WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1917, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH. i Wellington, August 14. 1 Though Mr. P. C. Webb's return to, ■ his place in the House after his "unavoidable'' absence since the beginning of the session was not accompanied by any of the spectacular efl'ects his friends ■ desired, the member for Grey made an opportunity on Friday, by asking leave ,to introduce.a War Regulations Amendment Bill, to relieve himself of a speech which would not have been at all in'appropriate to the occasion. He spoke with a good deal more restraint well within the bounds of propriety may* be judged from the fact that such levelheaded members as Sir .Tohn Findlay, Sir James Carroll, Mr Sidney and Mr. Craigie voted with the minority that would have given him permission to introduce his Bill. Altogether the in- . cident left the House with the impression that Mr Webb had accepted his recent experience in a very" proper spirit ILLICIT BETTING. Mr. R. A. Wright, about the last member of the House the casual observer would expect to know anything about the pernicious ways of the bookmaker, is asking the Attorney-General a series of questions concerning his intentions in regard to this public nuisance. He | wants to know particularly if in view of the approaching race meeting in Christchurch he will take some steps to ; limit the present colossal operations of 1 the bookmakers in Wellington. It is I long past time something was done in I this matter. It is as easy to back a i horse in Wellington when a race meet- ' ing is going on at Riccarton or Ellerslic or Trentham as it is to back it on the course and the bookmakers seem to take scarcely any care to conceal their i operations. It is understood Mr. Herd- , man has drastic legislation in preparation, but in the meantime the evil is assuming alarming proportions.. THE FINANCIAL DEBATE. The debate on the Budget is losing nothing in vigor and little in interest as iit ..progresses. The Canterbury members j had a field night on Friday to end up the i week, the members for Christchurch I'East, ABhburton and Hurunui being the ! selected speakers, and it was noticeable ! that the two whips from opposite sides, Mr. Noswortby and Mr. Forbes, were just as frank as any of their predecessors had been in criticising the National Government. Mr. Forbes realised the Go vcrnment was unpopular and he did not like it very much himself, but he was . satisfied the Idea of a National Govern- I meat was acceptable to the mass of the people, and he believed Ministers would ' have come back refreshed they been ! required to fap an election. As it was they had got out out of touch with the constituencies and had failed to grasp many of the big problems arising out, of the war. Plain speaking of this Kind is becoming increasingly common on the floor of the House. A DEARTH OF DOCTORS. The member for Taumarunui, who for some time past has been making urgent representations to the Minister of Health in regard to the scarcity of doctors in the country districts, has mentioned the subject once or twice in the House lately. It seems that in Mi. Jenning's own widely scattered district r.o fewer than seven doctors have been lost since the commencement of the war, four having gone to the front and three having died, with the result that many families are left beyond the reach of medical assistance. The Minister has promised to do whatever may be possible to remedy this grave state of affairs, and already has made provision for maternity cases, but. the great difficulty is to procure qualified men on any terms, and till this i» overcome the trouble cannot be altogether 'removed. I ~•• . i