WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 February 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE GAME OF POLITICS. MANOEUVRING FOR POSITION SPECIAL TO CIUAUDJAN.

WELLINGTON, Feb. 9 , With a full House and crowded galleries on Wednesday the contending i political parties made the iirst move ; in the game they have been brought i to Wellington to play, kittle time was ■ lost over the mere formalities oi dej daring Parliament opened and administering the customary oath to the members in groups of four, and shortly after three o’clock the Clerk oi the House intimated his readiness to reeeive nominations tor tiro high office oi Speaker. Mr .1. M. Dickson promptly stepped into the gangway from Ins seal on the cross honchos oi Hip Government side of the House and in appropriate terms, rather haltingly applied, submitted tile name of Mr ( . E. Slatham for the favourable consideration of members. i’he member foi Chalmers lias few of the graces ami none of the lire oi Hie orator, but he spoke his rehearsed piece pleasantly and coherently. He summed up the case for His nominee by predicting that Mr Statham was going to lie numbered among the great Speakers of the House, and that, of course, lei" nothing more to lie said in hispr:" Mr George Hunter seconded the nain inat ion in a characteristic little speech which was marked by simple earnestness and warm appreciation. |,A liOl'R PROTESTS. .Mr Stalham had half risen from Mr Witty’s seal, which he was temporarily occupying, when Mr 11. E. Holland ea light tile eye of the Clerk of the ! Imise and announced that ho had a nomination to make on behall ol the Labour Party, lie had a great regard for the member for Dunedin Central, and nothing he might say of the use made of him by the Government to holster up it's position, was to be taken as a reflection upon that gentleman's ability nor upon his integrity. Hut as a protest against the unconstitutional action of a discredited and defeated Government he nominated Mi McCombs for Hie high and responsible ofliee which had to he filled. lie wished till- to he a'copied as a motion ol no-eoitiilollee in Mr Massey and his c,d!"a rues and if i Liberals did not support it t lien the country would know I he\ wore merely tile tools and the allies of the Tory clique that pulled the si rings ol Reform. Mr M. -f. Savin'o secomh'd I lie nomination, I the Standing Order-. as lie alleged, which allowed a defeated Government In turn to its sworn enemies for help in its hour of trouble. These Labour champions never are so impre'sive in the 1 Imise as they sometime' are on the plat form. THE HIRER \I. LEADER. When Mr Savage sat down. Mr s-'i atl- im again hail rose and again was inlen-epted. this time bv Mr Wdford. The lender of the Liberal-Lab-our Parly was. in quite his best iorm. bright, breezy and obviously on good terms with him-eh am! the world at large. Having expounded from Frykine May the parliamentary practice uroper la the invasion lie made it clear 1 ,. >va.s M ot going in accept the dictum of the leader of tlie Labour Party as to what should he accepted as a motion of uo-eontideliee. There being :wo candidates in the held, lie explained. it became the duly of the members of the House to divo'l themselves of all party bias and personal prejudice and to support the candidate they thought Lest fitted for the position j Pei sunnily lie had a great regard for Mi- McCombs' ability and industry, hut lie had a still greater rcgard_ fur Mr St aI ha in’s knowledge. experience mil judi'-ial Icmpernm'-nl. and thoiigu j it would entail the ioss ol a vote from his own side of the House lie w; s going to support that gentleman. ..Ii Willard (hen proceeded humorously to e:.ngralululo Mr Massey ttpuii the success of his foraging expedition, and to excuse it. on tile ground that there was no one on the Prime Minister’s own side of the House qualified to lili the position. THE PRIME MINISTER. Again Mr .Slatham was disappointed this time Mr Massey being tempted into the debit to bv Air \A iiloril s reflection upon the calibre ol his followers. There were twenty-five of them, at least, lie assured the House, who could have discharged the duties of the high office efficiently. Then he wanted !<> know if attempts had not been made from i lie other side of the House to tamper with the loyally oi some of his supporters. Explanations followed, from which it appeared that some members of tiie Opposition had been joking with Sir John Luke over liis . qualifications for the office, and that Sir .John whose sense of humour is sometimes a little obscure, had gone to hi> chief with stories ol attempts to breed dissension in their camp. But the incident blew over harmlessly enough, and in due course Mr Statham handsomely heat Mr McCombs in the division and in good round terms thanked members for the honour the;, had done him. So tar no progress lias been made towards unravelling the party tangle. That task is reserved for next week.