The Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1925. MR W. H. MONTGOMERY’S POLITICAL PAST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17573, 25 June 1925, Page 6

The Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1925. MR W. H. MONTGOMERY’S POLITICAL PAST.

Praise of Air Section's policies is part of the stock-in-trade of many would-be politicians nowadays. They may be Labourites or Reformers, but they all find it easy to praise the old Liberal leader in an endeavour to show that they themselves arc true Liberals at heart. Mr W. 11. Montgomery, Sir James Allen's son-in-law, w ho has been selected to stand in the Reform interest for Ellesmere, savs: “I will stand in the Reform Party's interest, and may say I have always been a Reformer. Air Secklon, whose party I belonged to at that time (1893), was carrying out reforms such as the Lands for Settlement Act, Advances to Settlers, Old Age Pensions, Shops Act, Arbitration Act, and other reforms.” Air Montgomery was, indeed, a member of Air Scddon's party in 1893, bcating the lion. William Rollcslon lor Ihc scat, bill il was Ihc currenl jest in Parliament when he was a member that he occupied a centre seat because, of an apprehension that if be moved to one side or another the building might take a dangerous list in that direction. His appearance in the field as a Reformer after an interval oi thirty-two years, seems to show that he has taken a definite list to the Conservative side, but there is a Vicar of Pray touch about his attitude. As a matter of fact. Air Montgomery is so ardent a Reformer nowadays that he would not hear of standing for the scat if Sir Ileaton Rhodes were prepared to seek re-election, but he was not so considerate in 1899 when Sir Heaton Rhodes defeated him for the scat. And Ihc wriler of that very interesting review of past elections in Xew Zealand, “The Hustings,” says of Hus period in Mr Alon[ginnery's career: “During the three, billowing years Air Alontgomery showed some disposition lo wobble in his allegiance to Liberalism, the result being Ihat he lost favour and, at the election of 1899, he was displaced by Air R. 11. Rhodes, who stood in the interest of the Conservative Parly.” So dial really Air Alontgomery was not helping very much in the Seddonian reforms, many oi which, by the way, came a good while after he hail ceased lo he a member.

Mr 11. 11. Holland's conversion lo the need for what he describes as a subsidiary hospital was only to be expected in one who was at least interested enough to go fully into the question. He says now that il would he. undesirable to seek space in the domain for further hospital extensions, and he points out that the hoard should secure land up to twenty acres before (he price becomes prohibitive. Air Holland indicated that medical men were strongly in accord with this proposal, and il will he clear lo anyone who takes a common-sense view ol the mailer that medical and nursing cases would lie much belter out of Ihc centre of toe city. Ihc discussion ot Air Holland's eminently reasonaide proposal indicated a regrettable division of opinion, hul if the Finance Committee, to which lhe matter has been referred, will take the advice of medical men, it cannot escape the conclusion ihat provision must he made immediately for hospital extensions far removed from the present congested block. One member of the board hit the nail on the head when he said that some medical men considered Ihat the present low-lying site was quite unsuitable for a hospital

When Parliament laid it down that the weekly halfholiday for shops should be decided by a poll of the people il could not have intended that the Arbilrulion Court should have power (o overrule that decision, and the Minister of Labour, very properly, lias promised to consider the complaint of New Brighton .shopkeepers that they arc denied the right to give expression to the will of the people of the borough. It is quite true that the Aliuister should not legislate to alter awards of the Arbitration Court, hut he can see to it that the Act is amended to deprive the Court ot what arc really legislative powers that are not subject to review, as tiie Supreme Court Jias indicated, on any ground whatever. t util Parliament passes a Saturday Half-holiday Act Ihc Arbitration Court should have no power to enforce the Saturday half-holidav in defiance of the wishes of the electors, but in any case it is Parliament's duty lo remove any legislative anomalies that exist, and if any Act of Parliament can be over-ridden by [lie Arbitra--1,0,1 ( ' ourt ’ jt <loc s seem to he worth while leoislnlin.t at all.