WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14124, 17 October 1916, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

MINISTERS AT HOME,

PURPOSE OF VISIT.

(Special Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, October 11.

Ttie .announcement of the arrival of Mr Massey nad Sir Joseph Ward m London' has freed the newspapers from the silence that was imposed upon them m connection with the Ministers' visit to the Mother Country, and the local journals after their respective ways are expressing their appreciation of the kind ■things being said of the Dominion's representatives by the British. press. The Dominion, just a little. unfortunately and' doubtless m pure inadvertence, stars the, great event m its cabh> columns, as "Mr, Massey m London," hut .as a. pet off against this the Post specialty congratulates Sir Joseph Ward upon his felicitous assurance of New Zealand's devotion to the, Imperial cause, .^peculation as to what the Ministers are going to do yrhile at Home and as to what is going to happen to them m tlie .near .future is taking various ' shapes, some of^ them' highly probable and .some quite incredible. A remark dropped , by Mr Massey iii casual conversation Just before he left Wellington to the effect .that his colleague might find it necessary to remain' m London longer than he intended to' remain himself has been, taken m aome quarters to indicate that/Sir Joseph Ward 'may be absent from the. Dominion for a 'lengthy period, but private information Of the most reliable apd , positive character there is 'no likelihood, of the Minister of Finance willingly, prolonging his visit by a single day. The' end of January is the time .fixed hi the original' programme for the return of the' party. . . ; THE REARRANGED CABINET. Now that the Prime Minister and the 'Minister of Finance^ are' safely landed under the hospitable roof of the Hotel •Cecil it is permissible to mention the! Ministers who are carrying. on their administrative duties during, their absence.. 'Mr James Allen, who wished nothing said of his promotion till his colleagues were out of the way of the enemy submarines, is, of course, Acting-Prime, Minister. Sir EJrancis Bell, r has taken over the Lands Department a*nd Mr W. D. S. Mac Donald is temporarily Minister, of Industries and Ctommprce-rto the en-, tire satisfaction, it may be spid, ..of the|; Board of Trade— and Minister m. charge; of the Meat Pur.chasipjf. Department.' The Labor Department jg x.n the safe hands of Mr Hemes. Sir, Joseph WardV offices entail even more' work and greater .'responsibility than do those the Prime Minister has laid down^for the time and it is much to the credit of Dr AlcNab, as Acting-Postmaster-Genieral with half a dozen allied offices, md Mr Arthur Myers, as v custodian o£ all the financial department-, that the administrative machine is • running with the utmost smoothness and efficiency . Mr. Myers' particularly is to be congratulated. He possesses m an eminent degree the qualities for the positions he is now; filling and the oountTy f« well as theNational Cabinet i_ extremely fortunatein having a Minister 1 so well able to look', after . the Treasury during Sir Joseph Ward's absence. ■ '•■•• - f '- ■ ■ ■ BUTTER. V ; The conference between the Minister; of .Agriculture, the Board o_ Trade and the. representatives of tlr butter makers And butter dealers has not at -the time. of writing completed a achemefor keeping the focal price of^ button -down to a reasonable, rite without interfering witlv the' profits the v- holders of stocks might make. in the open market but Mr MacDonald is firmly supporting the Board of Trade m its efforts to prevent the New Zealand consumer being! exploited and a satisfactory arrang6nient ia likely to_ be announced shortly.' Tni . the v meantime' the Minister of Internal Affairs is prov- !' ing as good: as his word m dealing with those retailers who have been _ selling short-weight "pats." From investigations made by the officers of his Department it appears that many quite < respectable shopkeepers have been delivering less 1 than they have been paid for and it is suggested that ■ the Ariame should rest with the factories. But the retailer is

responsible for the weight of his go^dsj and Mr Russell is reminding him of the fact by authorising a number of prosecutions. Better is not the only article m which short-weight has been detected. Several bakers have been called to account and' m one or two cases proceedings have been initiated, but apparently" the law affecting the weight 'of bfead requires some revision m the interests) of the consumer. The accuracy of scales is another matter engaging the at-, tention of the Minister and here the careless tradesmen, having no loophole of escape, are hastening to mend, their, ways.

AMERICAN ENTERPRISE. ■ The appearance of -American buyers* m the local meat market prepared to pay, substantially higher prices foi- mutton' aqd 1 lamb than the rates fixed by thQ| Imperial Government seem- to warrant is occasioning much curiousity and . discussion here. A gentleman, closely cpnp neefced with the local meat trade de-! claresi the; visitors must either have earl*y' information of an impending increase iii the prices paid by the Imperial author.^ ties or be m a position to secure a share? of the huge retail 'profits that are being, made in' the handling of New Zealand meat at Home. The latter is the more probable hypothesis. The commandeer-;, ed meat not required for. army purposes' is passed on to the agents of the shippers who must sell tp. the wholesale dealers at ah advance of not more than 2 per cent, upon the Government rates ; but there is no restriction upon . the prices the retailer may charge, and the American "trusts" ,with, their endless, ramifications would find little di^oulty m picking up all the profits that arise between the wholesale . store and the consumer's table. . Thig ; is .one of the matters. Mr Massey has -undertaken tp investigate during . his visit to London; and it is, hoped he -may be able to give an early assurance that , American speculators are.not fattening on the New Zealand producers' readiness to supply the Mother Country wjth cheapo meat. <