WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 230, 28 September 1929, Page 19

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

TRIBUTE TO LABOUR. UNIMPRESSIVE STONEWALL ME. WILFORD AND WOMEN POLICE. (From Our Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. The "Post" the other evening paid a well-deserved tribute to Mr. H. E. Holland, the Leader of the Labour party, and his followers, who have consistently deprecated the waste of time that has marked the first session of the new Parliament. "One of the strongest advocates of sensible methods of conducting Parliamentary business," it said, "is the Leader of the Labour party. He has protested time without number against late night sittings and legislation by exhaustion." But even Mr. Holland has been constrained to admit that '""as the House was going on the new Standing Orders were bound to breakdown." This would be a catastrophe, for which half a dozen members, who always are itchisg to get into "Hansard" or into the newspapers, would be responsible. These offenders, the "Post" points out, need to be reminded that Parliament has not been called together to decide a party fight, but to consider measures for the better government of the country. Even so the reminder would require to be. expressed in very emphatic terms. Mr. Holland's Advance. As a set-off to the compliment paid the Leader of the Labour party by the "Post," the morning paper twits Mr. Holland with -having renounced his Socialistic professions and gone over to the enemy. "He has," it says, "developed quite a tender solicitude for the Liberals - cum - Nationalists - cum - Uniteds, on whom he used to heap scorn and reproaches, and by his support keeps in power to-day a party which not a year ago was anathema to him." Drawing Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald into its tirade, the "Dominion" says it j would be to rest on a false security to suppose that Mr. Holland, any more i than Mr. Mac Donald, has lost his yoxith- ! ful and dangerous enthusiasm. "Give him but the least chance to function unfettered," it,, emphasises,' "and Mr. Holland would be away on the old pre- ' cipitous trail." Proverbially people who never change their minds are fools, and j the morning paper should remember that 20 years ago Mr. Massey was loudly denouncing legislation which he j subsequently warmly espoused. The j great Reformer was neither fool nor trimmer. '- Stonewalling. The stonewall in the House of Repre-.' sentatives on Wednesday morning was not a very impressive exhibition. Just j what advantage the Leader of the Oppo-! sition and his followers hoped to achieve ■• by holding up the estimates of the j Agricultural Department never was very j clear. Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Riccarton);! Mr. J. A. Nash (Palmerston North),: Mr. A. M. Samuel (Thames), and MrJ C. E. Macmillan (Tauranga), 'were in the forefront of the obstructionists, while the lees pushing member for Waitemata, the-"member and the member for Ghristchurch \Nofth j served as temporary supports. ■. Mr. Coates evidently countenanced the proceedings, but he left most of the ,talking to the rank and file, of his party. He rose to oppose the, motion of ;the Prime Minister that urgency, 'should, be accorded to the remaining 'clauses' on the accepted list; but was reminded by the Speaker that under the new Stand-' ing Orders no discussion was allowed j on a question of urgency, and, a little pathetically, he resumed his seat. Women Police. The deputation representing the National Council of Women. of.; New j Zealand that waited upon the Ministei' of Justice, the Hon. T. M. • Wilford, on Wednesday to urge the;appointment.,oi women police fared no better than had previous deputations with a similar mission. The Minister listened very atten- ; to the case submitted to him by Mrs. Fraer, Mrs. Stone and Miss Melville, of Auckland; but he was unmoved • in his contention that it was women • patrols and not women police the community required. The women patrolsj he maintained, could do much useful < work throughout the country to the 1 R-snefit of the whole community; but he '. feared that women police under present '. jJa-iditions would be placed at a disad- < %ntage. Tgve Minister urged Kie members of the deputation to concentrate their efforts upon the establishment of women patrols and to await the results of the ' experiment before launching out upon ' the bigger and more hazardous under- ; taking.. It cannot be said that the ' ladies were elated by the Minister's" atti- 1 tilde, but it is not unlikely they will ' accept his half-loaf. " 1 : ( * L 1