WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 111, 11 May 1916, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE SESSION. PERILS OF PATRIOTISM. (.Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, May 8

It is a curious fact that the session to be opened to-morrow is exciting less popular interest than has any previous session that can be easily called to mind by the oldest member of Parliament. It is to deal with mcausres of far-reaching importance, affecting in a greater or lesser- degree, every member of th e community, ana yet the mass of the people are little more concerned about its proceedings than they are about the doings of the local bodies that control their minor affairs. Of course, this is mainly due to the Avar diverting attention from everything else that is not of direct personal consequence. But to some extent it is due to the renunciation of party politics, to the frank suspension of the contests between the “ outs’ ’ and the "ins” which hitherto has constituted the very salt of public life in this country. In this respect Now Zealand ha s set an admirable example to the whole Empire, to the Mother Country no less than to the otser dominions, and both parties may be congratulated upon their forbearance and their patriotism. But there is just a little danger of the needs of- the position being disinterpreted. The compact between the parties that the AAdiole force" of Parliament shall be directed towards winning the war does not involve Pie surrender of the rights of honest criticism. Differences of opinion on Avar taxation br soldiers’ pensions or land settlement are in no way inconsistent with perfect unanimity on the great vital question of th e hour and xvliile the coutry Avould strongly resent anything in the Avay of factious opposition it AviSl expect its r£presentati\'e~ to keep a w-atchful eye on what they conceive to be the best interests of the people, BUSINESS OF THE SESSION.

Although Ministers are no longer talking, in jest or in earnest, of the session occupying only two or three weeks, they ais still hoping to bring it to a cSose before the end of July. There are indications, however, that Mn. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward are not in such a hurry to get away to London as they appealed to be at the beginning of the year and if members wish to discuss The Government’s proposals at greater length than might be desirable in a ease of urgency, they probably will be given reasonable facilities for doing so. It has been hinted that debate '"’ill be limited by the character of much of business, and doubtless the newspapers will be required to exercise rather more circumspection than they have observed on some former occasions, but it is not likely that the sacred privilege of free speech will be materially restricted, except, of coarse, by the good-sense of members. The measure attracting the most attention in advance is the Mill-

tary Service Bill, which received its

final touches from Cabinet last week and lias gone on to the printer in much the same shape as already outlined in this column. Voluntary enlistment wiM remain open to the man who prefers this jdain path of duty and compulsion will be applied only in cases where it is required to stimulate the sluggish conscience. Soldiers’ pensions and their dependents’ allowances will be reviewed, additional provision will be made for the settlement of returned soldiers on the land, war taxation will be overhauled,, perhaps more drastically than has been generally expected, and Government will take certain powers for th e control of the liquor traffic during the continuance of the war. f These will constitute the principal J items in the session’s programme. | MARRIED MEN £ND THE WAR. j Th e representations that have been made to Recruiting Board in regard to the inadequacy of the separation allowance made to married men joining the Reinforcements has brought from the secretary of the Board a letter which has provoked a good deal of pointed criticism. The pith of the . letter is that th e allowance w r as not j fixed in “any parsimonious or cheese--1 paring spirit,” but “wholly and solej ly that men with large families shoulo not be encouraged to enlist. ” This statement comes a little late in the day, considering the Board has been appealing for men, regardless of their domestic condition, and accepting married volunteers without making any enquiries concerning their dependents. Nor | even yet is the position quite clear. I “Steps are now being taken, ” the sec- ) retary wuites, “to enquire into the j circumstances of men who offer them- ' selves for senvice in all cases where ! there is reason to believe that a man’s family responsibilities are such as to make it advisable' to enlist him. ’ ’ This reads very right and proper, but in the very next ..sentence the secretary flatly contradicts what he has been instructed to say. “Under the voluntary system of enlisting, ” he continues, “the Recruiting Board thinks it is safe to assume that the married man with family responsibilities who enlists knows what he Is doing and is in v. position to make adequate provision for his dependents, in which case the Board sees no reason why he should not enlist.” This leaves the pious resolution of the Board simply nowhere. It is not going to encourage married men to enlist, but if they respond to its urgent appeals it wil3 assume they know what they are doing ) and will leave the dependents to shift j for . themselves. Surely this is not the last word for the Prime Minister and j his colleagues will have to say on the

matter, SOLDIERS OX THE LABOUR MARKET. The local newspapers, naturally anxious to avoid saying anything that could prejudice the case of the country’s stricken heroes, are handing the protest of the lobaur organisations against the exemption of returned soldiers from the conditions of the industrial agreements and awards very gingerly. The

1* \ Post ’’ is sure, as everyone who knows Mr Massey must be, that tie Prime Minister, would not condone such conteptable conduct as the Hon. J. T. Paul alleged against certain employers, and that he and the AttorneyGeneral, who is energetically and systematically lookiijp after interests of the discharged men, would be quick to punish the wrong-doers when they were discovered. But the point made by Mr. Paul and other members of the deputation that waited upon Mr Massey, in his capacity of Minister of Labour last week, was that wrong could be done without the authortics knowing anything about it. Mr. Paul gave a specific instance in which an employer had endeavoured to employ a returned soldier at £BO a year to fill the place of a man who was receiving £IBO a yean, and t Minister was unprepared with any assurance that could be expected to satisfy the members of the deputation. He professed, however, to have an open mind on the, subject and it since has been suggested that positions for tin? returned soldiers requiring to supplement their pensions by light work might be found in the Public Service, bust health engaged upon extremely where there are number of men in roeasy jobs. Probably t-hex would not be sufficient positions of this kind to go round and in any case displacing one man to make room for another would not solve the but obviously if returned soldiers are to enter into competition with other workers on the employers’ own terms their appearance in the labour market will be a cause of constant irritation.