LOCAL GOSSIP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17234, 9 August 1919, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP

BY KSliCftta.

£bo political barometer fa pointing to stormy »«ther. Unle M th« people who profess to W abort it M<J all wrong them i. to bo a Mas Bey party) a War^ Ks' » labour party, and probabW a Sold*™ party, with an open field for mdep«nd«nto to run «nder any auspice or do lospice* at all. From two to throe moathe- hence we will be hearing all about it from & score of platforms. Promises will L . m plentiful as hoosefliea, policies as amp as bad ad rice, and the elector will bo hard pressed to make up his mind why he should vote fur Tweedledum and not for XVeecQede«. I

An druse for delays and inaction that' has tw, used by every Minister during the p»«t eight month-*-.and for several month* Wore thaU—ha« lost it force. Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward have rejoined their colleagues and "the return of Urn traders "—according to innumerable

p*om;«»—&hocld set the Gowmmeat machine going at a merry pace. But th© ingenuity of politicians in procrastination

a not likely to be defeated by such a mm pie circumstance. Tha pity 0 it is

thai imagination and resourcefulness are not t*«j to better ends. Awkward question* nvay still be shelved by the .discovery of important business in distant parts of the country, causing a, distribution of Ministers and preventing that " full meeting of tin Cabinet " which has become such a desirable proepo.-i. It may ©v 0 not be long before the " taihoafi " find a new stronghold in prospects of reconstruction sad justify delay by pointing to tie mad disability of compromising a n-aw Ministry. Wo may then hope that inand lethargy will be driven out of the OabJneSrroom and a beginning made; *& last. |

Feeble «a was the attempt made to up- »*. &fao citizens* welcome to Mr. Massey aim Sir Joseph Ward, it was a demonstration discreditable to the city. Tine hecktor ha* tixtwHbouoursd privileges a a polite! gathering; ha has tw> plana w£»*otot «vt a meeting called for the *peciEo purpose of honouring the nation's delegaiae to the Peace Uonferenca. What mads the offence all the mora heinous is the fact that it was committed a& a civic reception. Had the hoodlums succeeded in sailing the gathering they would hare discreditjsd, not Mr. M&s-sey or Sir Joseph Ward, bat the city! Those who did not wish to welcome the Prime Minister and the Minister for Finance ahosald have stayed ontdide. ; They had no right to to a civic function to vent their political spleen. The amsnities of pnblic life are falling to a low to"-' hen sash, an attempt is possible.

"Hie ladies of Aoddand stole a march upon all the other uuraera.of grievances and seekers after Government aid. No sooner had Mr. Maascy reached his hotel than -, party of earnest women confronted him with his —which very few of th® rest of ns remembered ihcthe excitement of welcoming the peace delegates— that fcis "catch vote" of last session would ho taken ajjain, with all due form, and reVjuwnce. They chose (ho occasion wisely, j Mr. afcaasey-was m exnb-erant jnogd, and' woris, save granted any request "So we ' ha*© lie prospect that the coming session. We** briei> will find ttt»--iS-- p*ri J mil for the comptel,© enfranchisement ■of woman— at the elections there mav fee woman candidates.

That was a really marvellous piece of reasoning Mot by Mr, Hemes to the Waagansr. Chamber of Commerce on the subject of the carriage of liquor on the trains. Sir. Hemes aays liquor must be placed on a different footing to other goods. According to him it carrot be classed either es&witi&j or non-essential., It is just and because there was a prohibition pell last April and another is due next December the Railway Department must not treat is as a common article of commerce. The liquor must be carried wiiDy nitty, essential or non-essential. However, qui** contrary to his own conclusions in thtt patter, Mr Hemes has, go he says, issued instructions to limit as far as possible the consignments of liquor to absolutely necessary cases. • It is to be hoped that the goods thus carried will not be so t-~ t . as the arguments of the Minister for Bail ways.

What did Mr. Massey mean by his confident assertion that " a way oat " of the coaUtsm-railways difficulty would be found? Has he brought with him some magic formula for the transformation of our deeded Waikato coals into the mysterious hard substance whi'-h o.ir superior railways find best- suited to locomotive-digestion? Certainly he said the remedy would not be complete in a day or two, but if he can effect a cure in a week or two there will be no hounds to the country's gratitude. It would he the finest opening for. the election campaign anyone could desire.

Onus feature of the passenger restrictions about which no one can grumble is their impartiality. The Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward wisely made no attempt to obtain any concession other than that given to any passenger with urgent business, and it will have been observed that no Ministers came to Auckland to the leaders. One wonders whether that was because they could not obtain permits or because the "journey appalled them.

The Prime Minister Las explained that •he gift cruiser Canterbury will not be sent to New Zealand waters immediately, because she is oil-fired. In the meantime wo are to receive a coal-burning cruiser a*> a substitute. It is probable that when Mr. Massey learned the coal situation he Wit' 6 lad thai even Ike substitute cruiser h*j not yet arrived. The only warship that «d(i be of any use off the New Zealand coast, at the present time would be ewe burning ti-tree or uric capable of raising .1 ceam on Mr. Massey's assurance that a •' way out will be found."

An interesting sidelight on character was given to a large and observant public on tile departure of R.M.B. Niagara from Suv-„. The vessel was scheduled to leave at 8 p.m. The officers had gone up town and b«- -<- up ail the erring and imbibing members of the crew, and the passengers were apparently ail ul>oard. The last whistle boomed out its warning note, and etill people waited, and no attempt was made to cant, off. i hen a whisper went round that the cause of holding up this big vessel and 600 passenger* was the fact that Mr. Mitawcy ami Sir Joseph Ward had not yet arrived from the Government House dinner At ['.3D there was still no sign. In \ lew rin re minutes cheers were heard and the part} arr.ved. Mr. Massey and party g <,\ on K , ;il !. but still there wag delay. A little dapper figure in a Panama hat eto< -' in the crowd diking to an erstwhile *"' w Zealand elector. Cries roared down from the lofty e-ov, ded rails above : "Come on; hujiy up. J*• '" Good-naturedlv the mi' miui waved a conciliatory hand. Inen another yard or two, and another Stop, more hand shaking and more yells Worn aloft. At !a*t the gangway was reached, and nonchalantly ascending. Sir Jos-ph, when nearly on" board, dramatically paused and looked down upon the sea of amused and watching faces, and, a n-ar. hopped over on to the deck. How very Wardlike! Th«» Niagara left at B.SG.