Comment From The Capital

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28359, 19 August 1957, Page 12

Comment From The Capital

(Prom Our Parliamentary Reporter)

WELLINGTON, August 13. It is now reliably learned that the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) made his final decision to retire from politics on-June 10—the day he became ill at his home after attending a Cabinet meeting. The Parliamentary session opened the following day.

Mr Holland has not made any definite long term plans for his future. As soon as the present session ends and he has submitted his resignation to his Excellency the Governor General (Lord Cobham), Mr Holland will go to his farm in North Canterbury. There he intends to spend at least several weeks resting and recuperating.

Deputy Leader While there was no doubt who would- succeed Mr Holland as leader of the Parliamentary National Party, there are two strong contenders for the position of deputy leader to Mr Holyoake. The choice lies between two of the younger Ministers. They are the Minister of Finance (Mr J. T. Watts) and the AttorneyGeneral (Mr J. R. Marshall). Both are barristers and solicitors. Mr Marsh ill practised in Wellington; Mr Watts in Christchurch. Mr Marshall was 45 last March and Mr Watts was 47 last April. Both are family men, Mr Watts with five children (four girls and a boy) and Mr Marshall with four (two boys and two girls). Both have been ministers since the National Government came to office in 1949, but Jdr Marshall was a junior minister while Mr Watts had full status as Minister of Health. Roads The appointment of Director of Roa ding for the full-time management of the affairs of the National Roads Board is expected to be filled by Mr W. F. Young. Mr Young, former district commissioner of works in Christchurch, is assistant commissioner of the Ministry of Works in Wellington. House-Hunter

When he promised electors last year he would go to live in Kiccarton it voted in as member of Parliament for the district, Mr M. A. Connelly did not imagine he would have such a difficult time finding a suitable house. He still spends many hours each weekend looking for a place wh’ch has to be big enough for a f.'rnily of four sons. An amateur builder, he is after a big old house he can alter himself. Pigg

The decline of 65,000 pigs killed foi* export alone last year (a 35 per cent, drop) is partly caused by increased home consumption, but mainly by the diversion of skim milk for pig;, feeding on forma, to -processing R& dairy faclories feto milk powders. Tankers are in practically every dairying district in the North Island to carry the skim. South Islanders can expect price increases for bacon, hams and pork soon and some suppliers may find it difficult to meet demands. Farmers who do “stick to pigs’* should on fare well on a short market

t Parking Meters * Some Wellington motorists are » practising a trick which gives r them more parking meter time r than they are entitled to and » traffic officers have only just ; woken up to the subterfuge. The motorists park in a space ’ where a meter is showing “time > expired” and insert a coin but t do not wind the handle to bring I up their 15, 30 or 60 minutes of r parking. Inspecting. traffic officers have- > always given motorists the benes fit of the doubt when they see ■ the red flags un and have made • a practice of flicking the meter handle over in case the motorist has forgotten to do so himself. Although the deliberately “forgetful” motorists are gambling J on an officer not coming along for 5 a while, they do get an extra ’ amount of parking time as the > meter only starts ticking off the E time period when the officer has come along some time later and J started it going. ' Records

For many years, the New Zealand Broadcasting Service has sought to establish in adequate premises, its library of valuable recordings of notable events in the Dominion. Some of the recordings are unique. Space to house the collection has now been set aside in the building occupied by Station 3XC at Umaru. The essential aim of the archives section is to build up for use inprogrammes and by researchers an organised collection of authentic recordings of national and local events.