WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14045, 15 July 1916, Page 9

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

I.ABOIi RKOP,(!ANISA'nOX. PURCHASE Ull TAXATION. (Spocial Clnri'ospondent.) WKLLIXaiUX.. .Inly 10. Tim constitution and objoctiv«i and platform of tlie new Labov Tarty that lias jusfc annoiiiieed its formation -seem to the casual observer to be very jnncli like the . constitution and objective and platform pi' the old Labor Tarty. Apparently the object of the conference th^ili sat here last week was rather lo amalgamate the various Labor forces than to burden thorn with fresh problems for solution. The task already before them is sufficiently formidable. .It is summed up m the objective — the socialisation of the means of production, distribution and exchange — and elaborated m the platform. There is to be a. >Stata bank, of course^ with the sole right of issue, a State shipping service and a State, monopoly of all the major industries. Education is to be free, secular and compulsory from the kindergarten to the. university — inclusive it may bo presumed — pensions are to te universal a.nd at higher rates and there is to be a voluntary citizen a»rmy receiving standard wages. Mr J. MeCombs, the member for Lyttelton, is president of the new organisation and the Hon. J. T. Paul is a member of the committee, but no other member of Parliament is included, among the oflic-tals. So far the reconstruction nas not. attracted much attention even m the ranks of Labor, and many levelheaded workers are frankly sceptical over the ability of .Mr J. McCombs and his committee to arouse more than a half-hearted interest m social questions vvhile ; the war is engrossing public attention. A LABOR VIEW. A former active worker m Labor circles, who still retains his interest m "the cause," when seen % this morning said lie considered the time, wholly inoppovtune. for the National . Cabinet, which he thought had fallen 'fa.r short of the expectations of its friends; but he was concerned for the workers themselves who were being \irged hither and thither by a little body of selfconstituted guides whose good intentions were no, excuse for* their disregard of fact. He coukl subscribe ■ to almost evei-y plank m the new. party's platform and when the -war was won he would make as much noise as the next man, but he was not going to help m splitting the workers up into ..separate camps so that they could be defeated m detail \vlien' the time for action came. "What," he as.ked. "is the use of talking about spending millions on' State banks, State shipping services, istato mines, State factories and State farms, when we \?ant every shilling we have to help m thrashing the Germans? We ought to have got these tilings ten or fifteen years ago when they were -within our reach,, but now they must wait till we have, finished with' the job we have on hand." Probably this roughly is the view of the great majority of the workers. . They are not contented with things as they are, but they see the futility of attempting to mend them today or even to-morrow. LAND FOR SOLDIERS. There is a- growing feeling both inside and outside of Parliament that ,the Government is not doing all it might do and all it should do* m the way of; providing land for. returned soldiers. Air Massey, who never wearied of girding at the Land for Settlements Act when lie was sitting .on. the other aide of the House, now seems to regard that measure as the only available means for obtaining suitable land for the men coming back from the war. It is true the amending measure of this session gives him some additional powers m the acquisition of land) and there is no reason to suppose he does not intend to make use of them ; but he is moving altogether too slowly aaid many of the men who were contemplating the rural life are now turning towards occupations. Mr R. W. Smithj the member for Waimarino, paid - a, well-deserved compliment to Mr G. H. Mcdure, the Wellington .Commissioner,., m this respect on , Friday night, and the Prime Minister would be well advised to detach Mr McClure for this special service under the direction of the Minister of Agriculture during the next year or two. Tlllv RELIGIOUS OBJECTOR There has been a good deal of talk during the week-end about the attitude of Ministers towards the proposal to exempt religious, objectors from bearing arms under the provisions of the Military Service Bill. When 'the Bill was passing through the House the Minister, of Defence himself submitted an amendment, mi ended to meet the caso of the religious objector, but though it, was supported by, several of his colleagues it was .rejected by a substantial majority. .When the, measure reached the Council, Sir Francis Bell, the Minister representing the Government there, introduced a more stringent -clause, which to all appearance would have left no room i'or the escape of the "shirker," and this was adopted by the Council under the impression that it represented the matured view of ,the Cabinet. But when the amendment came bacltfor consideration by the House Mr. Allen, to the astonishment of everyone not m the confidence of Ministers, moved its rejection and again received- the support of his colleagues. Probably the matter will be finally settled before these lines appear m print, but at the moment people are wondering what really is the_ mind of the Government m reference to the question. One speculation is that at the conference, between the representatives of the two a clause will be agreed to that will save the faces of A both parties. If so it will, have to bs a marvel of constructive , ingenuity.

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