THE SESSION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3121, 27 June 1917, Page 6

THE SESSION

WHAT IS IN SIGHT?

ANOTHER LOAN AND MORE TAXES

EARLY CLOSING ISSUE Parliament will open to-morrow with Bis Excellency's Speech. It has not been usual in more recent years for the speech of the Governor to be made the vehicle for; the policv programme of the Mnustrv and it is certain that this excellent rule will still be observed.. lor a. statement in full of the. legislative and finaiicial programme of the Government, the House and the country will havo to wait for the Financial Statement, and as Sir Joseph Ward will no doubt wish to prepare the Budget himself in consultation with his colleagues, the statement may not be made early. Indeed, some of the important measures may appear before Hie Budget is reached. In any ease yei y little legislation of importance is m sight ' This statement leaves out of account the big six o'clock closing issue, which w a. legislative question. It will be perhaps the knottiest problem the Governmen will be asked to solve this session, and assuredly the Government will be asked o solve it. either by introducing and supporting a Bill or by giving a Bill introduced by a Minister the right ot the road. No measure introduced by a private member can have jn«ch chance of success, which means that the Bill to deal with the liquor trade, il such a. Bill l* I o come down, must be a Government Bill if it is to effect anything. V big loan and heavy additional axes are sure to come. The loan is likely to be fl,s big as that, of last year-ton mil-lioni-and the additional taxes correspondingly heavy. One of the demand of the House, or of sonic member ol it will be for the repeal of the excess profits tax. which is alleged to be imfa in its incidence upon some taxpayeis it not upon all. Nobody yot have the tax has produced, but there na.\o been hints that the amount has been up to expectations, and if so the Treasurer mav not bo prepared to agree to t"<> >l* 3 of a tax w th the fairness of which ia',"Alo aerce. There ma,v be somo modificatious in the method of' asrfMm<>nt to "et rid " anomalies. Inis is perhaps inoe likely than the total ronea of the This. As for the loan, it is stated "u the authority of the BaaVof New Zealand Board of Directors that the countrv has an exceptionally, large loanaUe credit. It should therefore be quite safe for the Government to ask lor a. big "a host of questions, some of them Tinneria or at least affecting the Umpire as well as New Zealand wi J be discussed "his session. It is likely that the bfc.l opUniity members will have to refer to these questions will be in the Pi nan. cial Debate. The returned Ministers are Mire to take early opportunities of introducing these questions to the Home, but it is not probable that al the questions discussed at the Imperial Conference will be open for free discussion by the House. . , , Altogether the session promises to be a very interesting one.