NEWS AND MOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1480, 1 July 1912, Page 6

NEWS AND MOTES.

SESSiOH FEATURES. THE RISING TIDE OF REFORM. •STRENGTH Of PARTIES. Everything of importance which has jome'to light ?ince J/nvli.-iiivant assembled on Thursday goes to indicate that the davs'of the 'Mackenzie Ministry are numbered,, and thai Mr. .Mtissey will carry the pending na-conlidcnee. division, possibly by n. small majority. The solidity of the Jfeforni parly is n decidi'dly stable feature in mi •otherwise unstable palitical situation. Attempts made to discount the strength of the party have failed very • . completely. The IMormers, in thsir declaration of loyalty to their leader and (determination to stick together in the existing crisis, and in what may follow remain unshaken. . On the other hand, (he Ministerial paxtv is certainly divided ngaiii.--t itselt. To c'io them justice, some of its leader; and members seem determined to accept the'decision of the House in ntraightiorNvard fashion, without, attempting to influence the decision by an.y underhand methods, but there is n faction within '"the party which has been intriguing m the desp'orafa hope of promoting sonic siirt of coalition which would enable this f offshoot of the Ministerialists to share tho uoli'ic&l ascendency which their party can no longer hold unaided. As an Op-«-sirion member stated a few weeks ago, the Reform party has an open door for recruits, but it is not prepared to sink its principles in. order to ga:n n smtre in the control of public affairs. Features already in evidence clearly distinguish thi> session from tho short fffirion of February. Sir Joseph Wards enforced departure from the forefront of tho political stage was preceded by an embittered contest of parties in which little else, could l» heard for the- crocking of party whips. Oil this occasion the atmosphere is palpably milder. Some members still reMirrect bygone themes of parly bitterness but many—proliiibly a majority—of tho-u who -till ndhero lo the. Ministry we cjuidtly biding their time. In the short session tho fight of (he moment was everything Tq-.tljiy, .there, % a fywing tiisgosi^

tiqn to look ahead nnd make ready for inevitable changes. It is recognised in the precincts of l'tirlinmcnt, as elsewhere, tluit tlio polifcicnl arena of this Dominion in the not very distant future will eiicircle a contest between Radical Labour extremists and progressive politicians, with a moderate and practical progratnini.*. This is considered by many to be ono of the strongest factors making for the success of the Reform party. The conversation of men of all parties in the lobbies justifies belief that tlio defeat of the present Ministry will bo • followed by considerable accessions of strength to tJHj Ifeformcrs. There are not: a few Ministerialists who recognise that it would lie much easier for them to command the renewed confidence of their electors <is accredited candidates of ;i stable Reform Government than as adherents of a dismembered faction which is considered to be fast lapsing into political decay.

CAUCUS THAT DID NOT COME OFF. WAS IT ABANDONED? That the Government intended to hold ft caucus on Saturday was staled lastwesk by usually reliable informants and eonlirmed by independent testimony, but if tlio intention had been entertained it v.as abandoned. Tlio supporters of the Mackenzie. Ministry were not. called together, and A number of members (including one Minister) who were spoken h> on the subject, agreed in stating that they Uuew nothing of iiny proposal to hold a Government caucus in tlio immediate future. It is at least likely that, the Government thought of convening :i caucus, and then thought • better of it. As a simple matter of fact, tiio "Liberal" party is at sixes and sevens. Not a few of its members give utterance, in private' conversation, to views which would startle their leaders, and other 'people, if they were uttered publicly. To judge from their conversation, these members stand shivering on the brink of resolution. A "Liberal" party caucus at the present moment, judged by lobby gc'ssip, would bo apt to degenerate into an assemblage of lrreeoncihibles. One of Mr. Mackenzie's leading supporters informed a reporter on Saturday (hat so far as he knew no caucus of the. parly would he summoned prior to the no-confi-dence division. Members of the parly, who attended the caucus in March last, he sftid, imd indicated their approval of a leader, and of n certain course ol action.. If members had since changed their minds, (hat was their own aliair; the Government would go ahead, and- accept the decision of the House. The latest report, however, stales that a Government caucus will be held this week, but at the outset it is certain Hint some members of the "Liberal" party will not attend. . ■ DISSOLUTION STORIES. WHAT THE LIQUOR J'ARTY WANTS. A probable explanation of some of the stories about dissolution which have been disseminated lately.is that political supporters of the liquor interest (who figure pruiiiiieiilly in the Government ranks) would be very glad indeed if the complexities of politics necessitated an early appeal to the country. The reason is simpler If a dissolution takes place presently there will be no.liquor poll at.the election which will follow, and if the Parliament then elected runs the ordinary course, there' will be no licensing poll until the elreli'.in thVee years later. That is to say, the liquor interest will gain a four instead of a three years' respite. Section 12, Siil.srcticii li. of the Licens-. ing Aft provides ill sit if at any time l'ar-_ liament is dissolved before it has been" two Tears in existence, then at the taking of thu electoral poll for the new Parliament, no licensing poll shall be taken, but the result of the licensing poll laken at the previous general election shall continue in force until such licensing poll is again , laken simultaneously with tho electoral poll next .after the' dissolution , of such new I'lirliamout.

