WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1388, 21 November 1918, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

A SICK HOUSE. FURTII F.R. AUJOURNMENT. {Snout, to “Standard.”) WELLINGTON, Nov. 20. When the House mot yesterday only 26 members were iu (heir nlnccs. Aliniders had made up (heir minds the night beioreto maiit. the adjournment, demanded by the deputation to the Prime Minister, and had nl vised a number of absent members acordingiy, si. that the 26 could not be taken as the only representatives of Unpeople who had escaped the ravages O’ the prevailing epidemic. Brill the position, as Mr Massey and Si" Joseph Ward presently . xplained, was had enough. Two members, Mr llimlmaisli and Mr Buiek. had actually succumbed to the malady, 18 others were J-ild up in a more or less serious condition, and as many more had cases o) illness in iheir own families. The, adjournment for ;; week was made in the hope, the Prune Minister said, that at the end of this time the, epidemic would have abated and members would be prepared to give their undivided attention to the business ol the session. WHAT IS TO BE DONE. The motion for adjournment gave members an opportunity to renew their enquiries concerning the work of the session. Aimisteis were very circumspect in their replies, -.living little more information than was emitaitied in the Governor’s Speech, but Mr Massey implied quite plainly that once |]i,. House got to work it would lie kept at high pressure till the end ot the Ministerial urogratmne was reached. Putting this and that: together, it seems pretty sate to assume from what, fell from the sury Benches that Mr Massey is hoping to be free to leave for London in the first or second week of December, that lie will be accompanied by Sir Joseph Ward, and ih-.i he is strongly averse to Parliament silting ,-fter in’s departure. The House is to re-.-ume at 11 a.m. on Tuesday next, and it tlu- Dominion delegates are to get away to !,he Peace Conference on the day they qipear to have in mind, only ten sitting da vs, til. most, will remain before their departure. THE LIQUOP. QI'ESTI ON. All lid- would mean that a large part of ihe Government's programme, expressed and implied, would have to be postponed nil a. more convenient sea-on. Demobilisation and repatriation schemes have been prepared ami dismissed by Cabinet, but it would be quite futile to submit them to the House for discussion with any hope of reaching a conclusion within a week. Then there i- (ho liquor referendum proposal. It is stated licit, a. Bill dealing with this would have, been introduced yesterday had 111(1 KllV n clear for its immediate consideration. H this is the ea.-e, the meiemre may be expiet-d as the first, business lor next week. The popn. hir opinion here is that with peace in sight, and a general election ix-xt year assured, the House will be less favourably disposed towards tin independent referendum than it. was ,-ix months ago, A pricked (turd, hoSvcvf'V, shows a narrow majority of members -till willing to leave the whole business in the hands ef the electors. I HE PARTY TRUCE.

Politicians in and, out nf Parliament arc in no humour just now to take any imer--I in controversial politics, and the resolution adopted at the Reform caucus urging the continuance of the party mice during Pie settlement of post-war problems has provoked little dbenssion anywhere. The Liberal caucus, at which it might have been mentioned, was not field yesterday, bring postponed indefinitely for the same, reason sic everything else of the kind is being postponed, 'i he Evening Post, however. is giving .Sir Joseph Ward sago advice on the subject, urging that he and his parly, following the example of -Mr Lloyd George, and the Liberals at- Home,'should ally tjieniselv.es more closely with Mr Massey and his party, so a- to present a united front. 10 the revolutionary forces which, it says, are as much a menace to good government in New! Zealand a’ they arc in older countries. But; both the party loaders have found more urgent matters to occupy their attention at the moment, and are not proclaiming their personal views.