WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1917, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE IMPENDING END. RINGING DOWN THE CURTAIN. (Our Special Correspondent) 1 Wellington", Oct 22 Mr Massey is confident of bringing the session to a close by the end of this week or, at least, by Monday or Tuesday of next week. Just how lie is going to accomplish this, only those who have witnessed many similar performances can conjecture. Though the session has now run into nearly four ' mouths and has been peculiarly i free from time-wasting demonstra- | tions there still is enough business j in sight to keep Parliament sitting till Christmas. The Liquor Rill is hung up by a disagreements between the . two Houses, the Social Hygiene Bill is buried under an avalanche of pro- | test and objection,' yet another War Regulation Bill is on the stocks, j the Supplementary Estimates have to be passed, the report of the Cost of Living Committee has to be further considered and that of the Meat Trust Committee has to be , presented. But in spite of all these and of many other matters demand • ing the serious and deliberate attention of Parliament, it Mr Massey and his colleagues make up their minds to ring down the curtain within th,e next few days nothing can prevent them having, their way. THE LIQUOR BILL. 4 • The disagreement bettveeu the two Houses over the Sale of Liquor Restriction Bill is causing the friends of the measure some little anxiety. The point in dispute concerns the supply of liquor with meals, the Council holding that i only boarders should enjoy this! privilege and the House contend- i nig tluit it should be extended to j all customers. If the House is i firm, as it probably will be, it will i get its way, as the only alternative j to an agreement is the abandon- j nient of the Bill, which would mean j the retention of the old hours and i the loss if such advantages as the j majority in the Council expects ! from six o’clock closing. \ The rumour that several members of the House are repenting of the hasty support they gave to Mr . Massey’s unexpected amendment . persists, but, on the other hand, one," or two members who opposed the amendment are now urging that,: the earlier hour- of closing should be enforced just as strictly' as was the later hour. Otherwise, _ they say, the consumption of a hiscui t would entitle every thirsty soul to a drink. COST OK LIVING. , The general expectation is that, the drastic proposals of the Cost of Living Committee will provide the Government with an excuse for doing nothing this session towards the restriction of retail prices. Had the Committee contented itself with recommending the appointment of a food controller with authority to fix the pnices of certain specified commodities perhaps the Prime Minister would have overcome his antipathy to State interference with i trade, and possibly the Minister of Finance, freed of the fear of demands being made upon the Treasury, woukUiave become reconciled to the less hazardous experiment. i But it is. obvious that neither Mr j Massey nor Sir Joseph Ward would j be very favourably disposed towards | any scheme that threatened to j undermine their ministerial pre- J rogatives. They both have refused ■ to°give the Board of Trade more J than advisory powers, and that body j is at least as well qualified as any | food controller coming new to the ( work could be to regulate prices. < NEW ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES. | One effect of the heart-to-heart talks between the party leaders and j their supporters has been to put the | idea of an early general election out j of the minds of Ministers. When | the rank and file of the House were showing a disposition early in the month to kick over the traces, Mr j Massey told them all his prepara- j tions were in train for appealing to , the constituencies at once; but in j reply to a question put to him on Friday by Mr Hudson lie said any legislation required in connection with the new boundaries could be very well left oyer till next session. In the ordinary course the election would have taken place this year, but now it seems probable from the attitude of Ministers and •from what one hears in the lobbies that if the war should be still dragging on when Parliament meets next June a proposal for a still further postponement will be made. Not even the Labour members would be anxious to go to the polls while the war was diverting all attention from domestic affairs.