PARLIAMENT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 7 November 1910, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

APPROACHING END OF THE SESSION. MEASURES STILL LEFT. ' PROBABLE "MASSACRE OF INNOCENTS." (United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Monday. There are twenty-two Government Bills still on the order paper to be dealt with before Parliiment closes its doors. Of these, the most .important are the Land, Licensing, Gaming", Tramways, Legislature Amendment, Mining, Factories, Municipal. Corporations, and Destitute Persons Bills. The popular impression is that the session will end in a fortnight. How the Rills' named are to be disposed of in that time is bevond comprehension. In addition the" 25 local Bills the Public Works statetment and estimates also have to be got out of the way, and the Hine charges fully inquired into and reported upon. As it is manifestly impossible to get through such an important array of Bills in the few remaining days of the session, the question arises how many will be included in the usual massacre of innocents. That the Licensing Bill will become law this year »s improbable. AVhen the House is in Committee an immediate attempt will be made to amend clause 3, so that instead of making the questions of national and local prohibition one issue, the two proposals will be put separately. <*s is likely, that amendment is carried, its opponents will simply block the passage of the Bill. Three times already this session the Government has threatened to_ drop measures if the Government persisted in wrangling or passing clauses which the Government did not want in the Bill. In the case of the Harbours Bill and also the National Annuities Bill, this threat was successful; but in the case of the Municipal Corporations Bill it failed. That Bill was accordingly shelved by the Minister in charge, and may not be seen again this session. The same threat will "hardly apply with such contentious measures as the Land and Licensing Bills, and it is the general imoression in the lobbies that will rro through. It is hardly likely that a serious attempt will be made to nass the Tramways Bill and the same applies to the Legislature Amendment. Other Bills, including the Gaming Bill, should gd through without much trouble.