WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 June 1916, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

0 CABINET RULE. 1 61X O'CLOCK CLOSING. ■ (From Our Own Correspondent). 0 The Prime Minister's motion giving t precedence to Government business for li the remainder of the session provoked b quite an interesting little discusshm in - the House of Representatives .the other . afternoon. The purpose of the motion,

, as Mr. Massey confessed, when pressed , for an explanation, was to put ft stop i to the waste of time in connection with ■ private members' Bills, which, in t'lu ' judgment of Ministers, have become a > serious menace to public business during the last week or two. When the landing orders were being revised In 181)4 j with a view to curbing the loquacity of | members, care was taken to close the • door against superfluous talking on the J first reading of a Bill, but by somo ' strange oversight ft was left wide open to endless garrulity on a motion for [ leave to introduce a Bill. The oversight , had not \been responsible for much * ti'oiibhwtill the beginning of the present session, but lately its possibilities have ■ been exploited in a truly alarming fash- ■ ion. The member for Grey Lynn has 1 no fewer than fourteen Bills on the order paper, where they have been placed to the accompaniment of quite lengthy speeches, and in addition to these Mr. Payne is asking for permission to intro- ; duee three or four more. One of the latter already lias occupied the whole of an afternoon sitting and there Is nothing in the standing orders to prevent it occupying another, or even two or three. ' THE OTHER SIDE. Of course, Mr. Massey's motion wat ultimately carried by a large majority, but there was'a good deal of sound reason in the protests made by sane members like Mr. Wilford, Mr. Sidey, Mi. Witty and Mr. Veiteh against the privileges of the House being whittled awfty by the Ministry. Giving precedence to Government business means in plain < language taking away from private members every vestige of initiative. There aro several Bills on the order papers introduced bv members who arc not given to wasting the time of the House, which , ought to be allowed to proofed unless the Government itself is prepared to take in hand the problems with which they deal. Mr. Wilford's Limitation of Rent Bill, it seems, has helped in stimulating the Government to prepare a Bill of its own on the same lines, and probably the member for Hutt will be satisfied with the promises made by the Prime Minister yesterday; but there is no reason arising out of the war why Mr. Thomson's Soldiers' Voting Bill, Mr. Veitch's Commercial Trusts Bill or Mr. Sidey's -Definition of Time Bill should not be considered by the Hpuse. In view of the Mother Country and several of her Allies having adopted the prin ciple of Mr. Sidey's measure on account of the war, the reintroduetlon of the Definition of Time Bill might place somo of its opponents in an extremely embarrassing position, hut doubtless the' significance of the precedent/ would enable them to execute the volte-face without any loss of dignity. LIQUOR AND WAR. It may not be so humorous as it looks, but a clause in the War Regulations Amendment Bill, introduced by Governor's message, giving the Government power to regulate the sale of liquor to women, created some merriment in the House. Several staid legislators found something intensely funny in the spectacle of fin assembly of men who had seen no need for restricting the supply of liquor to the members of their own sex specially concerning themselves over the drinking habits of women. No doubt the Attorney-General will throw some light on the subject when he comes to move the second reading of the measure. In the meantime the introduction of the Bill has given Mr. Isitt another opportunity to appeal for the earlier closing of hotels. He - would have New Zealand follow the "splendid - examples" of Xew South Wales and Tasmania. Mr Wilford's remedy for the evils of the drink traffic would be the nationalisation of the trade, not merely as a war measure, but as a permanent reform and with adequate compensation to the owners of the licensed houses, while Mr. Harris and Mr. Maleoini pray that the country may be saved from association through State control with a "wholly pernicious business." Mr. lierdinan, who >; frankly opposed to G o'clock closing, has made no provision foi such a step in his Bill, and if members want to shorten the selling hours they must.move in til,it direction on their own initiative, the prospects of any marked improvement upon the present condition of affairs are not very rosy, WAR .PRICES. Mr. Wilford's well-meant efforts to fathopi the intentions of the Govcrument in regard to the cost of living" have been frustrated by the Prime Minister's persistent reticence. "All we want to know is whether you are going tq deal with this question," the member for Hutt pleaded nlmost pathetically yesterday when Mr. Massey had talked'round the subject in his summary of the business to come before the flouse. "All I can say to tlie honorable member is that he must wait for the Financial Statement," was the elusive reply. Members are not speculating as to what the Financial Statement can have to do with the matter, and are not obtaining much satisfaction from the exorcise. It 1* known that the Board of Trade, which is being made a butt for the sneers of every disgruntled politician, has submitted a number of recommendations to tho Minister, and Mr. Massey doe? not appear to be treating the members of the Board fairly. There ia nothing in the Cost of Living Act requiring their reports to be published, and, of course, they can give no information concerning their contents to any outsider; but it would seem that in common courtesy they should have an opportunity to justify their existence. The reiteration of a few pious sentiments In the Financial Statement will not help the matter at all, and members of the House may discuss them for a month without affecting the price of one of the necessaries of life by the fraction of a farthing.