POLITICAL NOTE?

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 290, 3 September 1919, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTE?

THE MINISTRY

ANOTHER APPOINTMENT !

Another appointment to tho Ministry has been announced, Major Coates, a returned soldier,' having beon offered and accepted office—testimony to tho sympathy of the head of the Government with the returned soldiers. Mr. '■ Lee was also offered office, but felt impelled to • refuse to accept for reasons with • which politics had nothing to do, He is a professional man, to whom politics, oven as a member of the House, compelled to spend only a part of his time in Weilingtou, involve no inconsiderable sacrifice. Ministerial office would take him away from his business altogether for an indefinite period. It has been etatod on many occasions that Mr. Leo does not intend to seek re-election. Ho has now decided to contest his 6cnt again. Major Coates was elected to the Honso as member for Kaipara in 1911: He has always been a sturdy advocate in the House for his district, and especially for the less fortunate of the settlers living in places where communications aro bad, and the lot of the small farmer a hard one. Early in the war he volunteered for. active service. Hβ had beon a mounted officer of Territorials, and he went into carrip as an officer of the Mounted Rifles. At the time there 'was an over supply of mounted reinforcements, owing to the fact that the mounted, troops were resting in Egypt, while the Division 'had been formed to go .to France, and he was one of the officers ■who surrendered his position in the mounted unit to go with the infantry. So it was that he served as an infantry officer with the Division in most of the hard fighting in France. He was "wounded in action on one occasion, and liq received first tho Military Cross and then a bar to the Cross for .distinguished conduct in battle. It is not the present intention of the Prune Minister to make any more appointments at this time, it being considered that three additional Minister will suffice. THE HOUSE GALLERIES. It is tho common' experience of Wellington members of Parliament to be besieged with applications from constituents and friends for seats in Mr. Speaker's Gallery in the House of Representatives. There is more space in the new galleries than there was in 'th? old 'buildins, but tho Speaker's Gallery would not accommodate a.ll the -people who make a practice of applying to members for tickets whpn there.happens to b>? an interesting debate in tho House. Mr. Wilford mentioned yesterday ,that no member could have more than one ticket per day for this gallery, and one did not by any means satisfy the demand. He realised that Wellington members should not be allowed to flood the galleries with their friends to the exclusion of visitors to the city, It should be generally known that the public gallery was just as-well furnished as the Speaker's Gallery, and that entrance, to the public gallery could be obtained without tickets. Members.represtuting other constituencies said that the difficulty of the Wellington members was not. so serious as theirs. They were sometimes anxious to obtain admission for-parties of their-constituents visiting Wellington, and in such eircumstances tho one ticket limit was a hardship. Mr. Speaker promised to Ret a return of all accommodation available in the galleries, anil to make a statement to the House whether cny relief could be given. RESTRICTIONS ON.RENT. A question relating to the rent restric-tio-i legislation was asked in the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr.' G. Witty. He' iisked tho Prime Minister whether he intended to extend the opera-ti-m of the legislation. If it were not donn, lie 6aid, a great hardship would 'be imposed on many' tenants, some of \aS already been rotifi»d' J hat tn- ' less the law was extended they would h'ive to submit to having their ren'.p 'raised or to quit.' . ' . ITr'., , Massey replied that he proposed to 'take' this matter ■ into consideration. H'i knew that , some amendment of the law was necessary, but the position was that the pro-vision about which the honourable member had asked was a permanent enactment.