POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1915, Page 8

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

NiOW ZEALAND'S SiiAliiO. JON KM Y ALiK.NS. LKTTKKS TO JOGYL'T. li.v Tclegraph.-Spcrial (~ News. Wellington, Last Night. Tioi'oronie was made in tin- House of Kcpresenlatives to-day to the conflicting statements that have been published eon-vi-i-iiiiiy the relative contributions of tlic dominions, on a population basis, to tin- armed forces of (lie 10iii[iiri'. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. ,la*. Allen) has claimed more than once (hiring the ■present session that New Zealand has sent more men to the. front in proportion to population than Australia lias done, and apparently this assertion has been challenged in the Commonwealth. The Prime Minister said that lie eo'.ild not give the Ilods-e precise Inures, but he could say that since the outbreak of tin' war New Zealand had armed and sent away approximately •->(),OOi) men. He believed that in proportion to population the contribution was larger than that of any other dominion.

Mr. Wilford (llutt) interjected that Australia had provided cruisers and sub- j marines. "We should take oil our hats to Australia," he said. Mr. Masseyr 1 am ready to take off niv hat to Australia in this matter. 'Mr. Vigor Drown (X'lpicn: \Y'c have been bragging in this llouso about having beaten Australia. The Leader of the Opposition (Sir .Joseph Ward) brought "the brief discussion to a close by remarking that he thought it a great pity that comparisons of tile kind should be drawn. All the dominions were trying to assist the Motherland, and each of them wanted to do its best. New Zealanders could be : proud of what Australia had done, and of what their own country had done. Comparisons should not be drawn at nil

at tlio present juncture. I Mr. "Russell (Avon) asked if the Gov- t criiinont wns keeping ii close eye upon ) enemy aliens within the dominion. In- „ formation hail reaehert liini to the effect . that in one city in tlu- doniinioi! there, was a German, who was stated by his partner to be wasting; away because he , was afraid that his country was going to be beaten in the war. A man of that ; sort would be better in custody. Mr. Wilford (Hutt): Perhaps he is • suffering from "Knltur." Mr. Russell added that he had been told of the ease of a German who had stated recently that letters could be sent from New Zealand to Germany through an address in Switzerland. | The Prime Minister said the. Government was watching enemy residents in New Zealand very closely indeed. An Alien Commission had been published an'd whenever the conduct of a person of Gorman blood, naturalised or unnaturaliscd, gave the least ground for suspicion the board undertook an investigation A great deal more had been .lone in this . matter than the public was aware of. Probablv he would be abic to make a. further'statement in a few days - timn. Mr. Russell: The man who is careful not to arouse suspicion is likely to be the dangerous one. Tn connection with the nuni-rons complaints regarding the non-delivery of letters and lack of information regarding the men at the front, Mr. Myers (Auckiiia'l T''«?i) asked if the Minister of Defence wo;*'.! reconsider his decision not to establish a New Zealand bureau in Egypt. A bureau with a s':>:! of Now ' Zealand officials could transmit, money. ; watch the d-'divery of letters, supply in- ' formation, and generally serve as a chan- ' nel of communication between the people of the dominion and the troops. The Minister of IH'l'ci!':'.' sa ; d A bureau.

was already in existence. In the fo.m of the Record's Office at Alexandria. Tlie establishment of a second bureau would merely cause confusion. Ill' was not prepared to set up an agency outside the Records Office. The work won! 1 , be mu'.h better done by the Kocord-i Office. Mr. Myers: I beg to differ. The Minister said that the conditions in Kgy|rt were very different from the conditions which had prevailed in Souih Africa. There had boon a. New Zealand bureau in South Africa during the war there, but he dill not think it had done very much good work. Mr. Mvers: It wa, a volunteer office. Send a body of capable officers to Kgqit. The Minister: I am not prepared to do that. The Minister add-: that the Defone:' Department would remit money to the soldiers, by letter or teb"jrim, at a miniumm cost.