WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 February 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Religion and War.

Conscientious Convictions.

(Our Special Correspondent.)

Wellington, In dealing with a deputation from the Seventh Day Adventists which waited upon him jeaterday to urge that the members of the sect it represented should not bo required to bear arms the Minister of Defence displayed a measure of tact and patienoe with which no one would have credited him a couple of years ago. The Adventists, good earnest people who live np to their conscientious convictions, objeot to working on Satur" day, which they regard as the Sabbath day, as well as to fighting on any day of the week; but they are ready to undertake ambulance work, provided their views concerning the Sabbath are respected, and they do not wish to lean on other people for protection from the German peril. This frank attitude evidently appealed to Sir Janies Allen and though he could not promise the members of the deputation that no ambulance work wonld be required oa Saturdays, unless they could persuade the Kaiser lo cease shooting on the eeventh day of the week, or that the Military Board would exempt their pastors from service, he managed to send them away feeling they had poured the troubles of their principals into tolerant if not very sympathetic ears. MB WBBB'S CHALLENGE Mr P. 0. Webb's offer to submit himself to the judgment of bis constituents forthwith if he can be shown a thousand of them are dissatisfied with his attitude towards the war, is not attracting a great deal of attention here. Whether the member for Grey attends send-offs to soldiers, with or without invitations, is not regarded by the local people as a matter of much consequence. Bat there is a feeling even among the more aggressive members of the Labour Party that some of their representatives in Parliament are disposed to make a little too much of the assistance they gave in obtaining better conditions for the men sent to the front and for their dependents. Mr Webb and Mr * McCombs strongly denounced the first proposals but tbe credit for leading the attack belongs to Mr Poland, the member for Ohinemuri, who was warmly supported by a score of Liberal members, and it was Sir Joseph Ward, then Bitting on the Opposition benches, who finally induced the Government to reconsider its scale of pensions and allowances. This doss not detract from the good work actually done by Mr Webb and his colleague, but tbe facts on record in “ Hansard ” ought to be remembered and the concessions since made by the National Government on its own notion should not be forgotten. POLITICAL UNITY, This morning the “ New Zealand Times ” takes the prohibitionists of Invercargill severely to task for havng suggested the discontinuance of the sale of liquor during the course of the war. “In the midst of war,” it

Bays, “ when the energies of the na* tion and its whole attention thould be concentrated against the enemy, these people have raised tbe most Route cause of dissension known in the whole political field.” The contention of the writer is that anyone who introduce a controversial issue into tbe political arena at the present juncture is a traitor to his country. But many people who are neither prohibitionists nor politician] are expressing strong dissent from this view. They maintain that the party truce offers an unexampled importunity for tbe discussion of many controversial questions which ought to be settled by the judgment of individual members of Parliament end not by the mandate of the party leaders. Timy insist that in no other Biiti h country are great domestic questions

being so utterly neglected as they are in New Zealand and they predict that when the war is over the-" Dominion, which onee led the van of progress, will find itself hopelessly behind the rest of the Empire. dr mcnab’s successor. The fact that Sir John Findlay left town this morning for Hastings, where a meeting of Liberal delegates will be held on Monday to select a candidate for the Hawkes Bay sear, suggests that he has not been disoouraged in his political ambitions by the reports that have come daring the last day or two. Many of thß local people were strongly in favour of Mr Jail, wbodid so well in Waipawa at the last general election, receiving the nomination, and everyone agrees that his force of character and business ability would make him a great acquisition to Pailiamcnt, but no local candidate could expsot to secure the ssat without a contest and Mr Ju'l, though ready to s'epinto the breach if necessary, was not particularly bent on fighting his battles over again just row. At the moment it looks tolerably certain that Sir John F ndlay, with the full approval of a majority of tbe Hawke’s Bay Liberals, will be the official candidate and quite possible tbit he will be allowed a walk over, is much in recognition of the exceptional circumstances of his appeal to the electorate as in appreciation of his own outstanding ability. [To.day’s telegrams completely alteri the aspect.] Hawkes Bay Election. WELLINGTON, Feb. 17. The writ for the Hawkes Bay election was issued ito-day, and the election takes place on March Bth. The writ is returnable on March 17,th. Sir J. Findlay Retiree. HASTINGS. Feb. 17. Between fifty and sixty members of the Hastings branch of the Liberal [League attended a meeting held last night for the purpose of electing delegates to attend the convention of delegates from other paitts of the district on Monday night, a candidate for the Hawkes Bay seat is to be selected. Delegates were appointed, and the meeting by a large majority instructed them to support the candidature of Mr lan Simson. The other names submitted wero Sir John Findlay and Mr Clapham. If Mr Simson is nominated by the convention on Monday there will be other Liberal candidates contesting the election. Mr A. L. D. Fraser states it is his intention to oppose him, and Mr A. E. Jull will be asked by a deputation of Hastings citizens on Monday night to consent to nomination. The intention of the local Reform Party lias not yeib been made public. Sir John Findlay remains here over the week-end. Sir John Findlay in a statement to the “Tribune” to-day said he found that tho strong representations made to him of the Liberal Party’s organisation, unity and cohesion, were unfortunately entirely erroneous, and that four other Liberal candidates were in the field, two of whom were determined to contest the seat. He did not wish to thrust himself on the constituency, and as the conditions represented to him were entirely absent in Hawkes Bay, he therefore withdrew his nomination.