POLITICAL NOTES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 109, 9 May 1908, Page 3

POLITICAL NOTES.

[from 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 fancy, be greatly detcreased. .Dr Newman will contest the* Subdrbs seat and should go very near winning, for the little 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 from the athletic bodies.

It is said that Mr A. R." Atkinson will not be a candidate at the next election, but should he decide to stand for the suburbs, he and Dr Newman would split votes bacily, and a Government candidate ought to "romp in." It is announced, I notice, that Mr H. D. Bedford is to contest the Taieri 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 too 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 rooted in, for a promenade I suppose, but it is so far away from what will be the debating chamber that it is dimcult 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 oovered-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."