WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1920, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

DEBUTANTS' DAY. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, July 7. Why, the House resumed yesterday after the week-end adjournment, the Address-in-Reply no-confidence motion was materiajly enlivened by the contributions of a succession of new members. Mr. J. P. Luke, who happens to be member for Wellington North, as well as Mayor of the City, was the only old member to obtrude himself upon the beginners' field day, and his somewhat parochial outlook upon.national affairs rather served as a foil to .the high flights of the more daring of the other speakers. Mb. E. J. Howard, who succeeds Mr. H. G. EU in the representation of Chrifitehurcli South, proved himself the most cheery "Red" that has yet entered the House, and created a favorable impression by his broad treat-, ment of a number of questions which; most members of his creed are prone to view from a narrow standpoint. OF THE OLD SCHOOL. Mr. John Edie, whom the Dominion' described quits properly as "a country member from Otngo," also enjoys the distinction of having run Sir James Alien very close for the Bruce seat at the general election, and .cf having stepped into his vacant shoes at the byelection, is a Liberal of the old type; perhaps a little behind the revised policy of the Party, but still burning for effort and achievement. He has sorne- , thing to learn about the ways and prejudices of the House, but he is of this stuff from which useful politicians are made, and has a view beyond the backdoor of his own constituency, Mr. A. D. McLeod on the Reform side is wucli where Mr. Edie is on the Liberal side, just a little too much of a partisan for these later days, but this is a tendency that will pass with _experlence. A FORCEFUL YOUNG MAN. The star performer of the evening sitting was Mr. R. Masters, the member for Stratford, who enters the Houas with the kudos of having won two hard fights at the polls against a Minister of the Crown witln all the resources of a victorious party behind him. Mr. Masters is distinctly a forceful young man. He has ideas of his own,/courage, judgment. and a belief in himself and his cause. Thirty years ago he would have been described as a dangerous revolutionary, had it been possible at all for a politician of his type to get into Parliament, and even to-day he is far more of a Socialist than are nine-tenths of the people who masquerade, under that title. His saving graces are the qualities, which made him in the days of his earlier youth a brilliant footballer, and which to-day are shaping his political course along the lines of the greatest good for the greatest number. DURATION OF THE DEBATE. It looked when the House rose last night that the debate might continue for another fortnight. There still are rfuite a number of members who would like to say a,word to their constituents, and who realise they have no opportunity to say it when the House 'settles down seriously to wort. But practically everything depends upon the wishes of the Prime Minister, who can bring the talking to a close pretty well when he pleases, and to-day there is a rumor that the division will be taken to-night or to-morrow night. . Mr. Massey has been able to turn the "wasted tiinV' to very good account during the last, fortnight, but he is now ready to go on with the work of the session, and it is only necessary to mention the possibility of Parliament sitting over Christmas to bring members to heel.