WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1920, Page 2

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(Otir Specinl Correspondent). „ THE SAMOAN PARTY. IMPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS. WELLINGTON, March 29. The Wellington and Southern members of the Parliamentary expedition

to Samoa reached town on Saturday with many pleasant impressions of the islands they visited and some diverse opinions as to their future administration and development. They are unanimous in thinking labour the crying need of the South Pacific, but here their unanimity on material noints ends. Some see no alternative to the “indenture” system, others would retain it with certain modifications, and the Labour members of the party would sweep it away altogether. Dir Holland and his friends are preparing a -eport upon their investigations for nublieation, but meanwhile they are making it quite plain that the existing order of things does not meet with their approval. Sir James Allen, the leader of the expedition will not return to Wellington before Thursday and until his arrival his colleagues will not discuss the subject. LIBERALISM AND LABOUR. The “Dominion” is a little exercised bv the fact that a Labour candidate lias not yet entered the contest for the Stratford seat. it ha.s been stated by one of the papers published in the constituency that Mi' Masters is the nominee of the Liberal and Labour parties and the Wellington paper wants to know if Labour has abandoned the sturdy independence it professed and practised at the general election. . “There was a time not so very long ago,” it says, “when Official Labour , threatened to contest every vacant seat t yet there are two by-elections afoot ■ and not an Official Labour candidate in ! sight.” Of course there was not a j Labour candidate for either the Strat--1 ford or the Bruce seat last December, andi there is not likely to he one at j either of the by-elections, but it s ] obvious that the chances of the party in power would be vastly improved if La1, hour could he persuaded to enter the contest. J A LABOUR VIEW. A representtaivo member of the Labour Party discussing the position this morning—unofficially, as he was careful to say—protested against the assumption that Labour was ready to ho made the tool of either of the other parties at election time. For educative purposes the Labour Party contested several seats at the general election without any great hope of success, but its candidates were not put forward with the wanton purpose of helping the Reformers against the Liberals or the Liberals against the Reformers. What did happen in several constituencies, notably in Avon was that the Reformers by with-bolding any candidate managed to, wrest seats from the Liberals. But there had been no sort of collusion between Labour and Reform and Labour was not likely to enter either the Stratford or the Bruce contest merely to help one of the other parties.

BOARD OF TRADE. Mr AY. G. MacDonald, the chairman of the Board of Trade, has given the newspapers a statement concerning the operations by the Board which contains one or two crumbs of comfort for the public. He states that in spite of the fact of a rise in the price of sugar in Australia there is no immediate prospect of a rise in tlie price here. He admits tlie method of distribution is not entirely satisfactory, but the Board is trying to effect an improvement. Tf there is any hoarding it is on the part of the consumers, not on tlie part of speculators, and, in any caSe, cannot be on a largo scale. The cement position is being daily improved, owing to the better supply of coal, and it is hoped that in the course of a few weeks the shortage will be relieved altogether. As for petrol, there are now sufficient stocks in sight to satisfy all normal requirements and there is no longer any danger of dairying operations being interrupted through the lack of driving power for milking machinery.