WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1714, 3 January 1920, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THU JllGll GOiUiUISSIONEKSIiiP. AN IMPENDING CHANGE., , (Special Correspondent.) " - ■-.";■>■/■■•' :.■':WELLINGTON, Dec. ;31.v ! :, .-.;; Thc'HoU, J. ,J3.,-Hine is 'the: only Minister ~;ill ,toivn:-to.-day,;,'and...he,.•■having; lost his seat 'in Parliament' at _the_J'eceut' election, naturally, is-;not inclined'' to discuss-:,the latest rumour in connection .with' tlie. ■impending change at the High■'.. 'Cenmiissioner's ■office. /^lt 'is yciieraily expected here, ' however-, -that Sir ; James.'Allen , will ' be Sir,;. Thomas' Mackenzie's' .successor, and 'that he will go Home early in: : :the New Year, : :with; somewhat extended representative, status .am!.authority., Mr Ma'sso'y's .stateirieht'in; Auckland .contains no hint to this efl'ect.i'but the Prime (Minister's reticence is taken.: to mean only that, the time, is not;ripe, for, the announcement.' fcir-Thomas Mackenzie has held the. office tinder a four-monthly.tenure—; at his own request, it is authoritatively; stated—ami obviously- he should' be the first to' : learn .of. the determination of the. Governmoirfc) ■ ' ;' ; • ' •' ' EDUCATION 'REFORMS. '■ < !( In her presidential address, at the annual conference of the Yeomen '.Teacher's' Association, held here yesterday. Miss Chapiin, of , Cln'istclnircih, made one of the most stirring for reform that have been put forth for' ja very, long time.' Miss Chaplin ; spoke ' with the .very highest. credentials, having obtained a signal.measure of,success in-her profession, and she mach) her special .appeal for the "handicapped children,'/' .the little mites .unhappily born and cast upon the world Avith the poorest..possible equipment. Her ad- ' ill ess," no'doubt, will be" printed ' and widely distributed, . but one fact'she, emphasised .should be'.iterated and reiterated everywhere. Fifty per cent, of the children who had left: a', city school without passing the fourth standard had been traced as unemployable, under police surveillance, or in refuge homes or training farms. With fnctr like this staring her •in the- face, Miss Chaplin could not'regard the education system as discharging half : the duty: the present generation owed to the children and to. posterity \ •' . ' THE LICENSING POLL., ; , '

Though ..the Prohibitionists'.aro entertaining no' sanguine expectations of.the licensing poll turning in ilioir'fiivoiir, they have not lost all hope. At prosent 'the Prohibition vote is 922 behind the bare majority thai/is required to ■turn the whole ..country, "dry," but there still are'sumo 12.000 votes to lie counted. These comprise absentees' 'votes, sailors' votes and soldiers', vote.' and though a-majority, of the soldiers' votes aro sure to go lor Continuance or State Control, it; is just possible .the absentees' votes and the .sailors' votes nifty be sufficient to tip the. scale in favour of. Prohibition. At former polls the sailors' votes have been fairly evenly divided, and assuming the absentee voters follow.the lead of the resident /oters a small majority will boon the •side of ■Prohibition. Whatever, the first "esult a recount, is pretty certain to be ' lemanded. , . ■ ."".-'"'