WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 November 1918, Page 3

WELLINGTON NOTES.

PARLIAMENT.

FURTHER- ADJOURNMENT DE-

MANDED.

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, Nov. 18. It is quite possible that when the Klu o assembles to-morrow a further icljonriimeiit will be made on account ; .i the inihicii'.a epidemic. A number ol members have made representation to the Prime Minister on the subject and with at least ten members laid up and twice as many away at their homes, it will not be easy for him to refuse their request. But with tho prospect of having to leave for the Peace Coiiioreiice within the next three or four weeks lie does not like tho idea of longer delaying the important business of the session, and if an adjournment is made it w.n bo made very reluctantly so far as Ministers are concerned. Private members urge there is no need for the machineij 0 f Parliament to stop when, party leaders go away, but Mr. Massey takes a different view of the situation ami probably would prefer holding a second session 'on his return from London to leaving the House to deal with a number of vital questions without his guiciDKMOBILTSATION AND REPATRIATION.

Among those vital questions are those of demobilisation and repatriation. These have become .specia.lv urgent on account of the events of the last few weeks, but it is doubtful n Parliament could deal adequately v\uii them in less than a month. That being the ease the Governmentmay elect to take authority to deal with the pioI,loins l,v regulations and trust to obtaining Parliament's approval later on. The demobilisation scheme is well fie ward and, of course is the less difficult of the two, but the repatriation scheme will involve the appointment of a Council consisting, it is said of the .Minister of Defence. (Sir James Allen), ,he Minister of Agriculture, (the Hon \\ D S MacDonald), the Minister of hands, (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie) and the Minister of Education, (Mr. J. A. Rattan), a Director of Repatriation and a large number of district organisations. It is certain that no time re mains for Parliament to work out the details

LIQUOR PROBLEM. Though more than three weeks have elapsed since the opening of the session, the House so far lias done next to nothing towards getting through the programme by which it was orginally faced. In tlie peace expectations, the armistice celebrations and the influenza epidemic it has some excuse for its lack of progress, but it will have to bestir itself to some purpose during the next month if it going to assist Ministers in redeeming; their promises to the conntry. In the minds o 7 many people the liquor questions that, have sunk it to tiny proportion compared with the other big questions that have loomed large, since it was first discussed, hut the supporters of the EfTciencv Board’s proposals are not going to allow it to slip out of sight in the whirl of post-war problems, and Ministers are being kept iip to their pledges. PROPOSED NATIONAL PARTY.

Sir Joseph Word is taking some pains to disassociate himself from the | “National Party’’ proposal and in doing so seems to have the approval of a large majority of his political friends. The story whispered about after the publication of the resolution adopted at the Reform Caucus was that the two party leaders had put their heads together and devised a scheme lor the perpetuation of the party truce. Put both Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward have denied any collusion towards this end. As a matter of fact Sir Joseph knew nothing about the proposal till he saw it in print, and as a* matter of assumption, lift- Massey, though observing the spirit of the truce, is not- m the habit of submitting the proposals lie makes to his friends to his colleagues on the other side of polities. At the moment the “National Party” is not tickling the political imagination of the community to any extent.