WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 23 September 1933, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

approach of parliament SOME PROBLEMS (Special Correspondent.). WELLINGTON, September i 9. Though Mr Forbes and Mr Mas- * tors landed from the ma.l steamer only ' late on Sunday evening they were at 1 work early on Monday morning preparing for a meeting of the Executive - Council ovoi-.-which Loi'd Hied.sloe, the 'Governor-Geneial, presided. Parliament will meet next week with a reduction, it is hoped, of some ol the tiresome formalities and social observances with which the business of the ' I,l.ouse is retarded. The first serious business of the- session will be the Ad-dress-fn-Reply debate, a weary form- ' aliiy which must have.cost tiie country several, millions of pounds sterling since the system of representative iio 1 stitutions was established in tills remote part of ihe Empire seventy-nine : years ago. It Inis been suggested that ! on this occasion the “Address” might ' be limited to a day or two, as is the practice of the “Mother of Parlia- ' mc-nts”; but so far tin*re is no indication of the adoption of this reasonable course The author of the suggestion that tile Ocalit-’on Government should forgo the waste of time and money in debating the .now ' looks gloomily upon Labour’s rejoicing over 'its advance at Lyttelton “The result of the Lyttelton' bye election,” the world at large is told, “will no doubt give a new lease of life to the Labour Party, which may be expected to make every post a winning post. Bince the bye election the Leader or the Opposition lias expressed the viewthat the result of the polling was tantamount to a declaration, of no-con-fidence in the Government, and it is expected that Mr Holland will gf-ve further expression to that view by ■ .submitting a hostile amendment to the Address-in-Reply motion.” If Mr Holland can do no more than level hostile amendments at the Acklress-in . Reply his ammunition will be speedily exhausted, ns it lias been before. Assuming Mi' Holland and his active colleagues imagine they are .'responsible for the entrance of Mrs McCombs to Parliament they are sadly deceiving themselves. With available funds at her disposal and with a dasire to enter Parliament the late Mr McCombs’ widow could have won the Lyttelton scat without the least assistance from Nlr Holland or from any of his colleagues. This may be saidwithout any reproach to the members ! of the House of Representatives wno j went to Lyttelton with the desire of making that seat secure. The leaders of the Labour Party are fond of promoting notices of “no confidence” and they go about the business in a very methodical and vigorous fashion, but it is: to be hoped that stimulated b.v iheir recent success, they will not burden the new member for Lyttelton with'the loads her predecessor bore with' tireless energy and courage. For the time being there is more talk about the first lady member of the House of Representatives than there is* about the approaching* session of Parliament. The lady is assured of ti vary- cordial welcome from the male members of the House and of a close scrutiny from the ladies of the gallery. illy and by Mrs McCombs will be- j come associated with her surroundings and. no cloubt, will cease to be a social curiosity. Talk of the opening session suggests that members of the House will be released for a week or two at Christmas time and recalled for a few weeks in parts of. February and -March, with the prospect of an autumn sesFoii in harmony with the old routine of years ago. This would suit a I majority of the members of the House fairly well, but if important members of the Cabinet are to make annual visits to London their convenience ■will have to be considered.