WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 March 1921, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE SHORT SESSION MATTERS OF URGENCY ONLY. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, March 2. The Prime Minister has announced that the business of the short session to open next week will be confined strictly to matters of urgency connected with his impending departure for London. That is. no doubt, his earnest desire. But one se£ of politicians proposes, and another set, sometimes, There is no reason to suppose thera will be any serious opposition in Parliament to Mr. Massey following up his acceptance of Mr. Lloyd George’s invitation by taking the seat allotted to him at the Imperial ‘Cortferenoe. Even the militant members of the Labor Party admit the desirability of tly Dominion being adequately represented at the great national council, pregnant with so many possibilities to thisyem'ote part of the far-flung Empire. But/it will not be surprising, and certainly is not unnatural, if they and. perhaps, some less bellicose quote against the rigid curtailment of the session some ol the objections urged in former years by Mr. Massey and his friends against the machinery of government being thrown out of gear in order to facilitate the departure 'of other Prime Ministers ipr similar gatherings. THE ORDER PAPER. In the view of the Prime Minister, as far as can be ascertained, the matters of urgency will consist mainly of financial measures and the voting of supply for the period after June 30 for which no provision has been made. But obviously these could be made the subjects of tedious discussion if even a small unsympathetic minority set. itself to the task. During the short session which preceded Mr. Seddon’s departure on a similar errand the Liberal leader presented to the House a concise statement of the financial position of the country, with some indication of the Government’s intentions for the future. If Mr. Massey, irtipelled by the circumstances of the hour, should follow this precedent, the flood-gates would be opened to a torrent of talk which no form of the House could easily stay. But the real peril to the Minister’s desire for brevity lies in the anxiety of members to make themselves heard on a number of matters that are specially exercising their constituents just now. GAMING AND RACING. Two of these, though of comparatively small importance among the great issues now'before country, already are marked down for mention. They are the kindred subjects of gaming and racing. Wellington juries have refused 0 convict under the penal clauses of the amended Gaming Act of last session, and, so far as the capital city is concerned, the administration of the law in this respect is practically at a standstill. Parliament. one would think, can scarcely allow its authority to be flouted in this fashion without taking some action, and the responsible Minister at least must make a statement on the subject. Then there is the roving Totalisator Commission which cannot presept its report in time for consideration during the short session, and yet, to keep faith with the racing clubs and the public, must advise the Government on the distribution of permits before the clubs make their arrangements for the season beginning on August 1 next. Members will want to know what Mr. Massey is going to do about the matter. Again, there are the big questions of settlement and production, which will be even .more difficult to postpone than will be the reform of thd jury system and the readjustment of racing clubs’ privileges. *