WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 7 May 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

Alleged Sedition. Member of Parliament Arrested (Oar Special Correspondent.) Wellington. May 2 The arnsr of Mr P. C Webb, M.F, on a charge or tawing used seditious language in one of bis recent speeches at Greym utfa wa# not altogether unexpected htr\ The member for Grey, if not an u&lly inviting the authorities to take this step, cert a nly has been very daring in his protests against conscription.

What mny be his fate, or what should be, cannot, of conrsp, be discussed .just now, but his arrest will, help to remove the popular delu»ioa that members of are a’-* lowed a wider privilege of speech in their private capacity than are lass exalted members of the community.

Except on the floor of the Horse they enjoy no greater liberty in this respect than does the humblest of their constituents. Even Ministers of Ihe Crown are subject to the provisions of the War Regulations they have framed under the authority of the statnte and upon them falls the responsibility of seeing the law is administered with absolute impartiality.

REMISSION OF SENTENCES The two local morning newspapers strongly condem the action of the Government in a»krog the Governor to remit the sentences imposed by the Magistrate at Auckland on the men •onvicted under the* War Regulations of complicity in the slow-work movement.

The “Dominion” eays the Government is being led from one false step to another as the result of its bargaining with the law-breaking coal miners and declares it is 'quite time the men were made to realise the limit of endurance has been reached. The “New Zealand Times” centres its attention upon the representations made by the conn el for the Grown at the Court, proceedings and eays they placed the Government in “the most disgraceful position in which any Government has stood sincesetilid*government was established in New Zealand.” . >

Local opiuion seems to largely endorse the opinion of the newspappfs, much of it emphatically,, aad the ministerial delegates to the West Coast are having much pungent criticism added. to their other troubles. THE MINISTER’S EXPLANATION. The Acting Prime Minister anticipated mneb cf this criticism in a state* ment he issued for publication last night. It is not in the judgment of roost people a very convincing document, but it at least shows an honest desire on the part of Ministers to discharge to the full their compact with the men.

Sir James Allen denies that the Government had the slightest intention of interfering with the functions of the Magistrate and points out that this was made perfectly clear during the Conrt proceedings in Auckland. It simply hail agreed not to press for penalties in these particular cases and now in order to give 9ffeßi> to the as well as to the letter cf the agreement it was askiuß tor the remission of the sentences which the Magistrate quite propeily imposed. Exceptional measures were justified by exceptional circumstances and the result, be hoped, would be an amicable

and permanent settlement of the trouble. i - PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. The story that the representatives of a syndicate of capitalists was prepared to take over the State mines at a valuation and work them as a private enterprise was generally regarded as a canard wheuit was published on Monday morning, but it appears now that it has a very en ü ßtantial basis of faot in an offer made to the Minister of Mines by Mr J. B. Laureuson and Mr R. Wilson.

Tbeee gentlemen on behalf of their principal are prepared to bay the mines outright or to work them on the royalty system. The Minister has Dot yat given any very serious consideration to the matter, apparently regarding it rather as a gibe at State management thin a preliminary to actual business, and at tbe moment he is not disposed to enter upon a disctnsion of the re'ative merits of State and pri" vate enterprise.