POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 35, 5 November 1918, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

THIS WEEK'S PARLIAMENT The House of representatives will meet this afternoon, Tho Prime Minister and other Ministers will niako reference to tho news of the Austrian armistice, and probably tho House will then adjourn in commemoration of tho occasion. A precedent was established last week when tho House adjourned after receiving the news of Turkey's surrender. Tho business at present before the House is the debate on tho Address-in-Reply. If the debate is not resumed until to-morrow, it may extend over the remaining three days of tho Parliamentary wceft. Tho Govornment in any case is not likely to bo able to proceed with its legislative business before next week. An order-paper containing Ministers, answers to about a hundred questions put by members in tho first days of tho session will make its appearance after the.debate has closed. It is anticipated in the lobbies that news of Germany's surrender will be followed closely or even preceded by an invitation for tho Prime Minister to attend another conference in London or tho peace conference itself. If the invitation should come in tho near future a position of some difficulty would bo created. The legislative work of the sossion caunot be postponed until next year. It includes financial provisions, repatnation and demobilisation schemes, some war legislation, and the promised Liquor Bill. Members would object to an attempt to rush all this work through tha House within a week or two. One of tho suggestions made is that Mr. Massoy should go to London, if it becomes necessary, and leave Sir Joseph Ward as Acting-Leader of tho House. There would be serious difficulties about continuing tho session if both tho party leaders were out ot New Zealand.

The Prime Minister stated in the House lust Friday that ho had cabled to the Imperial authorities n suggestion that Anzac troops should be allowed to gar* rison Gullipoli. This idea has the warm approval 'of members. No reply has 'yet been received from the Bntisn Government, but it is "understood that in any case facilities will be given New Zealand and Australian officers to visit the Gallipoli battlegrounds. It is considered important that the task of marking graves and points of interest should be undertaken as quickly as possible, since time will soon efface the records the soldiers were ablo to leavo on the ground when they were on the Peninsula. The 'new Parliamentary building is a place of great distances.- In years to come Ministers will ''have their offices close to the Chamber. But at' present some of these offices-to-be are gaunt shells of concrete and stone, and Ministers must spaml minutes travelling between desks and benches. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have rooms in the new building, but as they retain their old rooms where their staffs are located, the arrangement does not inako for easy communication.