WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Marlborough Express, Volume LIII, Issue 166, 10 June 1919, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

NOXIOUS WEEDS

NfcGLIGKNCE AND WASTE

(Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, . Juno G

The Parliamentary Committee which >s now moving about from place to place in search of information con-corning the industries of tfof Dominion has a- wide' ardor of ireferena2> and is turning it to goQcl account. At itis sitting hero yesterday the chairman of the committee dre^v from Dr. lieakes, tho Director of Agriculture, the astounding admission, thaifc the Noxious Woods Act', of which a great deal has been hear(L 0 throughout.- the country lately? while providing that blackberries shall be cut bask a chain, from the road, does not require owners to take any further stops to 'h-®e AAioir properties from the pest. The existing' legislation 'was practically usole&s, the Director said, .and no Teal progress could be made with, the er.adica.tion of the scourge till the law was amended.

' 'SOMEONE SHOULD HANG.''

A praofcical farmer, commenting upon this surprising state of affairs, which imisjb have been known to tho officers of tho Department of Agriculture for years past, declared this morning that someone should be 'hung in connection 'with the matter, lln tho Tn,r«iiiaki district there are 4000 or 5000 iicrcs of land entireiy covered with blaokbeny and many inoi'e thousands of aores greatly reduced in value by the presence of the pest. Then in AVairarapa, Manawatn, and Wanganui vast-' ai-eas are being threati^ned by- the scourge, mud in the Hutt Valley tho Government is allowing a great waste of blackberry to a-emain on State land, and distribute tho seeds all over tho surrounding country. All hope of entirely eradicating tlitr pest must now be abandoned, but jt can be in a measure controlled, and this ought to' be the work of tho immediate future. *

LABOR MEMBERS.

In an. opcai letter addressed to Mill. Holland, tho Labor Member for Ctiroy, Mr W. A. Vcitch, tho Labor Mombor for Wanganui, makes a very spirited retort to the criticism the "Social Democrat" leader has lately heaped upon him. "You succeeded; in. your undergirnir.d i schemei ,at Wanga.nui, while -on the surface you claimed to have been working harmoniously with me in Parliament," Mr Vojtch whites, . "and when J. mildly say you are- 'temperamentally impossible,' you complain,, with the convenient imagination you have, that lam attacking you." Proceed-* 111$, the Member for Waingantri deals with Mr Holland's 'opposition to military services, showing that while it was* ill-advised'an:! hopeless from the first it retarded and in eom-e cases act.ially impaired nieasiu'es intended) for tho welfare of the soldiers and their dependants. ELECTORAL REFORM. An effort is being made hero- to stimulate public interest [in elecotrai refoi-m. The prospect of anything being done in this -direction, by the ('overnnifiit itself before'the general election is extremely remote-. Mr Mas-sey has admitited that ■ reform is necessary, and Sir Joseph Ward has included proportional representation in liis party platform; but evem if tho leaders, or either of them, were prepared to dissuss tho question, during the approaching session Parliament would not have the patience to listen to tiheni. The promoter« <vf the presenit movcDTient 1-ope, howover, that the public may bo awakened to the noed for a change from the present- clumsy method of olcttion, and thnA the impending campaign will afford opportunities for educating aspiring politicians on th-3 subject- They are even dreaming of seeing next year a .TToase of .Representatives in sympathy with their views.