WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1920, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

ANOTHER NO-€ONI?IDENCE MOTION A DULL DEBATE. (From Our Special Correspondent.) Wellington, July 2. The second jio-confidence motion oi -he scarcely week old session was start m on its way in the House of Repre sentatives yesterday by the Leader oi •he Opposition. Of course Mr. MacDonild has no expectation of ousting tin ieform Ministers from the Treasury Benches, but apparently lie thinks it wod tactics to draw a well-defined line >f distinction between the political of the two main parties before .hey become more closely associated in, a joint effort for the nation's welfare Sis main attack yesterday was upon the government's failure to produce a more |qiutable system of election and its muddling and extravagance," as he puts t, in connection with soldier settlement Jere he made his points well, but in "her respects his attack fell rather flat THE GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE. No doubt the Prime Minister is just is well pleased to have this series of no:onfidence motions launched against hin it the present time. Secure }n his big najority,, fresh from the constituencies md showing no disposition towards "inlependence," he can watch the attacks vith complacency and await the issue vithout trepidation. While the Liberal md Labor forces are pounding at his amparts he can continue in comparative (Uietneßs his preparations for the serious work of the session and lay all ;he blame for the waste of time upon he shoulders of his critics. Whether his preliminary skirmishing will serve ho purpose of the Opposition is doubt- 1 ul, but it certainly will not embarrass he Government. ELECTORAL REFORM. Mr. Massey made it quite clear by an nterjection lie threw across the House 'esterday that he had no intention of mending the electoral law just yet. Ir. Mac Donald was urging with figures rawn from the results of the general lection last December the claims of prolortional representation, when the Primelinister asserted that the committee appointed at Home to go into this quesion had reported 110 improvement could e made upon the "first-past-the-post" ystem. As a matter of historical 'fact his statement hardly represented the rue position, but it sufficiently dislosed Mr. Massey's views on the mater, and it is safe to conclude no movement for reform will come from the lovernment during the life of the preent Parliament. SOLDIERS' SETTLEMENT. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie was put to eply to Mr. Mac Donald's indictment of lie Government's settlement policy and and if big figures hurled cross the floor of the House could have illed, the Leader of the Opposition 'ould have speedily lain prostrate at he of the Minister of Lands. Mr. uthrie showed that 110 loss, than E1!).06G,3G8 had been expended upon oldier settlement in one way and anther and that a total area of 601,141 eres, including fifty-six purchased esites comprising 200,000 acres, was now ither available for 'settlement or in mirse of preparation. It was only a lass of figures," it is true, but the mass nggested the Minister had lacked either in zeal nor in activity, THE ADDRESS-IN-REPLY. DEBATE GOES ON. Wellington, July 5. The only saving grace about the disussion of the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonld's want of confidence motion is that ; will materially shorten the debate on he Address-in-Reply. The last reision of the Standing Orders provided bat a member who spoke on an amendlent to the could not speak gam 011 the motion for its: adoption, 'o the author of this very sensible proision the House and the country are nder a deep debt of gratitude. The labor members, as usual, and the new lembers, as a surprise, are in a paricularly talkative mood, and but for he providential restriction placed upon heir loquacity they might keep up the resent wearisome talk .for a month. As t is, ut the beginning of the second reek it shows no sign of lanquisljing, nd there seems little doubt it will run asily over the fortnight. ' CLEARING THE ATMOSPHERE. One useful purpose served by the deate, which may be set against the uss of 1 time it has involved, is a general learing of the atmosphere within Pariament. It ia obvious now that the iovernment possesses a stable majority f eight or ten, ready to stand by it a every emergency, that the breach letween the Liberals., and the Official -abor Party is irreparable, that the Inependent Labor numbers and the Inependent members of the other parties ave many sympathies in common, and hat between them they may ultimately lecome the nucleus of the fourth party I'hicli, in the opinion of many people, is 0 become the salvation of the. country, extreme Labor is making no progress in lie House. Mr. Holland is not an inpiring leader, and his mana is on the nine, ELECTORAL REFORM. Though a great deal has been said in lie House concerning electoral reform, t is highly improbable the Government pill make any move in this direction mless an insistent demand comes from ts own supporters. Mr. Massey, who loes not deny that when he legislated -lie second ballot, out of existence ho lad "something better'" in mind, appears :o be honestly convinced by what he ;aw and heard during his last visit to lie Old Country that proportional repesentation, though theoretically admirible enough, in practice would prove less satisfactory , than the present system. Naturally, his eritics are attributing the •enunciation of his former faith to the idvantages he has obtained from the 'first past the post" method of election, but it would be easy for him to retort that tiie zeal of some of his critics for oroportionnl representation rests on no setter foundation.