WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1917, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Ms ffiimßX AGE. SUGGESTED SEDUCTION. (Spwal Craresjpoudent) \ Wellington, August 23. i Prime Minister n-t,s subjected to £orae yood-hnmotirirU heckling in the -House rcstrrdaj- in regard to the aog- ? °n that the military age should Iw .•lowered to nineteeu. Mr P. (J. Webb, the member for Grey, set the lvill f? £ asking Mr Massev whether ms own statement that "the Matter has not been considered by Cabinet" or Sir James Aljen's statement that "the Goconsideration was tiie correct oiie~ and he .Minister's reply was punctuated by mmienns - liter jections and frequent dei isrve laughter. Mr. Massey ad»i:tted tbu two statements "appear conilK'ting," but insisted "thev really are not so." Then Mr. Witty wanted to .jraow if a bill embodying the su-'scstiou had been drafted acd Mr. Massev in' eomphiniLg of leakage from the Printing Oilier rather "gave the show away," '"f one of tte members taking part In the Minister-baiting put it. WHAT HAD HAPPENED. The whole truth of the matter seems to be, as previously indicated in these notes, that the military authorities, holding .hat well-matured, healthy lads of nineteen of 1 oral the very best material for tiie manufacture of efficient solders, recommended the lowering of the age'andi iiiat Sir James Arlen submitted the iecommendation to the Cabinet with a ® ore or ,es ß favorable endorsement, xhe Cabinet was divided on the qu"stir>a and the suggestion was being held in suspense when the outcry from (ho public begin,. M r . Witty* did not get his information concerning tlie matter jro-i the printing olliee, but there is »tl!e doubt his inference represents fairly closely what actually happened The outcome of it, all probably will be an amendment of the law aliowi., 0 ' lads of nineteen to go into wrap and° undergo the usual course of trsMmnf. THE CANDID FR.TEND. The Oosninian, rhfcli hu main p-onle jlmeuds? since the commencement ,>f the war lor any eiecse of paitiKsi.ushio it may jave shown in the piping I'mes of peace, speaJ»s out quite plainly upon the Ministers' lack of candour in this matter. "The fa-ct cannot he covered up that Ministers have been lacking in candour on this question,'' it says. "It is a most discreditable thing that Ministers should shuffle anil evade on a mntter of this nature. The sentiment of the country is entirely opposed to the idea, and there i? not one person in tea who has given the subject any thought who does not believe that the Government is actuated in the matter by the lowest, possible motive—that is, the shirking of the financial cost of making adequate provision for the dependants of members of the Second Division." Iflfcin speaking of this kind from the lips of a friend should materially lido Mr. Massey anu Sir James Alien in making up their minds. THE EFFICIENCY BOARD. The statement made by the Prime Minister yest- rlay in reply to a question put to him by Mr, L. M. Isitt in reference to the nositkm of the Efficiency Board did not throw much light upon a matter which is keenly exercising the public mind just now. Mr. Massey said the resignation of the Board was not in the his hands, tout ..'as being held by the Minister of Defence, .pending a meeting of the Cabinet at which the witoic position would be renewed. The decision of the Cabinet would he communicated to the members of the Board and then it would be for them to say whether they would continue to hold office or not. In the meantime resolutions urging the retention of the wrv?ces of the Board are pouring in Mpon the Government from all parts of the Dominion, and many members of , the House arc receiving representations ,fi >m their constituencies to the same effect. The general opinion is that the board will refuse to be conciliated. GENERAL GODLEY. The sweeping attack upon General Godlcy by Mr. C. J. Parr, tfre member for Eden, Iras brought, as was inevitable, a wry spirited reply from the Minister of Defence. Speaking in the House last night, Sir James Allen strongly rebuked Mr. Pair ft>r listening to the tittle-tattle of disappointed and disgruntled people, and quotes! the very highest testimony to General Godlev's aiility ai a soldier, an administrator, and a commander. He read sui extract from a letter he had received from General Birdwood, in which that distinguished officer wrote in the .warmest terms of General Godlcy's serV'ces, specially emphasising his consider.!- 1 tion iui his men and finding fault only '' with bis disregard far hi« own personal The Hon. 1-L H. Rhodes followed the Minister of Defence with a ] 'y?arm eulogy of the general, with whom i f he had spent many days in the trenches, ,aud an expression of regret that lie ' should have been so cruelly maligned. The impression left upon the nouse was that far too much credeuce had been given to the stories set in circulation by some of the commandant's less generous critics,