WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 126, 29 May 1916, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE NF,W SPIRIT. (Special Correspondent.) ; WELLINGTON, May 26. For five solid hours yesterday, from 2.30 p.m. till 9.30 p.m. with the usual dinner adjournment, the House, in committee, was engaged on the discussion of the short title of the War Pensions Amendment Bill. Of course, no one was really concerned about the short title itself. By any other name the measure would have been just as acceptable, or the re\ T erse to its friendly and unfriendly critics. But the title clause of every Bill gives members an, oportunity to roam over the whole spacious field of political controversy and on this occasion they made a generous use of their privilege. The discussion would have run into still greater length had not the Minister announced when the Plouse met that the pensions for children would be increased from 5/- to 7/6 a week. This disarmed or partly disarmed a great deal of criticism that had been in preparation and though a number of members urged that the pensions should be still further increased the majority of the speakers concentrated their attention upon the widows’ allowance which they thought should be raised from 25/- to at least 30/- a week, the Minister’s refusal to concede this “beggarly five shilings,” as Mr. Vigor Brown put it, being responsible for most of the talk. Mr. Allen was not unsympathetic, indeed both he and the Prime Minister admitted there was much to be said for making more adequate provision for the dependents of soldiers, but he insisted upon the necessity of “going slow” till the financial obligations the country was piling up in connection with the war were definitely ascertained.

THE CASE OF THE ‘WIDOWS. As a set-off against the addition of 2/6 a week to the children’s pensions the Minister proposed to pay no pensions to widows in receipt of incomes over £6OO. and this met with very general approval, though Mr. (Witty contended that n»o distinction should be mad e between the women whose husbands had given their lives to the Empire. The wealthy widow, he thought, should he required to make her financial sacrifice by way cf taxation. Mr. Okey, one of the few members of the old Reform Party who

took any part in the debate, urged i that the widows’ pensions should be increased and that the children’s pensions should be graduated, beginning at 12/6 cr 15/- a week for one child and proceeding on a declining scale till the minimum amount was reached for the fourth or fifth child. Mr. Isitt warmly supported this suggestion, pointing out that under the present scheme a widow with one child would be worse off than a widow with three or four children. Mr. Poland took the same view and regretted that the member for Taranaki had not plucked un sufficient courage during the second reading debate to make his suggestion then. Had he done so the He use'might have secured more than an addition cf 2/6 to the children’s uensiens. “That paltry half-crown'/”' ’he member for Ohinemuri exclaimed, forgetting for an instant’ the*“existence’’of the party truce, “is- a- fitmeasure for the strength of the Government.” Finally the Prime Minister secured the adoption of the “short; s title” by promising that the views ex--1 pressed by members would be carefully considered by the Cabinet when the time for perfecting the measure arrived. Thenceforward the Bill had a comparatively smooth passage and I shortly befor e 11 o’clock was reported to the House.

THE PARTY HABIT. An honest effort is being made by almost every member of the House to repress the eruption of party and uerscnal feeling inseparable from politcal controversy and even the less responsible of the Labour members seem to bo realising that this is not a time for cherishing old grievances or for paying off old scores. The outbreaks of Mr. Payne and Mr. Webb are of an impersonal character, aimed at systems and not at individuals, and the indignant explosions of Mr. Hind marsh are purely temperamental. Perhaps the member for Lyttelton has

been the last to recognise that party warfare is suspended and that the old methods of criticism have been hiid aside. But even Ministers of the Crown, whose observance of the spirit of the truce has been exemplary from the very beginnig, have once °r tv,dee fallen from grace. Mr. Massey’s flagrant misinterpretation of seme remarks made by Mr. Poland hist session in regard to widows’ pensions, for instance, was a most deplorable lapg e and Mr. Allen’s implication that Mr. Wilford bad first recommended a man of German descent to the favourable attention of the Defence Department and then assisted fie Anti-German League in hounding the man down was utterly inexcusable But these incidents rather emphasise the new spirit of toleration and conciliation that pervades the House than

threaten its continuance. A year ago j 1 they would have attracted scarcely ; f passing notice amidst the din and dust ] of party wrangling'/ but to-day they I are being quoted with bated breath as c startling examples of the recurrence c of the old party habit. Th© incidents'' ' c were deplorable enough, of course, but f they are not wrafilding in the minds c ;of the parties add they are not going ( to affect the stability of the National j Cabinet, which becomes more assurecf K for th e period of the war every day. ' h | - ' -1 i COMPULSORY SERVICE. I 1

I ( The vital principle cf the Military [< Service Bill, though very widely re- ( 1 moved from the 1 public opinion of a 1 couple of years ago, will not meet 1 with any serious opposition in Par- 1 r.Mhent. Events have been paving the 1 way for its easy passage. Individuals 1 here and there may declaim against'; ,“sonscripticn!Y.‘andJbne.' or two mem- j •hers.-of the Honsewmay talk at 'large' i ajbou.t- the conscription, of wealth sinj,ultauepusly wifchkthe conscription of human flesh and-blood, but the needsW of the situation are recognised by all .sober thinking people, and the coun-.i , try will have little, patience -with ■ cheap -heroics at such a time as this': The chief fear of‘honest critics of the v. Bill has been' ithah the Government;! would not insist-:upon equality, of,;sa- j. crifice among the classes in the mat:.-;;, ter of service, --but Ministers 'have j. given assurances.in this respect which ( cannot be doubted or misunderstood. The most complete provision has been, made for distributing the burden fairly and no room has been left for favour or partiality in the administration of - ■. th e measure. The duty of every.fit?: man of military age will be brought home to him automaticaly and no re--,.,, proach or disability will be cast upon/ these who take it up in a patriotic j spirit. The doer is kept wide open' for the volunteer and there will be no danger of his being confused with the., shirker. The Bill is th e result of the most careful deliberation by the members of the Cabinet, by conscriptors and anti-conscriptoi’s alike, and among its staunchest supporters in theHouse will be former opponents of compulsion who have been forced by the stern logic of facts to waive their preconceived notions in regard to the limit that should he placed upon a man’s obligations to the State. The spirit of the Bill is, in short, to indicate to the man in doubt the precise time at which his services are required.

In a statement on Wednesday regarding the supply of ships the Prime Minister pointed out that the Imperial Government had commandeered at Ileast half a dozen of our coastal, vessels, as well as some intercolonial vessels Ho agreed that the freight rates .were exorbitant, but he said ..wCihad, ~either to pay these rates or to do without . the ships If the Imperial -Up.Yprnmcnt had not compa"ndeei;e,d.. aIL-the insulated space * large,,.proportion of our produce probably would have been left on our hands When the exporting season closed last year, all the butter and cheese was away and he did not think there was enough meat left to fill one ship. This was very satisfactory. The Government was doing its best to maintain the supply of ships., hut he was afraid that it would be a long time before things in this respect rekmred to normal.