WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1387, 20 November 1918, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

PARLIAMENT

FURTHER ADJOURNMENT DE LANDED,

(Bpeoim. to "Standabd.'") WELLINGTON, Nov. 18. tt is quite possible that when tin House assembles to-morrow a furthe adjournment will be made oh accoun of the influenza epidemic. A numjbc of members have made representation to the Prime Minister oh the subject and with at least ten members laid iq and twice as many away at their home, it will not be easy for him to rofusi their request. But with the prospec; of haying to leave for the Peace (Jon ferenco within the next three or foui weeks, he does not like the idea oi longer delaying the important ljusines: of the session, and if an adjournment,i. made, it will be made very reluctahth so far as Ministers are concerned. Pi i vate lnembers urge there is no need I'o the machinery of Parliament to sto|. when the party leaders away, but Mr Massoy takes a different view of the situation, and probably would pre for holding a second session on bis re turn from London to leaving the House to deal with a number of vital question 1 without his guidance. DEMOBILISATION AND REPATRIA TION. 'Among these vital questions are tlios of demobilisation and repatriation These have become specially urgent or. account of the events of the last few weeks, but it is doubtful if Parliament could deal adequately with them in less than a month. That being tin case, the Government may elect to taki authority to deal with the problems-In regulations and trust to obtaining Par liamont's approval later on. The demobilisation scheme is well forward, and of course is the less difficult of tin two, but the repatriation scheme wil: involve the appointment of a council consisting, it is said, of the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen), the Min ister,of Agriculture (the Hon. W. I) S. MaeDonald), the Minister of Laud.' (the Hon. £). H. Guthrie), and tin Minister tf Education (the Hon. J. A. j n{ PV), il Director of Repatriation. and large number of district organi '/enum s for Parliament to work out the details XIQUOR REFERENDUM. Though more than three weeks hav< elapsed 'since the opening of the session, th?. House so far has done next to nothing towards getting through the programme by which it was originally faced. In the peace expectations, the armistice celebrations, and the inthienza epidemic, it has some excuse for its lack of progress, but it will have ItO bestir itself to some purpose during the next Month if it is going to assist Ministers -n redeeming their promises to the couvtry. In the minds of many people the- liquor referendum has sunk mto tiny proportion compared with the other big questions that have loomed largo since it was first discussed, but the supporters of tin- Efficiency Board's proposal are. not going to allow it to slip out of Might in the whirl of postwar problems, and Ministers are being kept up to their pledges.

PROPOSED NATIONAL PARTY. Sir Josejib Wan! ir; taking some pains to dissociate himself from the "National Party" proposal, and in doing so seems to have the approval ol a large majority of his political friends. The story whispered about after the publication of the resolution adopted at the Reform caucus was that the. two party leaders had put their heads together and devised a scheme for the perpetuation of the party truce. Bui Loth Mi: Massey and Sir Joseph Ward have denied any collusion towards this end. As a matter of fact, Sir Joseph knew nothing about the proposal till ho saw it in print. At the, moment the "National Party" idea is not tickling the political imagination of the community to any extent. »