POLITICAL PEN POINTS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 21 July 1917, Page 6

POLITICAL PEN POINTS.

The Rev. Mr. Isitt, M.P., is going the round of the Ministry with liberal applications of butter and soft soap. Defence and Munitions now fairly Bhine. It is thought Tommy Wilford must keep a keen eye on the empty Cabinet room chair.

The Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald thinks public is rapidly swinging round in favour of State Shipping. Mr. MacDonald also thinks the shipping needed careful watching at this juncture, as huge combines were not always what they appeared to be. If a butter tax had not have been levied the Hon. Mr. MacDonald thinks the public would unfairly have been compelled to pay 1/11 per lb for their butter. Mr. Poland says the Board of Trade investigates but it never does anything else. Meanwhile the cost of t living is soaring out of reach. A several million loan to be floated locally is urged by Mr. Pearce. He says there is plenty of money, and the .loan would be taken up at once. Mr. Pearce says the "Anti-Shout-ing" legislation is a farce and he would vote for its repeal. The Defence Minister says the term of a soldier's enlistment extends to six months after the war but he is not sure about the six months after, as it is doubtful whether the men eould be got back to New Zealand in that time. The name of Malcolm Ross figures. much more frequently in Parliament as the subject of Members' questions as to his whereabouts and \fork, than at does appended to war correspondence for which taxpayers are paying £IOOO a year. The Premier denies that Mr. Malcolm Ross is a military censor. One wonders what he is doing. Mr. Scott briefly commended- the work of the National Government, and resumed his seat. Mr. Scott could find nothing else to say under that category. Mr. Vigor Brown is a politician of the vigorous ilk; although cften riguL he sometimes makes a blunder. Basing -his ideas on a few big landholders in Bawke's Bay, he erroneously dubs aiiarmers as Tories. Mr. Massey is backing down in his promise of ships. He lays the sin at the feet of the Imperial Government, but it would much better fit the shipping combine. Borough of Karori Empowering Bill and other bills have been-read a first time. The Taihape County Bill was not mentioned. Probably overlooked by the Hon. G. W. Russell. Is it a monopolistic method? Complaint is made in Parliament that the Union Company has refused to carry passengers to the West Coast. The Hon. Mr. MacDonald understands that coal is going up another 2s a ton next week. He does not say so, but the reasons given are obviously specious. ,Mr. Brown (Napier) says Members of Parliament may talx, but the talk was vain. The only thing to bring /Ministers to their senses was a general election. Mr. Witty says the Government were conscripting men, but to get farmers to grow wheat they went about the country begging. Telegraphed report states the Min- . ister of Defence came under the Speaker's-review, of course, this does not mean Mr. Speaker, it means the speaker who had the Speaker's eye. Mr. Statham is "afraid the Government missed a golden~ /opoprtunity in not imposing an income tax. Mr. Statham need not worry the Government will have the gold another way.