TAIHAPE WOMEN’S WORKING CLUB.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 15 September 1916, Page 5

TAIHAPE WOMEN’S WORKING CLUB.

On Thursday, September 7Lh the usual monthly meeting of the Taihape Women’s Working Club was held in the Red Cross Room, Rev, Stent belns in the chair. The members of the Committee present were Mesdames Shanley, Bason, Ongley; Knox; MeAuliffe and Miss Gilbert, (he nonorory secretary. Miss Gilbert tendered -her resignation, which was accepted with rey/ret by the Committee, and a heavy vote of thanks was passed for her untirim efforts and valuable assistance to the Club. Miss McAu'Siifs was elected to fill the vacancy. A resolution was passed to forward £SO to the Liverpool Fund for the Boys’ Christmas Parcels. It was decided to appeal to the public to assist in this matter with as little delay as possible , Donations will be thankfully received at the rooms on Thursday afternoons, and also by the President, .Mrs Saute; the treasurer, Mrs Knox, and the secretary.

A WAY BOUND. “CHANGE FOB A SHILLING. 77 (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Sept. L'U Tli e fact that the Christchurch Presbytery ‘‘is pained at the nerveless way in which our National Government has dealt with the liquor evil and at its callous indifference to the waste of national resources in gambling 7 - is not bringing a great deal of comfort to th e hotel-keepers here. They still are suffering very severely from the “ antishouting’ 7 regulation and some of them are protesting they would have lost less business through U o’clock closing than they are losing through the suppression of the “pleasant social habit" which contributed so generously to their takings. The official representatives of the “Trade, 77 however: are by no means eager to hav e the question reconsidered with a view to substituting early closing for “anti-shouting. 77 They admit the hotel-keepers have been hit very hard by the encouragement of what they call “solitary drinking, * 7 but they believe th e sociable British public will ultimately find some means of exercising its hospitality, in spite of the prohibition, and that the increased bottle trade will make up for the losses at the bar In the meantime the demands made upon passing pedestrians for “change for a shilling 7 ’ arc increasing in frequency and the chvuh'.ton of sixpenny pieces must have substantially increased since each thirsty soul was required to pay for his own drink. But the police are watching even this development, and on the whole are discharging their disagreeable duty tactfully and well.

Soldiers’ Votes. The announcement from Sydney that the New South Wales Government has decided to adopt th e proxy system to enable soldiers on active service to exercise their votes at the next general election in the Mother Stat e has set people 'here talking afresh of the feasibility of adopting a similar system in New Zealand. Last session Mr J. C. Thomson, the member for Wallace, drew attention to the subject by introducing a Soldiers’ Voting Bill, but; of course; the measure went the way of all other private' members ” proposals; and was scarcely mentioned even in the lobbies. In France and in the Mother Country, however, as well as in Australia, there is a very general demand that the soldiers in the trenches should be given facilities for recording their votes at the polls, and New Zealand should no be lagging behind the older communities in this respect. Even with the next general election deferred till the end of 1918, there probably will bo thousands of soldiers unable to appear in person at the polls. These men will have at least as much right to a voice! in the management of the affairs of the country as will th e shirkers who have dodged both the recruiting sergeant and the ballot, and Parliament ought to see that it in secured to them. The Ministers in town decline to duseuss the matter at this stage, but they all express sympathy with the political claims of th e soldiers, and raise no serious objection to the proxy system. Probably Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, may be able to obtain some useful information on the subject—when they visit London. “Political Plot.” The story of the “political plot’’ in which the leaders of both parties are represented as assiduously grinding their own axes at the expense of the rest of the community has fallen very flat after all_ No one is scolding Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, nor denouncing thg National Cabinet with more fervour than he did before, and generally the story is regarded as an ill-timed jest which has sadly miscarried. At the same time there is undoubtedly a feeling abroad that the National Government would manage the war. no worse and the domestic affairs of the country much better if there was a National Opposition in existence to keep it up to the mark. Probablv it was a realisation of this fact rather than any desire to obtain cilice for themselves that made the leaders of the Liberal Party so reluctant to enter the National Cabinet. Being there, thev must play the game according to the prescribed rules, but had they remained outside, say as members of the Defence Committee proposed by Sir J. Ward, a committee with administrative powers, they could have kept an eye on both domestic legislation and domestic administration without in any way impairing the unanimity with which all parties wore bent upon doing everything possible towards winning the war. Australia, oven friendly critics of the National Government arc pointing out, has managed to maintain an. effective Opposition without involving itself in a national catastrophe. Recruiting. No one who has. been brought into Ciose contact with the Defence authorities will suspect them or not knowing* tiifir own mind. Mr James Alien, with all his faults of manner which are no more than skin deep, is a st;ong man, with a set purpose always before him, r.nd the higher officers of the depart-

ment under him know what they are about. But for some inscrutable reason they are disinclined 1o lot the public know how recruiting is actually progressing, nad ‘by their reticence are creating a certain amount of doubt and uneasiness. One day it is announced that a Reinforcement is 500 to 000 below its quota, and the next that plenty of men arc available, and can be easily brought into camp. These conflicting statements have given rise to a notion among people that thcpractical application of compulsory service is at hand, and that within a week or two conscripts, perhaps not easily distinguishable from volunteers, will be seen marching through the streets of "Wellington. The truth seems to be that there are plenty of men in sight, men, that is, who have enlisted, but that a large proportion cf them are not immediately available. Volunteers have had the option of saying when they will walk into camp, and though long-dated expressions of loyalty are not longer accepted, the authorities are really in need of men ready to begin their training at once The time appears to be at hand when the miliary zeal of the laggards will have to be stimulated