be no; reduction in the volume of taxation, it is expected they will devise some more equitable arrangement of the incidence. Comparisons with the Australian States show that while the bigger companies escape much more lightly in the Commonwealth than they do in the Dominion, the smaller* companies are required to make larger contributions. Probably in this direction the recommendations of the committee will proceed.