THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16921, 30 December 1925, Page 12

THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

SOME SURMISES. THE BOOKING OF SEATS. According to the Wellington Post, Parliament is not likely to be called together before June, but members of the House of Representatives have been busy gettinrr their seats allocated. This may be one of the reasons why so many of them have been visiting Wellington since the general although, perhaps, some of tho more prominent of the Reformers have been calling, at Parliament Buildings on what, from their point of yiew, is much more urgent business than being shown .to a seat, wiless it be a seat on the Ministerial benches.

Up to the present no cards have been placed on the seats occupied by Cabinet Ministers, as no ticketing can be done there with any degree of certainty until after tho Prime Minister makes his choice of colleagues iu the New Yea.r. If applications were to be invited for these seats, doubtless there would be no shortage of applicants. With such a large number as 55, naturally the Reformers overflow on to the benches formerly occupied by the Labor Party, which leaves tho diminished National and Labor groups no alternative, but to compose their differences as best they can by being thrown together in the block of seats which the Nationalists and their Independent allies, Messrs Atmorc and Poland, formerly had to themselves. If they are mistaken for one and the same Opposition by strangers visiting the House, and then in the heat of triangular party warfare give the appearance of merely indulging in a family quarrel, they will have but the electors to blame.

Formerly, Messrs Atniore and Holland used to exchange "compliments" at a distance of some yards, but they arc mow (in dangerous proximity to one another, as they have been given seats at the ends of two of the front benches, with only a narrow aisle between them. Mr Forbes and Mr Atmore have been placed in \ the same seat, Mr Sidev having gone to a back bench. Sir Joseph Ward and Mr Wilford are in the front row of seats to the right of that occupied by the Leader of the Opposition, from where Messrs Neata and Veiteh used to beam on the Ministerialists.