WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 April 1918, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Tlilv SPECIAL SESSION. ! RAPID PROGRESS. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, April 12. Caucus Government is proving itself to be the natural if not the inevitable corollary of National Government. A number of members of the House came to Wellington for the short session fully determined to "shake up the Government,'' "expose the exti t»vagance and waste of the Defence Department" and do various other pious and horoic'tbings, but after the party caucuses which followed upon the opening ceremonies and formalities these aggressive representatives became almost as sweetly reasonable -as the most ardent partisan. It is true two adverse amendments to the Address-in-Rcply wore moved, one by Mr. Vigor Brown and the other bv Mr. John Payne, but they were received with such enr-hatic disapproval that nothing of the kind is likely to be attempted again—till after the war.

Tiy; NATIONAL CRISIS. It, goes without saying that the.silence of the members who had come to Wellington bent on scarifying the Government was mainly due to the entirely frank representations made by tlie party leaders at the caucauses concerning the war position. Neither Mr. Massey nor Sir Joseph Ward said anything to his supporters that was not. afterwards repeated in the House, or at least indicated clearhy enough for everyone to understand;'nut members came away from the caucuses realising .the time was not opportune for the resumption of party squabbles nor for the discussion of personal grievances. Even Mr. Vigor Brown admitted he had no wish to put the Go vernmcnt out of office. He merely thought open criticism and a little scare would do Ministers no harm

FURTHER MILITARY EFFORTA feeling of relief ran through the House when the Prime Minister's statement made it plain that the Government was going to do something more than speed up Reinforcements m response "to the Imperial outhorities appeal for more men. It had been understood tlmt the Minister of "Defence was in favor oi' confining the Dominion's new effort to the rest,oration of one of the Reinforcements which had been dropped out, and a great majority of the members had regarded this as utterly inadequate. Mr. Massey's statement set their minds at rest. The 41st and 42ftd Reinforcements will be brought into camp four or five weeks earlier than was intended, the "Orbs and 37ths will be dispatched ahead of tbeir time, a tank battalion of 700 officers and men will he formed, the reserves now in England will be placed at the disposal of the Imperial authorities and New Zealand will do whatever lies within its power.

LIFE OF PARLIAMENT. In concluding his speecii on the for the second reading of the Finance Bill last night Sir Joseph "Ward referred at some length to the proposal for the further extension of the life of tlie. .nrcsent Parliament. Of course it was only fitting that, tlve Minister of Finance should have been left to deal with this subject. Four years ago when his then political opponents were in office ho stood out chivalrously against an election, from which he might have expected much, being held during the course of the war and he is perfectly consistent in standing out now The members of the Liberal-Labor Party arc not unanimous on the subject. Indeed seven or eight of them voted against postponement at the party caucus, but the members of the Reform Party are better disciplined and the'proposal will be carried by an overwhelming majority if it goes to a division.