WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1916, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE PARTY TRUCE. BOSTPOXLVG ELECTIONS. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington.. July 31. The death of Mr. Eseott, and the consequent vacancy in the representation of Pahiatua in the Ilouse, will put the agreement between the party leaders in regard to by-elections to the test. The agreement is binding upon the leaders in both their private and their party capacity, and requires that they shall do their best to maintain the party representation on the same lines as it was determined at the last general election; but it impose,-', nodefinite obligation on the rank and liic of either side, and Labor, ont having subscribed to the "truce,'' is, of course, perfectly free to do what it pieascs. It is rumored that ilr. William l!olton, a wealthy local land-holder, who has entertained aspirations in this direction for some time, will be the Reform candidate, but it is unlikely any definite announcement will be made for a day or two. If the Labor I'arty puts a candidate into the field it probably will be Mr. James Thome, a young man who cut a prominent figure in Canterbury, politics a few years ago before more or less seriously in intermittent farming and journalism, ■lie would be an opponent worthy oi any Reformer's steel. - - |, THE LABOR PARTY.

Judging from the general attitude of the three members who now constitute the official Labor Party within the House, they would not be at. all averse to a trial of strength with either of the other parties in the constituencies. Apparently they have lost the prudent counsel of Mr. Veiteh and Mr. Hindmarsh, who have moved their seats from the back benches to a place among the progressive Liberals who make up the bulk of the "non-party" Opposition sitting to tile immediate left of the Speaker. The member for Wanganui and ti.o member for Wellington South were obviously uncomfortable in their old seats for some time before they left them, and, though tliey have not said so much themselves, it is pretty safe to assume they have found it impossible to eo-opeiate (juite in the old way with some of their former colleagues. Mr. Payne lias never owned allegiance to the Party, and did not get its support at the general election, so that Mr. MeCombs may now be regarded as the leader, with Mr. Webb and Mr. Walker, differing from him on certain points of policy, as his .supporters. Labor ought to have done better after twenty-live years of ! organised effort.

THE ANNUAL RUSH, ' If the Prime Minister really expects to bring the session to a close 011 Wednesday night, forty-eight hours Irom now, lie must be contemplating an unprecedented "slaughter of the innocents'' and a practically continuous sitting of the House. The War Legislation Bill, which occupied members till midnight on Saturday, simply bristled with contentious matter, and is not yet through the committee stage, while the War Regulations Bill still has to undergo its third reading, and the "Washing-Up Bill," posing under the title of the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and I'liblic Bodies Empowering Bill, and promising to run into over a hundred ciauses. would occupy Parliament for a month if it were to receive proper attention. There are half-a-dozen other pressing measures to be dealt with, not taking private members' Bills into account at all and Mr. Massey can realist; his hopes only by leaving half the business of tiie session undone or by doing it in such a perfunctory lashion that endless trouble may follow in its train. Perhaps this is not the time to remind the Minister of his denunciation of this 1 sort of thing, in a less aggravated form, in the old days, but his own political conscience ought to prick him to the observance of the decencies of the situation

PROTECTING THE SOLDIERS, Tiie War Legislation Bill, which someone lias styled a preliminary "Washingup" Bill, contains a variety of important proposals and tiie discussion of the measure iu committee took a very wide range 011 Saturday night. Mr. Hindniarsh was foremost in demanding that better provision should be made for the protection of soldiers' interests while they were away at the war, and lie was warmly supported by Mr. Witty, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Young, Air Ell, M.r. I'oole, and other members, the genera! contention being that soldiers should be protected from the rapacity of private landlords and private money-lenders just as they were assured of the goodwill and assistance of the State in keeping their homes together and meeting their obligations Mr. Massey said he could not .accept such a suggestion straight away, but after consulting with the Minister of Finance he added he would submit the matter to Cabinet" and see wliat could be done. The members who had spoken might be sure the Government was inspired by the same motives as they wore themselves. KITEFLYING.

The proposal to postpone local body elections for a year on Recount of tlie war met wii.li strenuous opposition fror.i liotii sides of the House, and ultimately the Prime Minister agreed to take the sense of the House "on the voices." The "ayes" and the ''noes'' were the most emphatic heard in the chamber for many a long day, but the cmiiniirxii of committee held that the greater volume of sound came from the "noes" and the proposal was rejected. Mr. Jlassey joining in the general laughter which greeted this oxhibiton of "legislation hy shouting." A serious side to the incident is sii£gestcd,,by people who, believe the proposal was merely a kite put up by the Government in the hope of

getting sonic idea of the attitude of the House towards the postponement of the general election. If this really was the case Ministers may be persuaded to delay the proposal till next session. A Bill providing for the postponement luvs been prepared, but there is no obvious reason why it should be rushed through this year and members might feel some ocmpunction in prolonging their own term of office just after denying a similar reprieve to the members of local bodies. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL -REFORM. There is a wide-spread suspicion here that the Legislative Council Amendment Bill, which has passed t'mough the Council and is now down for its second reading in the House, does not disclose all that is in the mind of the Government concerning the reform of "the other place." The Reformers were so desperately anxious a couple of years ago to redeem their election pledges in regard to making the Upper House elective before again going to the constituencies that they accepted the measure prepared by Sir Francis Bell without giving it a second thought, and now are finding it is not likely to work out just a? they imagined. For one thing, the system of counting and allotting the votes is so intricate and tedious that in the large constituencies provided by Sir Franks it would occupy the best part of a month, and even then not one elector in a thousand would know enough about the various processes to have any confidence in their results. Most people believe the amending Bill is the lieginning of tiie end. the .first step towards tile repeal of the original Act and" a return to the nominative system. But there is consolation in all this. When the muddle is undone the way will be clear for a sane and well-ordered reform. •