WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 72, 26 March 1921, Page 11

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE WATERFRONT. COMMUNITY CONTROL. (Special to Sx&-."\ WELLINGTON, Thursday. At a meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board on Wednesday evening it was resolved, on the motion of Mr. J. G. Cobbe. one of the country members oi the Board, "to approach the Uovernmeni with a request that the Harbour Board's Act be amended in such a manner as tc empower harbour boards to employ, control, and manage all labour required in tiic loading and unloading of ships and for waterside work generally, whether on wharves or on vessels.' , Proposals tc this efl'eet had been before the Board before, and at the meeting of the Harbour Boards' Conference ill HI 18 the principle of Mr. Cobbe's motion had been affirmed by a narrow majority; but recent happenings on the wharves here had given point and urgency to what had been said on former occasions. The members were not unanimous on the question, the voting being seven to three, but the advocatos of a change in the system oi control had no difficulty i" showing that the present conditions were intolerable. THE CASE FOR REFORM. Mr. Cobbe presented a very strong ease for reform. At present, lie said, there were four bodies concerned —the shipowners, who were chiefly interested in the size of their dividends; the watereiders, who were out to get as much as they could; the harbour boards, who represented the producers and the commercial interests; and the long-sulTerini; public, who had to find the money for the other three. It was incongruous, not t<l say ludicrous and outrageous, that o< these four the two least likely to be careful for the welfare of the port and the community had the great bulk of the control, in that they might open or shut the harbour or work it just as they pleased. The shipowners' representative? on the Board warmly opposed the motion protesting that it aimed at involving the Hoard in responsibilities it mver could bear, but the majority made ligiii of their fears and simply overwhelmed them in the division. THE ACTING-PRIME MINISTER. In concluding the business of the short session in the Council on Tuesday Sii Francis Bell made some allusions to th< that had been directed against his appointment as Act ing-Prime Minister during the absence of Mr. Massey He did not understand the criticism, he said, because the Prime Minister still remained Prime Minister, and he, as hi.locum teneiis. was merely chairman of Cabinet for the time being. Had Sii Francis left it at that the critics of his appointment probably would have had nothing more to say on the matter; but he went on to argue that the members of the Council were as truly representa tive of the people as were the members of the House. Naturally this has set people recalling what Sir Francis and Mr. Massey had to say a few years age about the constitution of the Council and the need for it reform. The quotations are made in good humour, but some ol them certainly are amusing. REPRESSION. The Easter holidays this year are find ing the community repressed rather than depressed, a frame of mind, of course entirely appropriate to the season and the circumstances. That the most irresponsible of people, the units that go tc make up a sporting crowd, are beginning to recognise the gravity of the questions discussed during the short session ol Parliament, was demonstrated at the Rangitikei race meeting this week, when the investments on the totalisator drop pert by £18,0t>5, compared with the investments at the corresponding meeting last year. That this all wa3 money saved—economy of the kind Mr. Massev has been preaching—is perhaps open tc argument, but it at lea.st represents v considerable amount of capital diverted into more useful channels. Business people report scarcely so large a falling off in legitimate trade, but there evidently is a growing disposition to spend slowiv, which the antnorilles on such matters declare must make for a decline in prices. With this expression of financial stringency the purchasing public will find no fault.