WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 June 1922, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

PROSPECTS- OF THE SESSION

SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. WELLINGNTON, Juno 20 Quito ii number of members of llie House already are here in readiness tor the opening of Parliament on Wednesday, and more will arrive by train and steamer to-morrow. Those on the spot ate inclined rather to listen than to talk when the business of the Session is under discussion but most of them are expecting to bo kept in Wellington till late in October and are preparing to be detained till the first week in November. Mr Massey sees no good lea.son why all the necessary business should not lie completed early in October, and probably lie would be glad enough to bring the proceedings to a close by that time, but the programme is bound to be a long one and members seeking re-election are sure to lie in a talkative mood. Even the Prime Minister’s faithful followers will not care to play the part of “dumb dogs' with the polling booth in sight. All the sections of the opposition, on the other hand, will want the world at large to knou they are discharging their traditional functions. THE GOVERNMENT'S TASK.

The desire of every Government is to

got throng) in the lasL Session ol :t Parliament the mnxinmni amomtt of business in the minimum space of time. A full statute hook is regarded by its creators riehtlv or wrongly, as a valid passport to the appreciation of the constituencies, but, at the approaching camera I election, it is admitted on all hands Mr Massey and Ids colleagues trill he judged by their administration, rather than by their legislation. They have to show, not that they have filled the Statute hook more rapidly and to greater dimensions than did their pro- (! ■, rviirs in office, hut they have practiced their promised economy, cared lor the interests of the returned soldiers, checked the operations of the proliteois. given a “square deal'' to both capital*' and labour, encouraged production and discharged the other obligations they took upon themselves nearly three year* iigo. The electors ate in a critical mood just now. probably more so than thev have been at any period since the election of 1011, and the Government will find its task beset with difficulties of a peculiarly trying description. INDEPEN DEXGE. Independence of tint kind expressed bv Sir Andrew Russell. in his capacity as llcform candidate for ilie llawkes hay seat, is so admit able it)) to a tortain point, that one hesitates to find fault with other adherents to the < r:ed. Hut politicians coming front the South roundly declare I lit! t the lletorni candidate's profession of iudcp' lidone*. in (he Dunedin North by-election was deliberately designed to catch the timid Liberal electors, who. having no hope of Mr Hogg succeeding, were left only with a choice between Relcom and Exfiomc Labour. Whet her or not this is line no otto can say foi-certain, hut it Mr Clarke’s independence was ol tin 1 brand professed by Sir Amirov. Russell it * .!ii hi Id not have offered any great difficulty to the Liberal electors in salting the pr ,: h|em. Sii Andrew ph’dgcd to sepport Mr b I assay on a v. anl-c;f-c*nnfid‘ te e motion, hat he* rose, ves to bin self the right to criticise* the Government's policy and administration. Evei* idealist starts out cm his political career with this pious declaration. THE TtEKORM APPEAL. Tic* "Dominion” I’iis morning in

d'ldipo with tin* prospects of (lie Session appeals to members in I".' on their I'cst h-clinviour find to refrain from cmlinn.'iK.sino tlm Government nml obsirimtiup; tin- business of (lie .country ly nil clinliilion ol party feeling. "It oiiolit to lit' manifest to liiemb.TS of l’at liamonl,” it says, “that in times lithose', and in view of tlm amount of work domamliiio nllonliun, tlm usual third session exhibition of political litoworks and party warfare would he out of place. In its present plight the ci.untry looks to I‘arlinmont for useful work and not. for frothy talk. Monikers who disregard that simple fact will invite, and certainly will deserve, a roue'll reckonine; with their constituents.” This is all very well in its way and otp/hl tu impress those members who aie tempted towards “wearisome iteration,” hut there an 1 so many important matters to come before the Mouse? during the Session that the talk not necessarily frothy- inevitably will mil into more paces ol “Hansard” than usual, and nuj'ht not to he unduly rest tided. In ally ease .Ministers will supply tile '{leat part ol it.

LIBERAL-LABOUR SPLIT. MR KTaTHAM’S RETIREMENT. WELLINGTON. .June 211. The retirement of Mr O, E. Statham from the Lulled Progressive Liberal and .Modcratr-I tihour Party, surprised no one in tomb with political matters here. The dilfcrcnces In'tween the leader of the party. Mr T. M. Wilford, ami the member for Dunedin Central were not merely the differences arising out of conllirling points of view. They had their origin in “incompatibility of temperament,’’ which is as fruitful of dissensions in politics as it is in the home. The alliance was foredoomed to failure from the first, since Mr Statham has very serious convictions; on inosl, of the public questions that really matter, while Mr Wilford is disposed to look upon the political game in'icli more lightly. Wluil. will he the outcome of this new development is not vet quite clear. Possibly it may induce the Labour Party to revive ils claim to be regarded as the official Opposition, but up to flic present Mr Holland and his friends have made no move in this direction. THE LIBERAL PARTY.

Whether Moderate Labour will continue ils association with progressive Lihciilism now Mr Statham lias returned In the ploughing of his lonely furrow rein-ii.; to In* seen; hill if. is probable the Official Opposition will suffer in strength and prestige, by a further reshuffling of the cards. Tlicro arc ten or a dozen Independents in the House, sonic drawn from one side and some from the other, and a majority of those are unattached simply because they have no faith in Mr Wilford as a Leader. This lack of confidence, though personal in some measure is largely due to the fail lire of the loader of the Opposition to produce a policy before the Dunedin North hy-eleetion. That contest was managed very hadlv so far ns the Liberal Party was concerned, and inevitably Mr Wilford is being blamed for the poor figure his candidate cut at the poll. Unless ho is able to do something better during tho Session his Party will face the general election in a much attenuated condition. PUBLIC SERVICE CUT. Tho Public Servants did not crowd the Town TTall in such large numbers as were expected last night to protest against the application of the second “Cut” to their salaries; hut what the demonstration lacked in size it made up in. determination and emphasis. Most of the City and suburban members of Parliament sent letters in which they expressed their sympathy

with the Public Servants and their readiness to assist them in averting the threatened blow. The tenor of the letters for the most part was to the effect that the writers were opposed to any reduction that would bring salaries below a livin '’ wage. But unfortunately none of them indicated any means by which the cut could ho averted without gravelv crippling Mr Massey’s economy scheme. The Prime Minister is positively pledged to bring the Country s expenditure within its income, and so far he and his financial advisers have failed to discover any way of redeeming this pledge which would/ not include the further cut in the Civil Servant’s Pav. There is the problem. ' THE SESSION". . With the ceremony of opening Parliament in progress at the time <>l writing there is nothing very new to sav about the prospects of the bcssiom The Governor’s speech indicates in the usual profiinetoiv fashion a laig amount of work to he done during t o next three or four months • hut _ amount of time it will occup> «ill pend almost entirely upon the amount of work to be done during the next three or four months; hut the amount „ time it will occupy will depend - most entirely upon the amount of fall iue members insist upon do,fig. In Uu Session of a Parliament, mernoe s with their eyes upon the genera ole - lion usuallv take every possible opportunity to address their eons ituciit from the floor of the House: but on is occasion much of the business bas to do with finance and eve, tl.ejeast diffident of politicians come to> veal _ earlv that this is a sphere in "'urli -o - u the elect can hope to slime. llo« over the opportunities for discussion will he numerous enough and iff ~, i. #'f is io • i,L ft «-m ™,«* *»• •* tllO oml of ()ct<>^^ r -