The Dominion. MONDAY, JULY 27, 1908. THE STATE OF THE SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 260, 27 July 1908, Page 6

The Dominion. MONDAY, JULY 27, 1908. THE STATE OF THE SESSION.

The conclusion of the debate on the Financial Statement.renders it desirable that some attention should be given to the business which Parliament has transacted since it assembled a month ago. Tlie Speech with which each session is opened is generally a pattern of concealed intention, but this year, when the bulky programme that was announced is compared with the meagre performance of the past month, the Speech has been a more than usually unreliable guide to the coming political events. . The past four weeks have been particularly rich in trivialities - members have excelled themselves in talking of matters of little or no importance. There has been an abundance of petty details, and a great .flood of talk. But the prime function of Parliament is, aftor ■ &U, to pass laws. Legislation should keep pace with talk. Measured by this standard, the session has jio far boon wonderfully barren. Many of. tho Uovernment's chief measures, it is true, have been circulated—as many mbre are still withheld—but the House seems to be in no hurry to get on with business. What actually has been done'f An, imprest. Supply Bill, a Loan Bill, the Meikle Acquittal Bill, and a Bili reflating to coroners' inquests have, been "put through all their stages, and a couple of other Bills of inferior importance liavo been read a second time. The Address-in-Keply has been got out of the way, and the ■Financial Debate, which, from any point of view, has been almost-en-tirely valueless, has concluded after a fortnight's run.

Easily first in importance amongst the measures yet to bo dealt.with is the Arbitration Act Amendment Bill. Wo doubt, if that -J3ill were brought up for consideration this week in the shape in which it was introduced, the House would bo able to deal with it pretty well. But nobody knows in what shape it will emcrgo from the Labour. Bills: Committee. All that is known is that the Committee may so alter it as to require from members a fresh study of its clauses. In any cvdnt, it will require long and careful discussion, and as the Government appears to bo anything ,but sure of its policy, there is a prospect that the Bill may largely upset tho legislative programme. Of not much smallor importance is tho problem of tho new Parliament buildings. The preliminary skirmish that has taken place upon the Government's proposals in' this connection guarantees that tho House will require some time to settle tho matter. Other important proposals aro tho Bills dealing with teachors' salaries and the sccond ballot. Amongst tho Bills promised in the opening. Speech, but not yet circulated, aro proposals respecting national annuities, local bodies' employees superannuation, water-power leasing, hospitals and charitable aid, cloeer settlement ex-

tension, and a number of minor measures. The House will shortly adjourn in order that members may visit Auckland to attend tho celebrations during the visit of tho American ilect. This will mean a • loss of time greater than the actual period, of adjournment, since it will disturb the current of business, and legislators are never so little inclined for work as when they have just returned from a holiday. In recent years it is only towards tho very end of the session that members have really worked, if that can be called work which is merely a readiness to accept, almost without comment, anything that the Government may choose to propose. Tho session is to end early, in order that preparations may be made for the General Elections. The middle of October is the generally expected date of prorogation, and if the coming, adjournment is estimated to be equal to a dodtictioh of two weeks, in effect if not in actual time, the position at present is not a satisfactory one.

It amounts to this: that the House has done practically nothing in the four weeks elapsed, and has before it for transaction in nine weeksj or two months, a programme that would bo .hastily treated if it were allotted less than six months. Everything points to a repetition of old bad methods—a prolonged dawdle, and time wasted over things of small moment, preparatory to a precipitato introduction and perfunctory discussion by bored and worn-out men of the most important political proposals of the year. The Government is not wholly to blame for this state of things. The graver fault is that of members themselves, who will not insist on business-like methods, and who will not abstain from their perpetual turning of the legislative machinery to trivial and worthless ends. Parliament costs the public a great deal of money, and the public is not receiving value for its cash. The root of the trouble is in the fofgotfulness of individual members of the purpose for which they are elected and for which Parliament is maintained. - Matters would speedily be altered if tho public realised the cost- in hard cash of the long and wearisome speeches that have been occupying the Hansard reporters for the past fortnight.