WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1918, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

COMMA X DAN T OF TEE FORCES. RUMORED RETIREMENT. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, Match 22. There is a persistent rumor here that Sir Alfred Robin is about to retire from the position of Commandant of the Forces and that he will be succeeded by a New Zealand officer who has been doing excellent work in England since the beginning of the war. The rumor follows naturally enough upon the disclosures in connection with the escape of the German prisoners from Motnihi Island, and though the Minister of Defence declares it is idle gossip he scarcely can have expected anything less when he communicated to General Robin his opinion of the finding of the Court of Inquiry. It would be difficult to constitute in the Dominion a military tribunal that could deal with the laches of a general, but when the political head of his Department thinks him guilty of grave errors of judgment the officer concerned usually finds a way out of the dilemma himself. SAMOA. The meeting held in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall last night to pass a motion declaring that Germany should not be allowed to resume possession of Samoa after the war, was no! well stagemanaged by the Mayor and at one time seemed on the point of getting out of hand. Mr. Luke was at a disadvantagein having recently contested a bitterly fought by-election, a big crowd of his political opponents heckling him throughout the proceedings, and the speakers that supported him did not put their case quite so strongly as they might have done. Howcer, a largo majority of the audience obviously was in favor of the exclusion of the Germans from the Pacific and even Mr. 11. Holland, the leader of the opposition to the motion, declared himself emphatically against Germany being allowed to establish a naval station in these seas. UPPER HOUSE. It was reported yesterday, on what appears to be fairly go<xl authority, that the National Government had,docidod to make half-a-dozen appointments to the Legislative Council before t>e meeting of Parliament for the short session. The numerical strength of the Council has now fallen to nineteen, and its really effective strength to not more than twelve or fourteen. The reappointment of Mr. B, Harris was made,on purely personal grounds, which cannot be discucsed, but it is felt in many quarters that bavins; departed from tlreir early resolution in this instance the Government very well might have restored their positions to members like Mr. George Jones and Mr. 11. F. Wigram. who could have been I taken to represent the two sides of politics and who would have materially strengthened the Chamber at points where at present it is deplorably weak. However, to-day Ministers decline to make any statement on the subject and their attitude suggests no early appointments are contemplated.