WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 December 1923, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

CITY MILK SUPPLY. SOME DIFFICUI/TTES. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington Dee. 19. The long spell of dry, hot weather, broken by only one considerable rainfall during the past month, has been mainly responsible for a number of complaints concerning the municipal milk supply. The matter was mentioned at the last meeting of the City Council, when Councillor Chapman, one of the Labour memlbers, asked Councillor W. H. ■ Bennett, the Chairman of the Milk Committee, if the report that the Department had lost customers through the inferiority of the milk supplied was true. Councillor Bennett, who is quite one of the mo6t capable members of the Council, as be is one of the most active, replied that the report was not justified; but it was true that a certain number of customers had sought supplies elsewhere and that some of the fanners under contract to the Council had been keeping their milk too long. To prevent the recurrence of this trouble it had been arranged that milk should be sent to the depot twice a day and that all suspicion of staleness should be removed. On the top of this comes a story that the prescribed butter-fat content of the municipal milk is not being consistently maintained, and that on Sundays when the demand for cream is high the Babcock te«st is correspondingly low.

CITY COUNCILLORS’ RIGHTS. The question of “parties” also was raised at the last meeting of the City Council, Councillor W. H. Bennett protesting against Councillor A. L. Monteith M. P. siding with a section of the i employees of the Council in a dispute concerning wages and conditions. The outcome of this incident is a resolution from the Wellington Labour Representation Committee which sufficiently explains itself. “This committee”, it runs, ‘‘resents the imputation that Councillor Monteith has no right to i interest himself in the well-being ofi a trade union while the council associates I itself with the Employers’ Federation I by appointing one of its agents to [oppose t'he union’s claims for better .condition's. The L. R. C. points out that I if the council’s association with the ' Employers’ Federation is not an action opposed to the public interest, the I appointment of the union secretary to represent the council by a Labour ■ majority on that body in similar circum- ' stances must be placed in the same category. The L. R. C. congratulates both Councillors Monteith and Chapman on their attitude in the council, and condemns as \cant the professions of regard for public interest on the part of their critics, who are known to be representative of employers’ interests in the city.” Probablv this is not the last word in the controversy. PREFERENCE. [ The local papers continue to discuss with concern the probable effect of the , English general election upon the commercial relations between the Dominions and the Mother Country. “The position.” the “Post” reflects, “ie indeed full of irony. If Mr- Bruce and Mr. Massey bad been less successful in their plead- . ing for ureference., it i» quite likely I

that there would have been no ground for fearing the complete wreck of the programme that they helped the Coni'ference to earn’. The mystery of Mr. Baldwin’s precipitate appeal to the country on an issue which united the Liberals, divided his own forces, and wrecked hia Government, just as it wrecked a much stronger Government when it wa* last tried, has not been fully explained. But the influence of Mr. Bruce’s powerful argument and of the strong support that it received from bis colleagues in the Conference is commonly regarded as one of the causes of that singular stampede. And it is certain that if there had been no appeal to the country’ Imperial preference would have received no set back and the rest of the work of the Conference would have been in no peril.” The critics no longer are blaming Mr. Massey for the fervency of his regrets. It has become the proper, note in the expression of the Imperial spirit. THE DAIRY CONTROL BOARD. The election of the producers* representatives on the Dairy Control Board resulted much as was expected by people who had followed the campaign at all closely. The “ticket” selected in the North Island constituency by the supporters of control was simply irresistible, consisting a« it did, of gentlemen closely associated with the industry a.nd enjoying wide personal popularity, and the “ticket” in the South Island appears to have been in much the same case. There is some curiosity a* to the Government’s appointments to the Board, there being a very general feeling that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture are not exactly agreed as to the policy which slituld be pursued by the controlling body. The point of speculation is as to whether the appointments will be made at once or Whetjier they will be deferred till Mr- Massey’s return. The “ticket” in the North Island was returned by such an overwhelming majority’ that there can be no question as to what would have been the result under any system of voting; but the requirement that each elector should exercise the whole of hi* six votes is stijl being criticised. It extinguished, so the authorities say, all chance of the minority obtaining any share of representation.