POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 308, 22 September 1908, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE APPROACHING END,. The Premier's statement that the session would probably bo finished ten days or a fortnight- after the passing of the Arbitration Bill has revived speculation upon this interesting topic. Friday week is a date that finds much favdur with the quidnuncs, and some of them claim that their opinion is backcd by Ministerial assertions—quite unofficial, of course. One member of good standing and long experience declares that this is impossible. The Government may drop a good deal of their programme, but there is a limit somewhere. Tho. Arbitration Bill can hardly occupy loss than two days for the completion of the Committee stage and tho third reading debate. Auother day must bo devoted to the debate 011 tho Public Works Statement, which is to be laid on the table to-day, and the Public Works Estimates will doubtless consume another day. Thus, four sitting days, which make up a Parliamentary' week, are accounted for. After that, half a day for tho Woodward Street transaction, a day for the Parliamentary and Government Buildings question, half, a day for tho Second Ballot Bill on its return from the Upper House,' and two nights-in Committee of Supply on tho Supplementary Estimates will just about make up another week. And these things aro not all, for time will have to be found for the debate on the new dairy regulations, the Education Bill (completion of Committee stage and third reading), local Bills (half a day), and. seven or eight Government measures which cannot very well bo dropped. Altogether, there is evidently work enough for threo weeks, and some say four weeks. Sir Joseph Ward has promised to mako an announeem'ent to-morrow as to which of its Bills the Government will endeavour to pass this session, and it is not unlikely that he will at the same time give a more reliable forecast than anybody else.is able to give as to the date of prorogation. Of course, tho above reckoning up of work to be done does not take account of the long sittings which are always a feature of the last days of a session, but neither has any allowance been made for-tho unexpected, and that is sure to happen. The popular idea outside the House seems to bo that members aro thinking of nothing but the end, and aro dividing their time between praying the Government to strike everything off the Order Paper and reading with knitted brows and troubled eyes the latest speeches of their opponents as reported in tho newspapers. Somo people imagine that members pay very much closer attention to the back-blocks prints than to the Arbitration Bill or the Parliamentary Buildings report. Perhaps somo of them do, but there really are quite a number who are able to -think of other things than,the hustings and'the chances of puncturing the rhetorical windbags of their opponents,.with a few facts from the head political workshop. A. larger proportion of tho members than usual are not seeking reelection, and among those .who do liope'to come back there are some who think that their presence will be more awe-inspiring and their words more weighty if the electors do' not. see or hear them too much. They think a month is quito long enough for a political campaign. Probably very; few members would think, themselves aggrieved by having to. do another threo weeks' work in tho House, but there is not one who would not bo very pleased to know tho exact date :of the prorogation, whenever it is to be.

THE HIGH COMMISSIONERS}! IP. It has been confidently, stated in a Southern newspaper that the Hon. Dr.' Findlay will ho the now High Commissioner, and that the Hon. W. Hall-Jones will succeed him in the Legislative Council. Wellington folk still' think for tho most part that Mr. Hall-Jones will bo tho Hon. AY. P. Reeves's successor in' London, but " official quarters " are still reticent, and will probably continue so until a definite announcement J is made'to Parliament. THE AUCTIONEERS BILL. A deputation of a dozen auctioneers waited upon the Attorney-Genoral (Hon. Dr. Findlay) yesterday afternoon, to urge that amendments in the law already placed 'before him on a previous occasion should bo effected this session. The Hon. T. K. Maedonald l M.L.C., introduced the deputation. The Minister said that the Auctioneers Bill of Mr. Witty was now before tho Lower House, and would very likely bo passed on to the Council this week. Ho would undertake to have such of the desired amendments as ho could approve of drafted and'_ placed before Cabinet, with a view to moving them himself when the Bill was before the Council. He thought this would be tho best way of giving effect to as much as possible of what the deputation desired. , THE.FARRIERS BILL. It looks as if the name of the Farriers Bill .is not to appear in the Statute Book after all. Tho Legislative Council, after throwing out tho measure for two years' in succession, passed the second reading the other day, and referred the Bill to a Select Committee. It has emerged as tho "Shoeing-Smiths Bill," and wherever the word-" farrier " occurs, the Committee has altered it to "shoeing-smith." It will seem sad to lose an old friend in this way. The Committee also proposes that the Government shall be empowered to appoint instructors, as well as registrars of shoeingsmiths^