WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1917, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

DELAYED LEGISLATION

AWAITING ITS CHANCE

(Onr Special Correspondent)

Wellington, Oct 24

To-day the Prime Minister is not so confident as lie was on Monday of bringing the session to an end early next week. The passage of tlie Pensions Bill and the acceptance of the compromise on the Liquor Bill have not cleared all contentions matter out of the wav. It is suspected, indeed, that the Government has held back two or three troublesome measures in the hope that criticism will be less intense and searching when members are eager to get to their homes than it wonldjhave been when time was merely the plaything of their leisured hours.

The Expeditionary Forces Amendment Bill lias an extremely delicate clause dealing with the exemption of clergy from military service, the Social Hygiene Bill exploits one of the most perilous of legislative grounds, the War Regulation Bill is the last word in autocratic rule and the Washing-up Bill attempts more than any other measure of the kind ever has accomplished. The appearance of these Bills high up on the Order Paper has provoked a feeling of expectant unrest in the House, and Mr Massey, reading the signs of the hour, has extended his prophecy concerning the prorogation by a couple of clays.

stx q’clock closing

The inevitable compromise' between the two Houses on the question of six o'clock closing has been effected. Tlie ordinary sale of liquor is to cease at the hour originally prescribed, but people taking a substantial meal on hotel or club \ premises between 6 and 8 p.m. may j have drink with their food. A; small minority in tlie Council stronglj' resisted this concession to the licensed victualler, protesting that it would mean unlimited drinking during the two additional hours, but the prohitionists and their friends in both chambers, believing that further opposition would imperil the Bill and all it implied, very sensibly concluded it would be better to accept a large half loaf than to go without bread altogether. It is difficult to estimate the pre- ] cise effect of the compromise, but j the general opinion of people acquainted with the ramifications of the liquor trade is that the right of serving liquor witli meals up to 8 p.m. will not return to the publican more than 5 per cent of the revenue he will lose through early closing. SOCIAL HYGIENE. The Minister of Public Health did not find all the members of the House he met in conference 3-ester-day well disposed towards his Social Hygiene Bill. Most of them had received communications from more or less representative bodies in their constituencies strongly protesting against both the principles and the details of the measure and naturally . they were influenced to some extent \ by these demonstrations ol voting strength. J But the Hon G. W. Russell made j the need for drastic action so plain that not a single member was bold j enough to sa\ 7 nothing should, be j done for the protection of the health of the communitj 7 and the preservation of the virility of the nation. The plea was for palliatives, for something less thorough and effec- j tive than the Minister was advocat- i ing and proba-bh' several, useful j clauses in the Bill will have to he ’ abandoned in order to meet this plea. But if. Parliament refuses to retain the main provisions of his scheme, Mr Russell will withdraw the measure altogether and do the best he can with the existing legislation. PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES. Although the great majority of the members of the House who attended the National Caucus came away from that historic conference pledged to support the Government in its refusal to make further concessions by way of pensions and allowances to the members of the Second Division, many of them were in the position of the proverbial person convinced against his will. They were of the same opinion still.'

Now-several ol them in view of the announcement that a war bonus is again to be paid-to civil servants are drawing comparisons between the man with a comfortable billet in some public department receiv ing Z 5 a week and a war bonus and the man in the trenches getting £1 15s a week and no war bonus. Thej* urge, and on the lace of it with a great deal of reason, that il the Government has to spare from its own immediate requirements, the nionei' would be much better employed in making adequate provision for the dependents'of men at the front than in lighteningtlielcss grieviorsburdens of men already in the enjoyment of a living wage.