WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 4 April 1918, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

*%;? = , THE HOLIDAYS.

A QUIET TIME.

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, April 1, So far unfavourable weather has prevented anything like the usual amount of gaiety in the capital city during the Easter holidays. Wind and rain kept the great majority of the people indoors on Good Friday and the .picture shows with their selected programmes were the only places that iUtracted crowds. There was an imIj/uvement on Saturday, though a cltudQd sky and threatening showers kejt the ground damp, and a beginning was made with cricket, tennis and bowling under extremely unpleasant conditions. Rain fell again on Sunday, contributing to the congregations at the churches, as it had swollen the audiences •at the picture shows on Good Friday, and this morning the outlook is anything but encouraging for the festive end of the celebration. The early trains going North were crowded with passengers for the Feilding races, but with this exception both the trains and the tramways have done poorly and there oujrht to be a good many saved halfc.vns for the war loan. HANGING BACK.

Though the Minister of Finance has not yet made any official statement on the subject, there is a feeling abroad that subscriptions to the last instalment of the 1917 war loan are not coming in as freely as did subscriptions to the first instalment. If this is really the case it probably is due

to the half-yearly balance of so many financial and mercantile institutions taking place on March 31. At this period everyone is anxious to have his account looking well, and to the casual observer a substantial cash credit appears even better than a large holding of war bonds. Noone doubts that Sir Joseph Ward will obtain all the money be requires, but if he should be driven to putting the compulsory clauses of the Finance ACt into opera-

tion the reluctant capitalists who

have failed to subscribe voluntarily V would obtain little sympathy from the general public. Some of them already have received a polite intimation that they are expected to do their duty. THE BETTER WAY.

During the last day or two every

member of Parliament has received a circular letter signed by a member of patriotic Canterbury ladies urging an amendment in the Military Service Act which would provide a more rational way for dealing with conscientious objectors than the one in vogue

at present. The ladies are careful to make it perfectly clear that they are in no sense anti-militarists and that

their desire is not to embarrass the Government, but to facilitate its efforts towards winning the war. With this end in view they would do away with the so-called "conscience test," which allows a conscience only to

members of particular sects, and substitute a "character test" which would get at the general trustworthi-

ness of the objector and deal with

him accordingly. They deny the possibility of any tribunal being able to judge accurately a man's conscience, but they claim it would be easy with a man's character ascertained to gauge the validity of his objections. CIVIL CONTROL. Several local members of Parliament confess to have been favourably Impressed by the proposals contained in the circular, and it is understood Ministers would place no obstacle in the way of their being discussed during the approaching short session. Their authors would provide no additional loop-holes for the slacker or shirker. Rather the reverse. The Reservist who has established theval-

Idity of his objections would not be

turned loose to leave his duty to the "Empire and to civilisation in the prejeont crisis undone. He would he re-

moved from military control t 6 civil control and would be employed in New Zealand upon work which would benefit the State, "at such reduced rate of pay as might commend itself to the judgment of the House." This idea, of course, is not a new one, but It is restated so sanely and with such obvious sincerity that Parliament scarcely could brush it lightly aslda. PRIVATE WEBB, M.P.

Mr. P. C. Webb's claim to be allowed to sit in the House of Representatives while serving a term of imprisonment imposed by a military tr-'bunal for a military offence is being made the subject of many a jest, "but it is .not at all certain it Is the joking matter many people have supposed. Parliament is prop-fly very jealous of the privileges of ''& mem-"b-r-s P.V-A. the Crown Law offers having bedded that Mr. Webb.,c\"i retain Ills seat, # .very well, may determine lie shall occupy it. The position in

that case would be an. extremely com'i?r.r c>z'o. '..;'•'''• "presumab'y " Mr. Webb

would be conducted to the precincts of the House by the prison authorities and there left to enjoy all the rights and privileges of the representative of the Grey electors till the close of each sitting, when he would be conducted back to his cell by the same authorities. His constituency would lose nothing in notoriety, ana probably nothing in service, by such an entertaining spectacle.