WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 May 1917, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

. i- •■ ' ■ * SOLDIER SETTLEMENT. THE GOVERNMENT'S POLHJfi j ■ /,' (Special Correspondent). -.'; Wellington, Vij 88. The statement made by the Acting > Prime Minister at Dunedin in regan) !o the settlement of returned soldier* la )\ civil life has been read with iatentt..',' here, and hag been freely discussed both :' by men themselves and by their frlepdl;» and well-wishers. It 1b generally '*A'-J mittert that the Government is doing ill"; Mint it reasonably can with the leglfU* 1 tion already on the Statute efforts of flie Wellington Land Bojßrt. \ l in settling'returned soldierß being, ape-"j cially commended; but it ia being nrgi * ed that Parliament sliould provide fttfrt£ tlier facilities for dealing with the pfoibv i lem by making definite for men who wish to take up other oe-' i Gupations than farming, and by them statutory preference in State «m-.-. A , plovmcnt. Sir James Allen has indl« ' ;<■ .•ated his own personal wish to do soma- / thins? in this direction, and it is expect-/ ed a scheme will,be submitted to 'ttft'';'j< Home early in the session. ■' 1 RACING IN WAR TIME. ft s The invitation of the Minister of ;&• ' temal Affairs to the racing and trottjng' ', authorities to submit to the Govern-; ! input alternative proposals for a reduc- . tion of permits by one-third and one-'-half iron!d seem to indicate that Mia- >'■ isters linvd not made up their own ;*■ minds on the subject very firmly. AS- ■_*. i though the Cabinet has resolved that a- , \ I substantial curtailment of racing is na- v* pessary in the interests of the country '■ it has not yet (riven ihe public any'de-' finite lead on the subject, even to thft '■ length of showing how the Interests of >', the country are going to be served. 81n«i tho agitation for a reduction began the ' ] position has been considerably changed by the institution of compulsory seT- [ t vice and the abolition of rasa trains, v 4 but no doubt the racing authorities trill" \ cheerfully co-operate with the GoT«m« t' ment in doing whatever ought to be\ done. , ■ . THE SESSION 1 . From what has transpired during tfcfe',■. last day or two it is tolerable sua to - predict that Mr. Massey and Sir Jo- < seph Ward will be hero'in ample tlraa ,j for the opening of Parliament at the' , end of next month. Ministers appear to have? nbnridoned the id"a of confining the -t work of tho session purely to war twst-. ness, and have themselves indicated a '- number of matters of purely dom#tio - interest that will be submitted to ißsmbors. The popular opinion is that the ' session will run about tho usual tenfth ■] and that the Government, while confia* ' ing its own attention mainly to war . matters, including taxation, of course, will not discourage the diseusson of ) " other matters within reasonable limits.' Probably it. will see the wisdom of a!- ', lowing .the private member a little lati-. -. tude in view of all the restraints he has had to bear during the life of the present Parliament.