WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 26 July 1916, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE RELIGIOUS OBJECTOR

STATE CONTROL

(Our Spceial Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, July 24

I The disagreement between the House of Representatives and tli e Legislative jCouncil over the exemption of the re|ligious objector from military service | resulted —as everyon e behind the scenes (expected it would —in a compromise by which Ministers got their own way without appearing very inconsistent j themselves or seriously wounding the I susceptibilities of any of their supportjers. The religious objector, having established the religious character of his jobjection, on undertaking to render I non-combatant service either in the I Dominion or abroad will be excused ;from bearing arms, but will escape none •of the much more disagreeable work jallotted to the soldier.. He may be reIsuined to drive ambulance vans and i ammunition carts, succour th e wounded and bury the dead, dig trenches and jerect wire entanglements, and do a jscore of other things that will often him ! just as good a chance of getting shot jas will be enjoyed by the more conjseiousless of his comrades. There apipeared to be some difference of opinion [in the House as to whether or not the compromise would afford any real rejlief to the Quakers, but members of the sect in Wellington profess to lie gratified by the recognition of their "principle." and to be ready to undertake the alternative work allotted to them. SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING. The War Regulations Bill is .not expected to make its reappearance in the House until Wednesday, but in the meantime the prospect of it getting through committee without an "early closing" amendment is being discussed. That such an amendment will be moved, either providing foil right out six o'clock closing or in giving the Government power to fix the hour of. closing by regulation, is:generally cxp«fcted, .but if the Attorney-General was sleak;ing for his colleagues v<4ien' moving the I second reading 1 <• of : th'e measure, | the whole weight of the National Caainet TwlK' > Se in the maintenance of the status quo, and there will be, ijo 'alteration in the law. It is repotted by. !people who have been pricking the card j—in a purely non-party spirit, of course ! —that there are 33 members definitely j pledged to six o'clock closing and 39 I• pledged against that hour, though three |; or four of the; majority are inclined to ijconsider eight or nine, o'clock. The [advocates of early closing, rather than I; missi-vth-e vjj\ fmkfcfl loaf *aay ;jdiminution '-of the selling hours., and it ■jwould not. be surprising to seethe c4S|jtroversy ending in another j say, nine o'clock. Mr Herdmah ?Wo%a {not listen to any proposal of the kind, 'but Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward are more diplomatic, and several of 'their colleagues would be glad to go the whole hog.

SOLVING THE LIQUOR PROBLEM.

! Mr Wilford 's declaration when di&cussing the Early Closing question that he was an out and out supporter jot" .State control did not meet with any I very ready response from other niem» Ibers of the House, but it has set peoiple outside Parliament thinking aboat {this solution of the liquor problem, and many of them are inclined to regard it with favour. Even a section of the prohibitionists, or perhaps it would be fairer to say the prohibition voters, is ■growing a little impatient of the slow iprogress being made by "no license" ,and would welcome any reasonable proposal that promised more rapid reform, j'Loeal option has been in operation for jtwent.y-three years, and yet "no-license jhas been carried by only twelve elee r Iterates, and of these four arc city ele'ejtosates, which practically derive no | benefit at- all from the closing of the public bars within their own borders; simply because public bars are open on ithe other side of (he street. Out of.an estimated population of 1,100,000, only ,170,000 are residing in r.o-license districts, or excluding, the four city instil Urates, only 102,000. .Since, the instijtution of local option in 1595 the consumption of alcohol per head of population and the convictions fon drunkenness have substantially increased, and since 1908 not a single electorate has declared for uo license. It is little wonder even tho prohibitionists are* looking about for some, more expeditious remedy for the evil s of the drink, traffic. Tt may be that State control will provide what they ar 0 seeking.