THE SENIOR MEMBER FOR WELLINGTON.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9984, 14 March 1898, Page 6

THE SENIOR MEMBER FOR WELLINGTON.

[By 3_legraph.]

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

WELLINGTON, March 12.

On Thursday night, at a meeting of the Wellington Trade 3 and Labour Council, a vote of wane of confidence in Mr John Hutcheson was proposed, followed by an amendment in favour of postponing any action until the horn member should have approached his constituents. Neither proposal attained much support.

The Trades aud Labour Council are terribly angry. Mr Hutcheson stated before the election that he wonld actively support any candidate who was tbe bona fide selection of the trades union, and, at the same time, that he would not lift a hand to help any liberal or labour aspirants who might be selected as the result of intrigue. He says he is confident that if the Premier had been absent- from Wellington "the probationary ballot would have been different from what it was." He declares that the best legislation is of no use where there is bad administration. He declines to have anything to do with "party slavery." There is too much " leave that to mc" about the present administration, Mr Hutcheson has been interviewed by a representative of the morning paper. As in a lady's letter so in thislflitorview " the sting " is in the last paragraph, which runs as follows:—As far as the Trades and Labour Council is concerned Mr Hutcheson is.prepared to meet it in the open. If it formulates charges for him to answer at his public meeting he will have to be a great deal more explicit about Trades Council methods than he cares to be at present, and with provocation he professes to be able to "soon expose the straw-stuffing of that donkey ;" otherwise he will just go before the electors and render an account of his stewardship. From their hands he says he is content that the verdict shall come.

Mr Hutcheson corrects this by the following extraordinary statement: —The methods about which I said I might be forced to be more explicit were not those used by the Trades Council, but those used against the Trades Council. " That donkey " was not the Trades Council but an allegorical allusion to the monstrosity produced by the forcible seduction of the Trades Council. The Trades Council was " bull-dozed," and it knows it.