POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 31, 31 October 1918, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

BALLOT FOR MINISTERS. Yesterday the member for Dunedin West (Mr." Downie Stewart) gave notice to ask tlio Prime Minister "whether, in Hew of tho postponement of ihe general elections and of the changes in the personnel of-tho House and of the Cabinet since tho National Government was formed, he will submit to a ballot'of the House the names of the individual members of the Cabinet in. order to see whether such individual members, apart from the Cabinet as a whole, retain the confidence of the House, and thus also test incidentally the efficacy of the principle of an elective Executive." . The Question produced some laughter in the House.

A PENSION WITHHELD. The member for Bay of Islands (Mr. V. Eeed) is asking the Minister in Charge of Old-age Pensions if he is aware that an applicant for the old-age pension, has been refused his pension on the ground of excess of income caused by the receipt within the pension year of the life insurance money of his soldier son who had been, killed in the war; anil if he will bring in legislation, to remedy this.

"SECRET STATISTICS." Tho Labour member for Grey (Mr. E. Holland) has referred more than once to n "secret supplement" to tho official Monthly Abstract of Statistics, and has used this document to conceal from public view some facts in connection with the cost of living. The Minister for Internal A'ffairs etated in the House last night that the supplement. was issued for the use of certain heads of Departments and contained information regarding New Zealand's exports. The Imperial Government had asked that this information should not 1)8 made public at present, as it would be of use to the enemy.

THE LABOUR "GROUP." Advantage was taken by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. G. W. Eussell) during the course of his speech in tho House of Representatives last night, to refer to the position of the Labour members of tho House. "I may remind tlio member for Lyttelton (Mr. M'Couibs) and those associated with him who have spoken as he has done,.that they do not represent the people of Now Zealand," observed Mr. Russell. "The lion, member for Lyttelton was much more accurate last night when ho spoke of the Labour "group" than was his colleague, the lion, member for Grey (Mr. Holland) when he spoke to-day of the Labour 'Party.' When they l-aye a larger body of public opinion behind them than they have at present, then they may ne able to sneak of tho Labour 'Party.'"