WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1917, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

EMPIRE PREFERENCE. DiEVERGENT VIEWS. (Special Corresponednt.) Wellington, July 6. The discussion in the House of the statements made by Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward in connection with their trip Home was very much in the nature of a dress-rehearsal of the debate on the Address-in-Reply. Members followed one another with rather monotonous unanimity in Baying the obvious things in the obvious way, and at the end of it all the net result was many pages of Hansard filled for the most part with sonorous platitudes and pointless trivialities. The most interesting departure from the beaten track of conventionality was made by Mr. Malcolm, who declined to join with the Prime Minister in regarding a preferential Customs tariff as the one thing needful towards the unity and greatness of the Empire. The member for Clutha grew absolutely eloquent in his dissent from the view expressed by his party leader. He would not have the Empire striving after Imperial self-sufficiency, and he would not follow a war of flesh and blood with a war of tariffs and retaliations.

THE OTHER SIDE. Challenged in this way by a member of his own party, Mr. Massey could not help devoting the greater part of his reply to an exposition of the advantages of Imperial preference. He, did not lack encouragement from a sympathetic House, which marked its approval at almost every pause, but he did not handle the arguments for protection quite so adroitly as 'Mr. Malcolm had handled those for free trade. When ho claimed that preference to the Dominion would not increase the prices of commodities to the consumers at»Home, the member for Clutha naturally wanted to know what advantage the Dominions were going to obtain from the arrangement. To this very pertinent question the Minister deigned no leply, but he went on to explain that preference would increase production, and in this way would keep prices down. Though the House evidently was better disposed towards the view of the practical man of affairs rather than towards the criticism of the political economist, it must be confessed the man of affairs did not present his case very convincingly. ELECTORAL REFORM. Mr. Veitch, the member for Wanganui, has introduced bright and early his Proportional Representation and Effective Voting Bill, which went so near to getting its second reading in the, House of Representatives three years ago. How far the (Bill will progress this year depends, of course, upon the measure of consideration it receives from the Government, but at the moment it seems to be less favorably placed than it was three years,ago. At that time the parties were in active opposition, more concerned for party advantages than for legislative achievements, and the Liberal'" being pledged by their leader to proportional representation had only to vote solidly to carry the day, with the assistance of two or three ardent supporters of the reform from the other side. Now the position is different. Party feeling is not running so high, and several memlbers on the Liberal side of the House who supported the Bill on its last appearance simply in the hope of discomfiting their opponents will make the war an excuse for not proceeding with the measure during the present .session.

THAT SPECIAL TRAIN. Perhaps the iPrime Minister was feeling more aggrieved than he had any occasion to he when he made the stories that have been circulated concerning the special train hy which he and the Minister of Finanec had travelled on their return to the Dominion the subject of a Ministerial explanation in the House. Neither Mr. Massey nor Sir Joseph Ward is given to ostentatious display, and, whatever the gossips may say to the contrary may he allowed to its own refutation. But the statement from the General Manager, which Mr. Massey read in connection with the affair, might well raise a storm of indignation against the methods of the Railway Department. When tiiree or four Ministers are travelling there appears to ho no difficulty and no expense in (providing them with all the accommodation they require, though they contribute not a :pemvy piece to tho public revenue. But when three or four hundred, or three or four thousand, of the common folk want to Ik; oarried over ten or twenty miles of line to their work or their play they are tcAd the need for economy prevents the Department accepting their money.