WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 26 March 1918, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

COMMANDANT OF THE FORCES. 5 RUMOURED retirement. WELLINGTON, March 23. There is a persistent rumour here that Sir Alfred Robin is about to retire from the position of Commandant of the Forces, and that he will be succeeded by a New Zealand officer who has been doing excellent work in England since the beginning of the war. The rumour follows naturally enough upon the disclosures in connection with the escape of the German pris- ( .vs from Motuihi Island, and though the Minister of Defence declares it is

iu.e gossip, he scarcely can have expected anything less when he communicated to General Rohin his opinion of the finding of the Court of Inquiry. It would be difficult to constitute in tbe Dominion a military tribunal that could deal with the mistakes of a general, but when the political head of his Department thinks him guilty of grave errors of judgment the officer concerned usually finds a way out of the grave dilemma. 1 SAMOA. ' • The meeting held in the Concert cumber of the Town Hall last night to pass a motion declaring that Germany should not he allowed to resume p*. ..session of Samoa after the war, was not well stage-managed by the Mayor and at one time seemed on the point of getting out of hand. Mr. Luke was at a disadvantage in having recently contested a bitterly fought byelection, a big crowd of political opponents heckling him throughout the proceedings, and the speakers that supported him did not put their case ‘ quite so strongly as they might have done. However, a large majority or the audience obviously was in favour of the exclusion of the Germans from the Pacific and even Mr. H. Holland, the leader of the opposition to the motion, declared himself emphatically against Germany being alowed to establish a naval station in those seas. UPPER HOUSE. It was reported yesterday, on what appeared to be fairly good authority, that the National Government had decided to make half-a-dozen appointments to the Legislative Council before the meeting of Parliament for the short season. The numerical strength of the Council has now fallen to nineteen, and its really effective strength to not more than twelve or fourteen. The re-appointment of Mr. B. Harris was made on purely personal grounds, which cannot be discussed, but It is felt in many quarters that having departed from their early resolution In this instance the Government very well might have restored their positions to members like Mr. George Jones and Mr. H. F. Wigram, who could have been taken to represent the two sides of politics and who would have materially strengthened

the Chamber at points where at pre-

sent it is deplorably weak. However, to-day. Ministers decline to make any statement on the subject and their attitude suggests no early appointments are contemplated.