THE COMING SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 236, 29 June 1908, Page 8

THE COMING SESSION.

FORECASTS AND COMMENTS. A DAY IN THE HOUSE. POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES. The opening of Session 1908 will bo as much like previous openings of Parliament as it can bo made. Cramped into unaccustomed quarters, it will bo deprived of somo of tho usual military pomp, and public gazing, but the essentials and much of tho time-honoured ceremonial element will bo there. The Permanent Forces will be on parade,' and the Herotaunga Mounted Rifles will act as a guard of honour. Tho guns will Toar, and His Excellency the Governor will enter :tho Legislative Council Chamber at half-past two, accompanied by an aide-de-camp and private secretary. Ho will take his place on the Chair of State, which has been placed on tho Speaker's dais in tho bay window of. the Chamber. Tho mombers of the Upper Houso will bo seated 'along tho sides of the Chamber, and the "faithful Commons" will troop in, headed by Mr. Speaker,- who will bo closely followed by tho Premier and his Cabinet colleagues. If as many as half tho M.P.'s attend, they will find but crowded standing room on the soft red carpet. His Excellency will read the Speech, which his advisers havo written for him, and the members of the Lower House will file out again- and take their places in their own. Chamber. Their Speaker will gravely inform them of tho ceremony that has just ; taken place, and will certainly not fail to state' that his Excellency the Governor .was ' pleased. to deliver a speech, "of which for .greater accuracy I havo secured a copy;" After that, business will begin.

THE .WORK TO BE DONE. It is expected/ that his Excellency, in his speech, -will not' make, reference to many measures, and. that chief among these will bo the Arbitration Act Amendment Bill, and the work of the Native Land Commission in its relation, to the solution of the Native land problem. ■ In referring to tho destruction of the_ Parliamentary buildings, tho necessity for their re-'e'rectioh Will be introduced, and remarks thereon will bo awaited with interest. The Government's new proposals in regard to the roadinj? in the back-blocks will bo another item, the early completion of tho North Island Main Trunk,"the adjournment of Parliament in connection with the visit of the American'fleet, the purchase of tho Manawatu Railway, our; position regarding the British Navy, and a proposal to increase tho subsidy; and mention will no doubt be made of some of the measures which tho Prirno Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) has already announced his intention of introducing, including a scheme _of national annuities, school teachers' salaries, infant life protection, and workers' compensation for accidents.

Mr. E. G. Allen thought it would havo been best to have started re-building 011 the old site immediately after the firo. Tho placo would havo been ready earlier than it would bo now.

Mr. Massey (Leader of the Opposition) favours tho old site.

Mr. Sidoy would express no opinion. Mr. C. M. Gray thought it would havo boon bettor to havo gone on building on tho old site, so as to have obviated tho necessity for remaining in temporary quarters two or three sessions. In this connection, ho was surprised at tho Sydney Street operations having been stopped. He favoured tho present site. • It would bo a great mistake, ho thought, seeing that the Library Buildings wero there, to change to another site. One, of course, did not know what proposals were in tho Prime Minister's mind, but in the absonce of those proposals 0110 could not think otherwise than that it would bo a mistako to eliango tho site.

Mr. Lauronson was not prepared • to express any opinion on the merits and possibilities of tho several sites, but he declared that the timo was ripe for considering very seriously whether this city should continue to be tho seat of government. He submitted that tho capital really ought to he at somo inland place in tho southern part of tho North Island, or in the northern part of the South Island.

"It was a mistako to move Parliament into this building at all," said Mr. Lang. Ho held that tho old site was the best, both for holding this session under temporary arrangements, • and for building Parliament a now homo, which would include tho existing Library.

Similar views wero expressed by tho member for Selwyn, but ho wont further. " Tho Government has made a great mistake," said Mr. Hardy, "in not hav,ing already started the rebuilding of tho House 011 tho old site. Mon with such a following at their back should have tho courage of their convictions. Cabinet Ministers ought to have enough foresight and ability to do the best thing for the country in an emergency. If tho late Premier had been alive, he would havo tackled tho job, and put it through, and got the approval of Parliament afterwards. There is plenty of ground for a Parliament House at tho old site, and its associations and the memories of the. splendid work that has been done there were worth something. Then tho site of Government House being larger would bo more suitablo for the erection of departmental buildings, if required for the purpose later on. The present Library, wing is up-to-date, and it would be a pity to go to the expense of building a new ; one, as must be dono if wo are to have Parliamentary buildings on another site. I don't know what will bo the cost of determining tho contract for tho additions in Sydney Street, but with that and the temporary arrangements at Government House, tliero must be a great deal of unnecessary expense, which might havo been saved by making temporary arrangements on the old site. This could havo been done without interfering with tho rebuilding.".

AN ELABORATE PROPOSAL. It is rumoured that tho Government havo.an elaborate scheme in connection with tho erection of tho now Parliamentary buildings. Tho rumour is that they recognise that the old

roads which wero really a disgrace to civilisation—and unsatisfactory tenure. The land was mostly held under lease from the Natives. " However, I will have more to say on that matter during the session," said Sir. Massoy. On Friday they camo along from Taumarunui to Taibape, having a look at tho railway works en routo. The great Makatote viaduct was now almost completed and ready for the laying of the rails. Mr. Massey could not speak as an expert, but ho considered this a magnificent piece of work, and a credit to tho contractors. " 1 think tho Makatote viaduct is absolutely safe —certainly more so than a smaller viaduct further south, which is built on a curvo and therefore is subject to greater strain on the passage of tho heavy engines."

Asked whether he thought the lino would be completed sufficiently to permit the passago of trains at tho time of tho visit of the American fleet, Mr. Massoy said he certainly did not think tho permanent way could be completed within six or seven weeks from now—even with the best of weather conditions, and he thought it a mistake to attempt it, because it would probably cost a.. good deal more money, and ,the work would not be nearly so woll dono. Probably much of it would have to bo done over again.

Settlement generally along the lino south of Taumarunui was going ahead rapidly, duo mostly to tho timber trade, ill the wake of which, of course, more permanont industries would follow.

"The Battle of the Routes." "Then you think the present indications justify the selection of this route —recalling the ' battle of the routes' some years ago? " "Judging by what has taken place already," said Mr; Massey, "he would be a very bold man who would stand up in Auckland now and say that tho wrong thing was done in carrying the line along the present route. What we have got to do now is t6 urge the connection with the Taranaki branch at the earliest possible date. As to tho Main Trunk service, I think it should be a day trip—tho departure from Auckland and /Wellington being made early in tho morning." Position of Parties. " Havo you any comment to make upon the statement of the Hon. R. M'Nab at Mataura regarding _ tho position of parties, and as to the retirement of a number of members of tho Opposition?" "I regret exceeding," replied Mr. Massey, " that for reasons which appear to bo unavoidable, several very useful .members of the Opposition should havo announced their intention to retire at the end of this Parliament. But it seems to be forgotten that several Government supporters are also withdrawing—Messrs. Houston, Rutherford, M'Lachlan, and the Hon. C. H. Mills—and I havo heard one or two other names mentioned also: And I am inclined to think, from what I know, that'the electors in the districts represented by tho retiring Oppositionists will return Opposition members in their places. Messrs. M'Nab and Fowlds havo been making a good deal of the fact tliat Dr. Chappie has been returned for Tuapeka;. but the position is that wo have had three by-elec-tions during the term of the present Par-