WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1918, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

« ; t ..?pß PARTY TRUGB. .'J* ~ PS DETERMLNATIQNy (* v.. ■ Air «ss«i— 'i « • r '-f'i [(Special Coroespondent.); Wellington, Dee. 13 By the terms of the agreement made betwecra Mr Masjaey and Sir Joseph Ward, and ratified by their respective supporters, for the suspension of party hostilities during the course of the war, the Reformers and Liberals would be at liberty to revert to their old relations, on the signing of the treaty of peace. But at the party caucuses held during the recent session the agreement was extended until the return of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph to the Dominion and a hope was expressed by more than one member of the House that it's spirit might bo preserved in some enduring form. It would seem, however, from a statement made by Mr W. A- Veitch, the Liberal-Labor member for Wanganui, that this idea is not finding' favor with the members of the oid Opposition, and thai they are anxious to return to what they called the constitutional position as soon as the larger war problems are satisfactorily settled. UNCONTROVIRSIAL POLITICS.

The Ministers remaining in 'the Dominion naturally are disinclined to discuss the subject during the absence of the party leaders. They refuse to look farther ahead than to the return of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward when, as they say, the whole matter will come up for consideration. But it is tolerably safe to say that the Reform Ministers are better disposed than the Liberal are .to the continuance of the truce in its present form. They entered, the '"coalition" after three years of office with most of their election pledges redeemed or decently renounced. The Liberal Ministers, on the other hand, except in the way of administration, have no opportunity during the interval to fulfil the promises they made to the constituencies from the hustings in 1911. They feel they are the principle sufferers from the "go plow" policy inseparable from the existing, arrangement

»' THE RANK AND FILE. The rank and file of the two old parties in Parliament are by no means satisfied with the present position. It is an open secret that the resolution adopted at the Reform Caucus hinting at a permanent truce for the purpose of combating the forces of revolutionary socialism was carried without much enthusiasm. Members protested that the party could not afford to stand still simply because a handful of noisy extremists were trying to disturb the industrial peace and retard the social well-being o| the community. At the Liberal caucus the protests against the "go-slow" policy were oven more emphatic and what is known of them fully justifies Mr Vcitch's assertion thai the idea of continuing the trace is not finding favor with the members of the party relations under hotter conditions. THE LABOR PARTY.

The official Labor Party, which as a voting factor cannot number more than 25,000 or 30,000 electors in the whole of the Dominion, professes to be highly gratified at the prospect of a permanent coalition between the Reformers and the Liberals. But the vast majority of the workers, with no merely personal ends to serve and no industrial grudges to gratify, would be just as glad to accept reforms from the- hands of the Liberals, or even from the hands of the Reformers, as they would be from those of the revolutionary Socialists. They are hugging to themselves no delusions about names, but are more earger than ever before for results. And in association with the other progressive elements in the country, by whatever name they may be called, they are going to obtain these'without reverting to the old bitter methods of political warfare. The party truce with all its limitations at least has made the personal emaity of the past impossible.

OUTBREAK ON THE 40th The parliamentary committee eet up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the .outbreak of infectious disease on the transport conveying the 40th Eeinforcements did not find it necessary to push its inquiries fai-. The Committee sat the day after the closing of the session, and after hearing several witnesses prepared a report that has not yet 'been made available for publi-, cation The affect of the report is that no blame is attachable to anybody in this country in connection with the outbreak.. The transport was, fully supplied with medical and other Etore3.. The Committee considered that the epidemic was a visitation that could not have been forsecn or provided for.

'.CHE TRAINING CAMPS. The training camps are nearly empty now, but some of the members of the instructional staffs are being retained there for service during the demobilisation period. Defence Headquarters has announced that officers of secondary schools units may take a course of physical instruction at Trentham under the instructors who are being retained. This course will begin on January 9th. The course of instruction former-y available for territorial officcra «£ the camps have been closed.

BREAKING DOWN ARBITRATION. "While there have not been any outstanding labor troubles, there has been evidence of a movement to break down the system of conciliation and arbitration at present in operation in New Zealand," says the ramiil report of the New Zealand Employers' Federation. "This movement was promoted by the more militant section of organised labor, and has been supported bitterly by a number of what arc termed aybitratioa unions The position eia-

ployars at present find themselves in io that they are bound by the provision of industrial awards and agreemento while the workers—or their ?epresectattves—observe them and are only bound by them so long as it Guits theis- purpose. This is amply demonstrated in ' the cases ' o:? the seamen, eoa.l mines* and Wellington tramwaymen, all ox whom vera parties to recently made .agreements of awards, which they repudiated a3 soc-a as they found it convenient to do so." Tho Federation _ saggeots that there ohouid be ooma independent judicial tribunal whose decisiono would bs final and binding on both parties. I't u essential that employers and tb.3 reasonable oection of Labor should consider what is to follow before they turn their backs on the existing industrial laws. THE HOURO OF PICTURE SHOWS. Much pressure is be'uij brought upon

Jpsolating to the hours of picture shows* |Ministers are realising, as probably pnsatbers of Parliament are doing; that fcthey noted hastily and without full h> foundation to fixing the restricted phours, fait tho restrictions ana imposed my an Act of Parliament Ministers Rbave no right to suspend an Act and t-tJUey are not anrioua to set a dangerous precedent The matter will jsonjebofore Cabinet.