WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11757, 22 July 1916, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

— THE INFLUENZA FIEND. PROGRESS OF BUSINESS. ({Special to the '"Star. ) WELLINGTON, July 22. The influenza, tiond has retuiuoil it s hold on Ministers during ilie wok. Mr Massey and Mr A3l< a mado iheir reappearance in the House on Wednesday afternoon, alter an absence runuing into a couple of weeks, but they ditl not remain till the* cud ol the silting and have not yet ventured out in the night air. Sir Joseph. Ward, muffled up in coats and wrappers, stuck to his post till he got the Land and Income Tax Bill Through on Tuesday evening, but lie could bear up no longer, and is now confined to his bedroom, where he is carrying on the work of his various depart merits. The three Ministers hope to be themselves again when tho House resumes next week, and to be able to clear up the leni.lining business of tho session within a fortnight. On the latter point they probably are a little too sanguine. The House has not been wearied by lalo sittings, and it has lots of talking power left, which it will he_ inclined to emnlov if- congenial fehieot.s are offered for discussion. _ Ministers are now showing no to urdut\ hasten 7«*itt n rs and is a f^oj'nr "broad that tlie " trm Home" wit' not i>o allowed to niter their attitude m thi" r^spp-ct. WAR REGULATIONS. Neither of the party leaders was m the House when Ml- Herdman introduced the Wiir Regulations Amendment Uill on Wednesday, and the task ot expounding t-iio Government s pohcj in regard to the various matters dealt ivith in tho measure was left to the Utomey-Generai himself and the Minister of Health. At the commencement of thopreceding* Mr Horasby sngcested that as some of the subjects to be discussed were of an extreme y delicate nature, it would have the gallery cleared of ladies, antha Speaker, though explaining lie h«d no authority to issue orders m the matter, appearing to witli view expressed by tli-c meiiibei f < • rSapa tha Mies in ifc, ' ®dWr*« irittlrw. Mr M'Comta then out tint-certain clauses of tlu 8.1 l weie of vital concern to the women and children of the country, and there could be no possible ob.7e.Tlon to matrons watching th, on their behalf. The Speaker his statement that it was a mnttei entirely for tlie in decent of the themselves, and later on five or - kdV< returned to the gnUerv and rr~ i-inwl their seats there throimbout the debate. Tt scon became evident there was not the least noorl for any of he women to have retired.

EARLY CLOSING. The House listened to Mr herdman s till tho Minister touched upon tho .• x! n „ r i v of ho'ccl bais, th ° r position 'that the prohibitionists, word he utterecl-that. the publicjrns bad acquired rights uncici ino laTof the .country and had invested their money in certain piopeitj S& be a gross act ot xmustice if Parliament were to curtail the n„. . of these individuals and take away then property." Ho resented the suggestion that early closing was; nccessaiy in the interests of the soldiers oi in tho interests of the community and quoted, statistics and; police repmts to show that the soldiers at _ were the most sobev people m the Dominion and that Wellington was the mSt orderly city in the Empire. The Minister's own belief m the literal accuracy of his asseilions was oovions. fm everyone to see and was positively pathetic in its intensity. THE OTHER SIDE.

The prohibitionists in tli3 House, with the single exception oi Mr Jsitt, scarcely did. themselves or their justice in putting .their side of tae question before the House. They vehemently denounced tlie liquor trajic, lock, stock and barrel, wrtnout making any iro+ence at giving judicial cojisidera : tion to the 'six o'clock proposal and so one after'another laid tiieinseivt-s op on to the suspicion ol seoKing tilt, extinction of the tragic rather than us regulation during war time, lhe member for Christchureh Nortii, v» ho oitt not sP e « k tiU las V dcalt i ! V1 the Question mere judiciously : t nu moie effectively than did any oi his prohibition colleagues. He hop«l seme dnv to see the Attorney-General occupying a seat on the Supreme Court where he won id interpret the lav- with marked ability and dispense iustice with scrupulous care and at the same time (( scarify-any lawyer who put before liira. such fallacious arguments as he had used himseir as a politician in- defending the privileges of the liquor traffic. _ S n?ech Avas admirable irom bcpinniiig to end', a perfect torrent of u-ell-ordeved eloquence, lull ol r,pv illustration and without a tinge ol bitterness and yet, as a blase sceptic. v.\ the aa'liory observed, probably it jlul not afiect' a single opinion m the rlouse.