■.I "AN OPEN QUESTION." ATTHTIffi 01' MK-fT. W. RHODES. A member whose vote in tho 110coiifulcnce.. division which will, decide tlw fa to of th'o Mackenzie Ministry must lie marked "uncertain," in the meantime, is Jlr. T. W. Rhodes, who unseated MivK H. Taylor for the Thames electorate at the lust general election. Jlr. Rhodes told a reporter .'in Saturday' lliat Jk- was entirely unpledged., sure in regard to the freehold' tenure, which he strongly upholds, and has pro'iiised to support, hi the shortsession he fulfilled a pledge to support Sir Joseph "Ward, but ho now intsuds, for a lime at a'nyrate, to uiaintoin the attitude of un Independent, and will not attend the caucus meetings of any party.. To use his own expression, the vote of the/incmlicf for Thames in the. coming liq-coiilidonco division is "an open question." Tho ([iiestion would be determined, ho stated, by the nature of the amendment which Jlr. Massey was to move to -the Addrcss-in-Keply, anil by the merits, of the case as demoiistraiud during tho progress of the no-confidence, debute. Air.' Jthodes mentioned 'flint he. was not pledged, even by inference, to support :ho Jlackenzie llinistry, tor the reason that he. had not attended the caucus in March which elected Air. Mac-kc-nzio as leader. THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH. The Governor's Speech is already lapsiiv.' into an obscurity from which it is unlikely to Iw recalled, once the Address-in-Repiy debate is disposed of, but a remark* which it; inspired from one member deserves to'be chronicled: "When compiling a- Governor's Speech," ho said, "you put in something for everybody. Afterwards you drop the things you don'twant to do." MOVEMENTS OF MEMBERS. Tyro Minister." were out of town during the week-end, the Hon. H.' G. Ell and tho Hon. T. Buxton. both of whom went South on Friday evening. Both Ministers are to return to-morrow. Members who went home for (he week-end include: Mr. AV. A. Veitch (Wanganiii), Mr. J. Payne (Grev Lynn). Mr. -I. Robertson (Otaki), and 'Jlr. U. H. Khodes fEllcunorc).

'Apart from Mr. W. li. Herries (Tauranf, r a), who is to arrive from England on July n, them are several members who have not yot put in. an appearance at the. House. Anion? tlipni arc-: Mr. A. E. Glover (Auckland Central) ami Mr. J. Dickfon (Parnell). who are expected to nrrivo. to-day, and Mr. K. 11. Chirk (Chalmers), who is expected to arrive tomorrow, the Hon. .1. A. JJillar is still n.t Kotorun, but it is confidently anticipated that ho will 10, in his place, when the. bell rings for tlio no-confidence division. GOVERNMENT WHIP. If is reported that Mr. G.'W. Forbes fKuriinni) has been appointed Government Whip for the South Island.