POLITICAL NOTES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 108, 8 May 1908, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES.

[prom our correspondent.]

WELLINGTON, Friday. I was in error in supposing that Dr Chappie would prefer to wait until the General Election, and would not care to risk defeat for Tuapeka. It appears that the doctor, who has already started his campaign, is a native of Alexandra, the once famous gold mining centre, and so may consider that he has a special claim on the district. He is an able man and a clever platform speaker, but although he has now made three attempts to gain Parliamentary honours he has^not yet succeeded. If he does not succeed down South his chances of success for. Wellington Suburbs at the General Election will, I fan6y, be greatly decreased. Dr Newman will contest the Suburbs seat and should go very neat winning, for the . little i doctor, -although always connected with the Conservative party, is broad-minded and truly Liberal in many of his political ideas. He will have a strong support front'the athletic bddies. It is said I that Mr A. 11. Atkinson ,will not be a candidate at the next election, but should he decide to stand ipr the suburbs, he and Dr Newman would split votes badly, and a Government candidate ought to "romp in." It is announced, I.notice, that Mr H. D. Bedford is to contest theTaieri seat in the Government interest. This is strange news, for when he was in the House the then senior member for Dunedin was wont to vote just as often with the Opposition as with the Government. For the Taieri he will have to meet the farmers, and I can hardly fancy him as a man likely to succeed with the settler class of electors. He is to<> much, one would think, given to theory to be successful for a country electorate, and Mr Bedford's stronghold was always supposed to be Dunedin, where he got a big; "support from the churches, and temperance organisations. That he should now decide to stand for a country seat would seem to show that he recognises the fact that his chances in Dunedin are hopeless. The structural alterations at Government House are completed, and it is now the turn of the upholsterers and so forth. I understand that the fittings and furniture are all to be of the simplest and cheapest kind; there will be reasonable comfort but no luxuries. The "simple life" -will be the order of the day, and as there are to be no public galleries to talk to, no doubt better progress will be made with the legitimate business of the House. Despite,what has been said about, a very short session, I am assured ,on good authority that quite a considerable number of important measures will come up for discussion, and I don't expect that members will get away to their constituents much before the first week in October at the earliest. Over at Parliament Buildings the main lobby has been roofed in, for a promenade I suppose, but it is so far away from what will, be the debating chamber that it is difficult to see that it will be of much good. "Bellamy's" is to be placed at Government House, and will be conducted on a simpler scale than was possible with the greater conveniences existing at the old buildings.. So far no start has been made with the covered-in bridge which is to cross Sydney Street. There is now no time to lose as it is now only about six weeks to the opening day of our "talking shop."

I A cold, blustering westerly wind is blowing in Wanganui to-day (says a Press Association telegram) with I heavy showers of fain. I A young man named Wm. Ravenwood was committed for trial at j Dunedin to-day for forgery in alter- | ing his birth-certificate in order to I obtain work on the railway. ■ A Press Association telegram from . Wanganui states that a public meet- • ing of residents of Aramoho on Wednesday night resolved to take steps to form the suburb into a borough, and appointed a committee to give effect to the resolution. This makes three boroughs within the Wanganui area, in addition to the town district of Gonville. The population of the new borough will be about 1200. The Gonville Town Board has accepted n, tender tor the supply of water-pipes and fittings, and every expedition will be used in pushing on with the reticulation of 4hat tußurb.