WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 April 1918, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

ADMINISTRATIVE ERRORS. V [Our Own Correspondent.] ' WELLINGTON, March 27. Sir James Allen’s attempt tc conciliate, Mr Vigor Brown, the member for Napier, has signally failed. During the last four or five months Mr Brown has been keeping np a cqntinnons fusillade of criticism against the administration of the Defence Department, and a little while, ago the Minister wrote to him pointing out what seemed to he some grave discrepancies between his statements and the actual facts. The fragments of his reply published in the “New Zealand Times” this morning show the critic is in no humour to he pacified. “The patience of the average man who objects to the existing order of things,” he tells Sir Jame,s, “is worn somewhat threadbare by your denial.” By way of illustration, as he puts it, he. drags np half a dozen of the Minister’s previous denials, which have not satisfied the public, and proclaims his intention to substantiate his new charges on the floor of the '■House. Sncli are the minor troubles that loom ahead for the short session. f ALLEGED WASTE. Along the line of attack ho lias foreshadowed Mr Brown is not likely to obtain support from any considerable number of members of the, House. The time will not be regarded'as opportune for the revival of “scandals” dating hack to the very beginning of the warBut unless discussion is barred by the existence of the Defence, Expenditure Commission, certain allegations of a later date concerning departmental waste and extravagance are, hound to be mentioned. It is reported, for instance, on wlmt appears to be the very best authority, that one of the transports which returned to the Dominion just the other day brought hack several hnndre.d men who must have been utterly unfit for service when they were sent away. One of them had only one hand, the other having he,on amputated years ago, and quite a number were permanent cripples. The rejects must have cost the country at least £250,000 by the time, they were landed here and now many ot them are applicants for pensions. CITY MILK SUPPLY. After much labour the commitec appointed by the Wellington Council has brought forth its report, on the city milk supply. It suggests three methods ok dealing with the present intolerable state of affairs. The Council might facilitate the promotion of a joint stock company, “or perhaps two companies,” to take over the whole business; it might take over the- supply of milk to the city and operate it under the control of a separate hoard, to Bold office during the pleasure of the Council, or it might take over the whole milk distribution problem and control it as a municipal trading department. The best and the, worst that is being said of the report so far is that it is just what might have been expected from a committee drawn from the ranks of the Councillors. The committee favours the second suggestion, but it won!' 1 not he surprising if a majority of the, Council, tempted by a subject for interminable disensson, inclined towards the third. In any case nothing practical is likely to be done. ' - PILLAGING CARGO. The surprise of the Stipendiary Magistrate at Lyttelton that a ship*s officer should treat lightly a charge against two men for pillaging cargo is shared by shippers and by a great majority of the workers on the water-front here. Pillaging had become so rampant in Wellington some months ago that the authorities were compelled to take very strong measures to check it, and though there has been a marked improvement since then there is scarcely a: vessel coming to the, port with general cargo that does not suffer to some extent. The wharf hands resent very strongly the reflections cast upon them by the pilfering that goes on, but of course they can do nothing to control the members of the crews, and they feel that if cases of theft are con- . doned for the sake of retaining the services of men afloat their own position will he made even more uncomfortable than it is at present-