WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 290, 4 December 1920, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

AN ECHO FROM THE _OBB_BS.

A.N EMPHATIC <X>NTR__ICTTON.

(Special to "Star.")

WELLINGTON, Friday.

During the recent session of Parliament a story was circulated about the lobbies to the effect that Sir Joseph Ward, While attending the Peace Conference, and passing (between London and Paris, had shown to a number of New ZeUlanders who came in his way a list of the members of the Cabinet he was going to appoint after the general election which would follow upon the return ot the party leaders to the Dominion. The names of the new Speaker and the new Chairman of Committee, as well as the

names of the prospective Ministers were quoted, and a measure of probability was given to the story by the introduction of two or three passages from Sir Joseph Ward's speeches, in which he had expressed himself as coiffldent of returning to the new Parliament with a substantial

majority at his back

AX UNGENEROUS INVENTION. The general purport of the story was communicated to Sir Joseph in London •by a personal friend, and by this week's mail a reply was received from the late Liberal leader, in which he stigmatises the story as an "ungenerous invention.") "The story is absolutely without the vestige of foundation," -he writes. "It I ds not so ungererous as it is untrue to j suggest that while serving in one Cabinet I was scheming for its overthrow by another. I never prepared a list of names, and consequently I never had one to show. More than this 1 never discussed with anyone outside my ir_ediate family circle the political prospects of the future, and J think I may say without any kind of reservation that I uttered -never a disloyal word of any col- j league in the National Cabinet." Thiß. shonld finally dispose of a story which occM'oired Sir Joseph Ward's friends some irritation during the session, but which was never taken quite seriously even by his political opponents. THE POLICE FORCE.

Among the conferences of administra-l tive officers of the Public Service which have been sitting in Wellington lately, is one representative of the Police ■ Department. Of course the del beratioris and discussions of such a body as this are being kept strictly private, but it may be judged from the rparajr-raphs sup-! plied to the newspapers that the amend _ Arms Act and the amended Garni rg Bill are occasioning the representatives of ; •law and order no end of trouble. The, Arms Act is the measure which prohibits the caTTj-ing of revolvers by pri-| rate persons, and which the Minister i held over in order that the dealers misrht have an opportunity to dispose of their

stocks of weapons of this • description. The Gaming Act is an invitation to a tral of strength between the pol-"ca and the bookmakers, and at the moment it look as if the latter were going to put up a fairly strenuous fight.