WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 June 1917, Page 3

WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE PARTY LEADERS.

THEIR RETURN*

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, June 27th. The home-coming of Air. Alaissey and Sir Joseph Ward was marked by no stage-managed ceremonial and no display of popular enthusiasm. A bedraggled flag here and there, a group of Ministers, Members of Parliament and officials at the railway station and a little crowd of rather listless spectators outside tho barrier, simply these and nothing more, distinguished the wet afternoon of yesterday from many other wet afternoons that has tried the patience of tli© rain-weary city during the last, month or two. * !

But the Wellington public is not a demonstrative public so far as Alinistors of the Crown are concerned, whatever the occasion or whatever the weather, and there is no sinister inference c drawn from the fact that the Prime Minister and liis colleague were allowed to go about thoir business without being embarrassod by triumphal arches or addresses of welcome. j THEIR MESSAGE . I Both the party leaders have made speeches sine© their return and have been eagerly interviewed by reporters. But they both have acquired t* perfection tho art of -talking in generalties and so far their words have been more stimulating to. the imagination than-sat-isfying to the thirst for information. Their references to the business of theImperial War Conference and th© Imperial AVer Cabinet have been vague in th© extreme, scarcely indicating tho difference between' the constitution and functions of the two bodies, and audiences and reporters have gono. empty away. I

However, Mr Massoy has promisod to be ; moro communicative to Parliament at the proper time and meanwhile he and Sir Joseph aro delivering a message of good cheer in connection with the war and the conditions that will prevail after the war. Tho ond may not com© this year, nor even next year, hut of tho ultimate result there can ho no doubt, and after that, there will bo enduring peace and continued prosperity for New Zealand. THE SESSION. Speaking only a few hours after their return to the Dominion naturally the Ministers references to tho business of the nppronching session-havo been more geenral than the rest of their generalities. It lia s not passed unnoticed that at Auckland Sir Joseph Ward, after paying a tribute to the integrity and ability of the late Dr. McNah congratulated Sir James Allen and Mr. Myers upon the success of their administration during the Prime Minister’s absence, but he has not been betrayed into suggesting who really had been Leader of tho Liberal Party since the death of-tlie gentleman he left in charge. His only direct allusions to matters t° come before Parliament have been an endorsement of Mr. Myer’s statement that the impending war loan will be a large one and a hint that no tariff wall must be ereotod against the • United States: ■ . IMPERIAL FEDERATION. Though the Prime Minister is unable to take the public into his confidence in regard to the .matter it is. evident his mind is full of a scheme by which “seventeen million Anglo-Saxon resident in the ovor-scss Dominions” ate to have some voieo in the management of the affairs of th Empire, even to the length of assisting in shaping its foreign policy. From liat ho is reported to have said at Auckland it might ho assumed that an Imperial Cabinet containing representatives from the Dominions is already grafted on to the Constitution, hut from his latter utterances it would appeaa' that the. final step in his direction, whatever its nature may he, will he delayed ‘ill the conclusion of the war has brought leisure, the proper parpeetrve ahd the suitable environment to the men

who will bo entrusted .with the completion of the scheme.

This is as.it should lie. Empire building i s necessarily a slow process and no stone in the great edifice of tho British Empire should bo laid while the minds of its scattered peoples are distracted by a struggle for thoir national existence. ,