WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 2 August 1916, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE PAETY TEUCE,

POSTPONING ELECTIONS.

(Special Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, July 31

The death of Mr. Escott and the consequent vacancy in the representation of Pahiatua in the House will put the agreement of the party leaders in regard to by-elections to the test. The agreement is binding upon the leaders in both their private and their party capacity, and requires they shall do their best to maintain the party representation on the same lines as it was determined at the last general election; but it imposes no definite obligation on the rank and file of either side, and Labou, not having subscribed to the “truce,” is, of course, perfectly free* to do what it pleases. I t is rumoured that Mr William Bolton, a wealthy local land-holder, who has entertained aspirations in this direction for some time, will be the Eeform candidate; but it is unlikely any definite announcement will be made for a day or two. If the Labour Party puts a candidate into the field it probably will be Mr James Thorne, a young man who cut a prominent figure in Canterbury politics a few years ago before engaging more or less seriously in intermittent farming and journalism. He would be an opponent worthy of any Reformer's steel. The Labour Party. Judging from the general attitude of the three members who now constitute the official Labour Party within the House, they would not bo at all averse to a trial of strength with either of the other parties in the constituencies. Apparently they have lost the prudent counsel of Mr Veitch and Mr Hindmarsh, who have moved their seats from the back benches to a place among the progressive Liberals who make up the bulk of the “non-party ” Opposition, sitting to the immediate left of the Speaker. The member for Wanganui and the member for Wellington South were obviously uncomfortable in their old seats for some time before they left them and though they have not said so much themselves, it is pretty safe to assume they have found it impossible to co-operate quite in the old way with some of their former colleagues. Mr Payne has never owned allegiance to the Party, and did not get its support at the general election, so that Mr McCombs may now' be regarded as the leader, with Mr Webb and Mr Walker differing from him on certain points of policy, as hi s supporters. Labour ought to have done better after twenty-five years of organised effort. The Annual Rush. If the Prime Minister really expects to bring the session to a close on Wednesday night, forty-eight hours from now, he must be contemplating an unprecendented “slaughter of the innocents, ’ ’ and a practically continuous sitting of the House. The War Legislation Bill, which occupied members till midnight on Saturday, simply bristled with contentious matter, and it is not yet through the committee stage, while the War Ecgulations Bill still has to undergo its third reading, and the “Washing-up” Bill, posing under the title of the Eeserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Bill, and promising to run into over a hundred clauses, would occupy Parliament for a month if it were to receive proper attention. There are half a dozen other pressing measures to be dealt with, not taking private members’ Bills into account at all, and Mr Massey can realise his hopes only by leaving half the business of the session undone, or by doing it in such a perfunctory fashion that endless trouble may follow in its train. Perhaps this is not the time to remind the Minister of his denunciation of this sort of thing, in a less aggravated form, in the old days, but his own political conscience ought to prick him to the observance of the decencies of the situation.

Protecting the Soldiers

The War legislation Bill, which someone has styled a preliminary * ‘ Washing-up ’ ’ Bill, contains a variety of important proposals, and the discussion of the measure in committee took a very wide range on Saturday night. Mr Hindmarsh was foremost in demanding that better provision should be made for the protection of soldiers interests while they were away at the war, and h e was warmly supported by Mr Witty, Mr Forbes, Mr Young, Mr Ell, Mr Poole, and other members, the general contention being that soldiers should be protected from the rapacity of private landlords and private moneylenders, just as they were assured of the goodwill and assistance of the State in keeping their homes together •and meeting their obligations. Mr Massey said he could not accept such a suggestion straight away, but after consulting with the Minister of Finance he added he would submit the matter to Cabinet and see what could be done. The members who had spoken might be sure the Government was inspired by the same motives as they were themselves.

Kite Flying. The proposal to postpone body elections for a year on account of the w T ar met with strenuous opposition from both sides of the House, ahd ultimately the Prime Minister agreed to take the sense cf the House ‘on the voices.’ The ‘ayes’ and the ‘noes r were the most emphatic heard in the chamber for mapyft? l long day, but the chairman of committee hold that the greater volume of sound came from the ‘noes, ’ and the proposal was rejected, Mr Massey joining in the general laughter which greeted this exhibition of ‘legislation by shouting. A serious side to the incident is suggested by people who believe the proposal w r as merely a kite put up by the Government ip the hope of getting some idea of the attitude of the House towards the postponement of the general election If this really was the case Ministers may be persuaded to delay the proposal till next session. A Bill providing for the postponement has been prepared, but there is no obvious reason why it should be rushed through this year, and members might feel some compunction in prolonging their own term of office just after denying a similar reprieve to the members of local bodies. Legislation Council Koform. • There is a wide-spread suspicion here that the Legislative Council Amendment Bill, which has passed through, the Council and is now down for its second reading in the House, does not disclose all that is in the mind of th“ Government concerning the reform,, of “the other place.” The Eeformers were so desperately anxious a couple of years ago to redeem their election pledges in regard to making the Upper House elective before again going to the constituencies that they accepted the measure prepared by Sir Francis Bell without giving it a second thought, and now are finding it is not likely to work out just as they imagined. For one thing the system of counting and allotting the votes is so intricate and tedious that in the large constituencies provided by Sir Francis it would occupy the best part of a month, and even then not one elector in a thousand would know enough about the various processes to have any confidence in their results. Most people believe the amending Bill is the beginning of the end, the first step towards the repeal of the original Act, and a return to the nominative system. But there is consolation in all, this. When the muddle is, undone .the way will be clear for a sane ,and well;ordered reform.