POLITICAL NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 July 1917, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

FORTHCOMING STATEMENT BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. 'By Telegraph.—'Special to News. (From Our Oivrn Correspondent.) Wellington. June 29. The House is to meet on Tuesday next as usual and the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward 'wiil occupy most of the day in making statements to the House, on what they have done on .behalf of New Zealand on their mission to the Home Country. If it should liaippen that these statements are finished early in the evening, the Address-in-Reply debate will be opened, Ibut this is not probaWc. It was 'the iintention on Thvrsday that there should 'be an adjournment over Tuesday, but this idea was abandoned in view of the fact that there appeared to be a possibility of getting the Imprest Bill through early. IMPREST SUPPLY. The Imprest Supply (Bill passed by the Houso of .Representatives yesterday provides a sum Qf £'.>66,300 for the various financial services of the Dominion. The only item out of ordinary was a provision that a suim of £IOO,OOO might bo applied (by the Minister of Finance to the purchase of wheat, provided that any sum subsequently realised by the sale of the wheat should be paid into the Consolidated Fund. Sir Joseph Ward explained that further sums would be required later for wheat purchase, but lie did not yield to the demands for a statement regarding the condition of the deal. THE MEMBER FOR GREY. The first mention of the member for Grey, who is in person serving a sentence of three months imprisonment for a breaeh of the War Regulations, was made in the House yesterday, when leave of aibsence was being asked for, and it evidently occurred to one or two members sitting in aibout the same part of the House that it was somebody's duty to ask for lea<ve for Mr. Webb. In the end Mr. Fletcher made the appeal on the ground of inexcusable absence. Nb doubt this was a slip of the tongue, as he probably meant to say unavoidable albsencc. The memlbcr for Grey will not be free to titke his seat until after July 31, the date on which he ia due for release.

FOTORiMATTON "WANTED ABOUT EXPEDITIONARY FORCES.

Already there are tiwo notices of tootion on the order ipaper asking for returns of information about the Expeditionary Force —as to the strength of the force ipromised by New Zealandi, the number of casualties, the total number to foe sent, and so on, ancfe members of the House other than the authors of the motions are anxious to have this information. It is iprdbable that a great deal of the details asked for will foe supplied by direotion of the Imperial authorities. All information of this character has hitherto been withheld, but it may now be made available. The people of New Zealand 'know well enough what was the strength of tlie original Expeditionary Force, but they do not know much of the story of hrtiv it came albout that the force was 'swelled to a Division, and how recently a fourth Brigade was added to the Division. All the facts may not be given to the House, because the Imperial Government is concerned as well as our Government, but it is not improbable that Sir James Allen will tell as much as he can. There is also a rule against stating the number of men who have ldft New. Zealand, the numbers in England, the numbers in hospitals, and the number of the casualties. Tt does not appear thait such reasons as there may once have been for secrecy hold good any longer. LSome of the particulars may be difficult to obtain, but art; least a summary of the casualties may be furnished. It may not be possible to give to the House the percentages of the reinforcements required for the different branches to make good the wastage., but in some other way it may be possible to give the 'House an idea of New Zealand's future commitments. It will probably not be possible to give the House a definite statement as to the limit to which the Government is prepared to go in sending men out of New Zealand.

PURCHASE OF FAHMS BY ENEMY SUBJECTS. SHIPiPING PROSPECTS. 'Wellington, June 30. Mr. Okey lias given notice to ask the Minister whether his attention has been directed to the fact that a considerable number of enemy sulbjects are purchasing farms and houses in New Zealand while (the nation is at war, and whether the Government will take into consideration the necessity or otherwise of suspending all transfers until after the conclusion of the war. _ . Members from dairy districts have arrangeil to interview the Minister of Agriculture on Thursday next. This will allow time for consideration of Mr. Massey's .promised statement on Tuesday regarding shipping prospects.