WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15183, 8 March 1923, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

' THE MAYORAL ELECTION. • PERTURBED CITIZENS. (Special Correspondent.) V WELLINGTON, March 5. ■ Many citizens of Wellington are greatly perturbed by the possibility of a Labour candidate being returned to the maycral chair at the appioaching elect on.- There are candidates in the field —or rather three, ,with a Labour candidate sti'.l to be selected—and timorous folk are sadly afraid that with the "responsible" vote divided the "irresponsible" vote will prevail. The, "Evening Post" offers them no comfort. "The plain fact which must be realised by each of the three non-party candidates," it says in an appeal to the "responsibles" to consolidate their forces, "is that none of them has much hope of succeeding if all persist in presenting a divided front to the united Labour force." The three "non-party" can- ' didates are Mr Wright, the present rpayor, a whole-hearted Reformer in the" House of Representatives, Mr .George Mitchell, the late Independent member for Wellington South, ond Mr L. McKenzie, a very live member of the .'City Council and a good Liberal. If it.were true, as the "Post" says, that national politics do not enter into municipal elections,, it might be easy enough to concentrate all anti -Labour votes on to one candidate, but in this case it is notoriously untrue, and it looks highly probable the- "irresponsibles" will get their chance.

The Licensed Trade.

There was a big gathering of representatives of the liquor trade here last week to review the results of the last licensing poll and to discuss a plan of campaign for the future. The proceedings were strictly-private, and the "Trade" seems able to keep .its secrpts better than do most organisations of the kind; but it is understood tfiat the • enormous cost of the . last campaign created considerable concern among the delegates and that the polling-in some of the districts was not thought commensurate with the local expenditure. Auckland, as was remarked at the time, showed a grow-ing-tendency towards prohibition, and it was thought this was largely due to.-the efforts of the Trade there not having, been so vigorous and sustained as* they were in most of the southern districts. Though the question was nnt>; formally discussed, individual delegates mentioned the prospect of preferential voting being introducedinto the parliamentary election and being demanded for the licensing poll. There appears to have been some difference of opinion as; to. how this would affect ' the interests of the Trade, but a'majority of the delegates, it is 1 said, were opposed to any change in the present system of ascertaining the wishes of the electors. The Party Position.

The Prime Minister seems to have TTad hotmhg very new to disclose to JKTs audience at Hamilton on Saturday '/when he joined with Mr J. A. Young's .constituents in honouring their representative in Parliament. There is a

general impression here, however, that hejs not quite so hopeful as he was r when Parliament prorogued after the short session of being able to carry on satisfactorily without another election. ' To "Mo this he must have either two or three more recruits from {the Liberal side of the House or a understanding with the party | as a whole, and apparently no considerable has been made towards either of these developments. A regrettable outcome of the* party tangle is the necessity it has imposed

upon Mr Massey of cancelling his con- | templated holiday. His health," hapfpily, is better just now than •it "/was 5 during the election campaign, Jout' he - still stands in need of such rest as a 3busy politician can'obtain; This, to

all appearances, will not be within his breach during the present year, whether ;he succeeds in carrying on with an ; extremely slender majority or makes ; t another appeal to the constituencies. latter, course is not favoured by *any of the parties, but in the end it may be forced upon the country by . gheer necessity.'

Good Times Ahead. ' Meanwhile Mr Massey, undismayed by his difficulties, continues to wear a ; /Cheerful countenance. Oh * Saturday Jhe told the people he had joined in honouring Mr Young that things had taken a turn for the better. For the first 10 months of the current financial year the revenue had increased by a million and a half and the expenditure had decreased by two millions. The surplus this year would be very satisfactory and he hoped to be able to reduce taxation by two millions, every ■ penny of which would go into circulation to help to swell the wages fund and to keep down the cost of living. The "very satisfactory" surplus was ' indicated by the summary of the public accounts presented to the House during the short session, when the comments of the Opposition were rather in the direction of-censuring the Govsrnment for having extracted an unnecessary million and a half from the taxpayers, than in the direction of congratulating it upon having an overflowing Treasury. The realisation of its rather easy prediction will afford - the members' of the Opposition an opportunity to renew their attack along the same lines; but a reduction of two million in taxation will be a strong card to set up against this, and the beneficiaries will not be too insistent upon the point that the relief is 12 months behind time.