WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 September 1917, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

SECOND DIVISION

THE MINISTERIAL ATTITUDE

(Special Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON. Sept. 24

“Unless the proposals of the Government are framed on just and libelal lines the Government must face the prospect of a severe rebuff.” Ibis is what the “Dominion” had to say on Saturday concerning the demands of the members of the Second Division for adequate pensions for themselves and sufficient allowances for their dependants, and it expresses the opinion of most people who are in a position to judge of the temper of the House of Representatives. A majority'of the members of the House are pledged, more or less directly, to support toe underlying principles of the Second Division’s demands, and if the Government attempts to put them off with any cheese-paring scheme it will meet with a good deal more determined opposition than i t has yet encountered. It is being deducted from the I’rime Minister’s allusion in the House last, week to an increase of some £700,000 in the Estimates that an addition of 12s or 15s a week to the wife’s separation allowance is all the Government has in contemplation and this certainly would satisfy neither the members of the Second Division nor their representatives in Ray Lament. IN AN HEROIC MOOD. The House has accepted with such grace as it could muster the dictum of the Government in regard to other financial matters. It lias consented to expenditure it has not understood, and it has confirmed taxation • it has not approved. I Jut it is going to have’ mind of its own on the provision that should be made for soldiers dependants. “If we can find £400.000 or £500,000 a year to provide bonuses for civil servants on account of the increased cost of living.” one member puls it, “sineiy wo can find rliret; or lour times that amount, il needs be, h> lessen the sacrifices we are demanding from the wives and children ot the men we are sending away to discharge the obligations of our country.” 'I las expresses the new spirit that * s Pervading the House, not, il is only fan to sav, as a result of any pressnrelii.it may liave been broiigiu to bear upon members by the fhcond Division League, but rather as the result of a belter understanding of the position. THE HIGH COMMISSIONER’S OEi’TCE. Mr. C. -1, Harr, the member for Eden, who relumed from his trip Homo will) the parliamentary parly in a somewhat disgruntled frame of mind, initiated a discussion in the Jlouse on Eridav afternoon on the High Commissioner’s Office, which took a 1 urn lie scarcely can have expected. His objections to the Office were that il had become "Anglicised. that there weie too many elderly gentlemen engaged there, and that it was not sufficiently in touch with New Zealand. The Hon. ]J. Jjuddo agreed with Mr. Pair as to the adsisabiiity of appointing young New Zeahinders to the office whenever leasihle, and Hr. Thacker siggeshd that preference should he given to wounded soldiers, luit the hail dozen speakers tine followed, including the Hon. G. W. Russell, bore high testimony to the excellent work done !i,v ;Sj |- Thomas Mackenzie and his stall, Mr. C. 11. I’oole paying a specially appreciative tribute to Mr. Donne. The High Commissioner himself would base listened to the discussion with very considerable personal gratification.

IT P.1,1C SERVICE CONTROL

It is nut su very lung ago that the

control of t lit* public service was a bone el very serious contention between tlit* political parties, the Liberals standing lor Ministerial responsibility and ilie Reformers for coinniissioner supreniacv, and members ol the House were reminded of tlie lormer suite on r riday night by Mr. Witty asking the Minister of internal Affairs when the ''Commissioners’ term of oilice would expire. Mr. Russell, who before the parly truce was one of the foremost champions of ministerial responsibility, in the course of his reply relerreil in such commendatory terms to the good work done by the commissioners that Mr. McCalluin was moved to object to the Minitser “attacking the Liberal Marly.'’ Mr. Russell retorted in kind, but it appeared when his remarks were summed up that his appreciation of the commissioners rested mainly on the fact that they had relieved Ministers of a vast amount of disagreeable work and left tliem free to attend to their more important duties. lie wished to make no reflections upon the methods that had preceded their appointment. ,