WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 18 December 1916, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE PRIME MINISTER AT HOME. HIS SPEECHES. (Special Correspondent) WELLINGTON, Dee. 15. It is scarcely necessary to wait for ~Mr Massey's own protest "before concluding that the sumary supplied by the Press Association of the address delivered at the Queen's Hall in London does not convey a very accurate Impression of what he actually said. It is inconceivable that the Prime Minister, who is both tactful and deliberate in his speech, would accept such an occasion to lecture the Mother Country upon her duty to the outlying portions of the Empire. "It was regrettable," the report of his remarks runs, "that the Dominions had had no voice in Imperial affairs since the beginning of the war. He believed the infusion of new blood was always productive of good. The situation demanded more patriotism and less politics. The British Parliament was obviously overburdened. It should relegate local affairs to provincial legislatures." Mr Massey may think all this, but he certainly would not give expression to his thougtits in this brusque fashion. That sort of thing is permitted only to the redoubtable Mr W. H. Hughes the Federal Prime Minister. It will be time enough for New Zealand to offer her assistance in revising the British consti- , tution when she has placed her own political system in order. ELECTORAL REFORM. The inclusion of proportional representation in the programme of the New South Wales Government has given the local advocates of this reform addition- ; al hope of seeing it applied to New • Zealand in the near future. It is not : quite clear from the cablegram published to-day whether Mr Holman proposes the system should be employed in con- . section with the State elections or the ■ Federal elections, but in either case the , discussion of the principle involved : ought to awaken the Australians to the flagrant iniquities of their present eleetoral systems. The local reformers arc persuading themselves that with Mr. Massey ready to give proportional representation in the Council and Sir Joseph Ward ready to give it in th* House the only logical compromise between them would be to grant it in both branches of the Legislature. The difficulty in the way, however, is not so much the attitude of the party leaders as it is the prevailing apathy in regard to domestic politics. If the public could be induced to take an interest in the question no doubt Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward would find some means of reconciling their conflicting views. COMPULSORY .SERVICE. The campaign again'st compulsory | military service which is being carried on in the Grey district is receiving very little sympathy here, even from the workers, to whom a special appeal is being made by the promoters of the movement. Though many of the unions have formally expresses disapproval of conscription en broad , principles, a majority of their mem- j bers realise that the war has reached a stage at which there must be no slackening in the efforts of the nation. Contrary to general expectation, the ballots under the Military Service Act and the sittings of the Military Service Board -have materially weakened the opposition to compulsion by plainly demonstrating the fairness of the law and the impartiality of its administration. The ballots have been -conducted with the most scrupulous care in the presence of an accredited representative of Labour and the Boards have shown themselves no respecters of persons. The only fear remaining with the workers is that after the war the country will find itself saddled with a burdensome military system. PEACE PROPOSALS. Of course, the peace proposals have been the general topic of discussion in "Wellington during the last two or three days, as they have been everywhere, but no one seems to imagine there is the slightest chance of their being seriously considered by the Mother Country and her Allies. Their publication has given several of the local bodies an opportunity to re-af-firm their devotion to the cause of freedom and righteousness, and the Mayor, speaking for himself and for the Mayors of the adjoining boroughs. has cabled to Mr. Massey asking him to "urge the British Prime Minister to treat the enemy's peace terms with the contempt they deserve," and 'ailing him that New Zealand "object;; to any discusion of peace till a deci Ive victory smashes Prussian militarirn." The message does infinite credit to the warm and patriotic hearts of Mr. Xmke and his colleagues, but at the moment it locks as if Mr. Lloyd "George would require no urging along the course he has mapped out for himself,