WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

AN INDIGNANT MINORITY

WORDY WARFARE

(Our Special Correspondent)

Wellinoton, Oct 11

The purpose and effect of the can> cuses held on Tuesday were obvious enough when the War Pensions Bill came up for its third reading in the House On the following day. Memhois'who had taken part in the informal conferences with Ministers, even those who previously had ardently supported the claims of the Second Division League, were content to allow the measure to pass without further debate ; but Mr Hornsby and several of the Labour members thought it necessary to make a final protest against what they conceived to be the inadequacy of the pensions provided in certain cases and did so in an impassioned fashion scarcely justified by the circumstances. Mr Hornsbv was allowed to proceed without any serious interruption, but Mr Hindmarsh with his over-flowing indignation and sincerity soon found himself in a wordy warfare with the meinber for Patea and betrayed into a serious breach of order. TUB PRIME MINISTER’S PROTEST. The trouble between Mr Hindmarsh and Mr Pearce was speedily settled in the customary way by the member for Wellington Soiitli withdrawing some offensive words be had used, but a little side issue arising out of the main affair was not so easily adjusted and a lively display of fisticuffs was among the entertainments provided in the lobby during the adjournment. It was after Mr Yeiteli’s comparatively mild allusion to Mr Okey as “some back-block insignificant oreatnre,” however, that the Prime Minister intervened with a protest against “scenes ” which were “disgracing the New Zealand Parliament.” Mr Massey spoke with considerable force and feeling and brought the Speaker to Ins Teet with his familiar ,admonition to members not to interject when speeches were being made, an admonition, of course, which is consistently ignored. COST OP I.IVINU. The Prime Minister has promised in reply to a question put to him by Dr Newman that the report of the Cost of Living Committee will be brought dawn on Monday next, but he cannot undertake that it will ba circulated before if conies up for discussion. Members natnrally are a little disconcerted at the prospect of being required to talk about the report without having seen it, but this will not deter some of them from saying a good deal on the subject with which it deals.

It is believed that portions of the report, and larger portions of the evidence by which it is accompanied, will show that exploitation of a very flagrant character has been going on since the commencement of the war and that the Government has done by no means all it might have done io arrest the constant upward tendency of prices, ff this really is the case the debate will he a distinctly interesting one. ELECTOR AI. HORN l».Ui IKB. It is not unlikely that Mr Hornsby’s Electoral Boundaries -Commission Amendment Bill, of which notice has been given, is the fore-runner of a whole host of more or less valid protests against the disturbance of the electoral boundaries. The magnitude of the drift northward during the quinquennial period lias necessitated changes of a very far-reaching character in both Islands and there are heart-burnings in the North as well as in the South.

All the old schemes for the less frequent readjustment of boundaries, for the maintenance of community of interest and so forth are being- rediscussed, but there is no probability of anything being done during- the present session to vary the operation of the electoral laws. Dissatisfied individuals and dissatisfied pnblic bodies will have an opportunity to submit their grievances to tlie Commissioners, but judging from previous experiences there is little chance of any material alteration being made.