WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 February 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE PAR TV DEMONSTRATION. A PROFITLESS DISPLAY. SPECIAL. TO GUARDIAN. | WELLINGTON, Eeb Vi. j C The Prime Minister’s appeal to the ; House of Representatives to bring the! , prolitless debate upon the Addrcss-in- j Reply to a. conclusion before the end j of the. l week fell upon many .sympathetic ears. There is no longer any | doubt about the result of the impcntl- , ing division, and it might as well have been determined two days ago as it will J In' two hours or two days or two weeks I lienee. It is admitted that the Opposition. even after the elevation o: | Mr Ktatham to the Speaker's chair, has ti majority of three in the House. . hut the votes of Mr Isitt, Mr Witty and Mr Allen will he east on the side | of the Government-, in accordance with pledges these members have given to Mr Massey, with the approval, they allege, of their constituents, and the majority of four the Liberals and l.a- j bourites between them won at the polls j I will he converted into a minority ol j three in the division lobby. Ibis will j not have been brought about !)\ the i most admirable methods, hut the result ! itself may he the best that could he I expecti <1 in the circumstances. Mrj ' Massey will not he able to carry on in- | definitely with a majority consisting oi' '. three of Ids political opponents, but he will he plaoed in a position Horn which : he will he aide to review the whole situation with a full knowledge ol the facts. THE OTHER SIDIT The members licit eon utute Hicj 1 divided Opposition also will 1.0 given aj little time for in tied ion. Le.ore I ai-j liamenl meets again in -June the l aher- j als will have to make their ' iioi» e he-j tween a working arrangement with the. Reformers and another elect'm. M 1 may in? wry it 11 xioii> to ivlnin ollioe and ids friends may he very desirous that lie. should go Home to represent, the Dominion at the next linJ perial Conference: hut it is inconceivable that, he would continue ti occupy the Treasury Benches hv the grace ol j the three Liberal members .pledged j only lo save him from the tender liter- | cies of tho Revolutionary Socialists. | ; Mr Wilfurd did so well during the <lee-| lion campaign that his irieuds best-j t ile to criticise his tactics in Purlin-j mem: hut many of them are hoping ; that during the coming recess he will ‘ listen to what Mr Massey has to .-ay on i the sul.ijecl of electoral reform, whieli | is Iho mo-q important plank in the Li j hern 1-Labour platform, ihe overtures j of course, must conic from the Prime j Minister, as Mr de la PercHe. the new 1 memlkt for Awarun, pointed out in Ins I .sensible little speech in the House ye>- j terday : hut Mr Mas-ev sluuild not he ' given in atlvam-e the impression that j j the door would he slammed in his fan . j THE LA BO HR PAR i'Y. The fact that Reform in: tabors of j (he il aise are twitting Mr Holland and j the oiltwr aggressive members ol the Labour Party with modifying the j former violence of their language is .' less significant than the more import-| ant fact that Mr Holland and Lis col-E IcagUis really are much more circum- I -peri in their utterances than they I were a year or two ago. The He- j formers probably are lie rely alarmed ; lest the ’‘Rod Flag” element in the j Labour Party should become politically j respeclnbk and so cease to lie one oi , the trovcrnmcnl’-. chief asset.- al elec-j lion time. Uni Mr Holland’s and Mr; P. Frasor’s growing moderation, par-! * lietilarly during the present session, j has given rise to the suggestion that j Labour is emerging from tin. stage in j ; whieli it sought noii.iicty at. any cost ■ and entering upon another in which . logic will take- the place of noise. ) < s- I terday, Mr [.ysnar. presumably more! alarmed by Labour’s inoiler.it ion than j ho had been by its excess, declared the; members of the Parly Lo m- disloyal, j ai d Mr Holland, who a little while ago j would have only smiled at such tin I imputation, at mice rose to his leal in j angry protest. The member for His-! borne was eompelled to withdraw ins j wonK. hut he managed to say mm h j the same thing in a dilfert nt way wit lion: oll'ending again-1 the standing ord rs. The sigm’fieaius ol tin- in- j ciflenee, however. was .Mr Holland's I lino assumption of indignation. I THE PRIME Mi .VIST ERLS PARI. ; Mr Massey’s spio.-h I ml night .-.iter- ! cd the whole ground from lus fiarty - ! point of view I left Ihe eont rover- I sialists on i-itln-r sid ■ little exeu-e lor j prolonging Hie d- hale. He cj.-oke with j the aii- of a leader i-onihient ol d-.-Ming | suet ssfullv with the <1 illif-ii!ti imme-j diately ahead, hut with an obvious j cniifcin for i'jm* (iovi'lopmcuts ol ills* | liiorp tli-Lao? fill t! J' •‘. !!• i rankly n«l- . mil U'<i 1 1 i> ilkinriin:»»ion lo to on l oll.n'r eli i-t ion an*i a - IrnnUy inilicnloo | his to isoo-njinio wii.li v.lmt ho would call the moderate section of t!m i Ippnsitieu. (Mi the lioor of the lions: In i.oiild go no further and it now remains to ho '-cell w ll.it the IV, vs: will hi-ue iV;tlj. The responsibility rests with tho party leaders.