WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 September 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

FRIDAY’S DIVISION

ITS SIGNIFICANCE,

(Our Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, Sept. 20. The significance of the division in the House on Friday afternoon did not lie in the fact that the Government was saved from defeat only by the casting vote of the Chairman of Committee, but in the evidence it provided of some sort of rapprochement between the Liberals and the,Official Labour Party. During the election campaign and the early days of the session Mr Holland and his friends seemed to stand even further apart from the Liberals than they did from the Reformers; indeed they made no secret of their belief that their own way to the Treasury Benches lay across the dead and buried body of Liberalism. But since Mr T. M. Wilford assumed flic leadership of the Liberal Party, the Social Democrats, as Mr Holland and his friends still like to he called, have appeared distinctly less keen in the pursuit of their disintegrating tactics. POSSIBILITIES IN THE FUTURE. This is not to say that the Social Democrats are showing the slightest inclination to surrender their party identity or that Mr Wilford is coquetting with the extremists for their support. But the new members of the Official Labour Party have conceived a much broader idea of their representative duties than any Mr Holland has yet inculcated. They do not habitually talk of liavng been sent to Parliament by one section of the workers to protect them from the greed and arrogance of the rest of the community. The new leader of the Liberal Party, on the other hand, is frankly sympathetic with the cause of Labour and recognises the justice of the workers’ claims, and very likely, as some of bis critics are jeering, their growing strength in the constituencies. Oif course no combination is going to displace the Government during the life of the present Parliament, but there appears to be a possibility of many interesting developments before the next general election. ELECTIVE UPPER HOUSE. The very large majority that supported the Hon J. B. Gow’s motion urging | the Government to save the members of the Legislative Cuoncil from the ordeal of a popular election advanced no new argument for undoing the legislation of six years ago. Simply Avlmfc was said in 1914 was said again with such emphasis as could be obtained from the conditions created by the war. One curious tiling about the division was that three-fourths of the councillors who voted with Mr Gow were members of the party which a little while ago deemed the adoption of the elective system as the one thing necessary for the salvation of the Upper House. It is to the credit of Sir Francis Bell, the leader of the Council, however, that he stands lirm to his principles and will tolerato.no tampering with the existing Act so long as he remains in office. WHAT NEXT? What will happen next in regard to the Legislative Council Act it is difficult to say. The Prime Minister lias made no pronouncement on the subject, but it may be presumed the Government will remain loyal to its representative in the Upper House, if only to avoid the catastrophe of losing his services at the Cabinet table. But there are several amendments which ought to lie made in .the Act before it comes into operation and which would meet with the approval of both Chambers if they were approached with a desire to improve the measure and not with a determination to destroy it. These amendments would deal with the representation of the Government in the Council, the system of counting the votes at an election and some minor matters, and none of them need impair the underlying principle, of the measure. The Government’s difficulty will be to confine the improvement, of the Bill; to this scope.