WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1917, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

PKOFITEERIXG. CONFLICTING VIEWS. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, Sept. 10. Naturally the two local morning papers take different views of the questions ot ''profiteering" and ''exploitation" in their relation to the primary producers and the war. Perhaps they both (ire a littlo biased, political and party considerations as well as ccnccrn for the welfare of the community ent"ring more . or less into their discussion of the matter, but thou* conclusions are interesting as being fairly represe-itativo of the divisions that c-:;ist in Parliament and in the country. The reicnt report of the Board of Trade o.i the subject is taken lis the text in both cases. The Dominion claims the fanners are entitled to credit for the part t!iey have played since the beginning of the war. They have sold tlirtr produce at much lower rates than they might have obtain 4 and in this way have sacrificed nearly iii;ia millions sterling, the precise aniont shown by the Board of Trade beiag £ ',915,000. The New Zealand Timds, o.i tha other haw!, insists that no profit* be made out of the Empire's troubles and that every shilling made by t'io wen on the land from tlm Increased prices brought about by tbo wfir chuili 11 npnroprlated by the State. HOTEL ncir.3.

_ The legislation dealing v.-itli the reduction of hotel hours during the course of tlio war is expeei •<! tr- make its appearance in the House eii.ier to-morrow o)' on Wednesday, It is reported tMav that the members of the Cabinet'are sharply divided ou the question and that no final decision as to the precise hour of closing hag yet been readied. One or two Ministers are known to bo favorable to tlio adoption of die Efficiency Board's proposal of six o'clock, but this hour is not at all likely to be adopted and the popular tip now is ha If.past seven as a compromise between the advocates of seven o'clock and those favoring eight o'clock. Of course the later opening of the bars in ;he morning is of 110 consequence to the hotel-keepers, who frankly admit the business dono before breakfast is not worth having, but every halfhour cut oIY the evening trade will largely a fleet the sales and it is at this end of the bargaining feeling Is running high.

THE DECISION. It is understood there have been prolonged discussions in the Cabinet 114 to how the legislation fixing the hotel hours should be introduced. There are obvious objections to milking it an amendment to the War Regulations Act or to the existing Licensing Act and it will not be tasv to tack it 011 to any other measure without opening a very wide field of debate, the very thing Ministers wish to avoid doing just now. However, this point evidently has been settled and it is tolerably safe to predict the nature of the Government's proposals will be known to-morrow. It is rumored iha.4 llicrc is a majority in the Legislative Council determined not to allow the reduction to go beyond eight o'clock, but the general opinion is that whatever hour the Government may propose will be accepted by both the Council ,and the House. The Council is not in a, condition to maintain a struggle against the other Chamber, even if it had the inclination to initiate one, and the. House contains a number of members who will be very glad to shift their own responsibility 011 to the broad shoulders of the Cabinet. CLOSE OF THE SESSION. The Prime Minister's notice of his intention to ask the House to sit 011 Mondays after this week is taken as an indication of the determination of the Government to bring the session to a close by the middle of next month. Of course if Mr. Massey persists in this intention he will get his way, as Prime Ministers always have clone, but there are a number of members who will kick very vigorously against any attempt to send them hack to their constituents before they have had an opportunity to make their usual display in Hansard. There is bound to be much talking over (he War Pensions Amendment Bill and the Military Service Amendment Bill and these are measures which ought not to he ruslu-d through the House without very full and deliberate consideration. These, with minoi Government measures, two or three private members' P.ills, the report of the cost of living committee and the customary "washing up" legis lation still .seems likely to keep Parliament in session till the very end of Oetober.