POLITICAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 665, 16 November 1909, Page 5

POLITICAL NEWS.

A GOVERNMENT CAUOUS. A caucus df tho Goverament pajty Js to ,te told this morning. It Iβ expected that the Opportunity wil be taken to impress on membsTs of the party tho advisablences of sternly repressing their desire for self-repression during tho debate on the Fianoial {Statement, In order that some work mny bo done boforo the conclusion of tho session. The statement Iβ made that a n\imber pt the strong leaseholders of the paity tnto'nd absonting themselves fiom the caucus, as a protest ngninst tho Government's concessions to the freehold prindplo. It is stated that these members will probably restrain any emphatio expression o{ their views until the Land BUI is brought doTvn, end that many of them will then vote against the Government. Members who have continually eialted tho leasehold and decried the freehold tenure from the platforms of their electorates, and who are really pledged to their constituencies to whold the present system, feel that they will to placed in an awkward and ridiculous position if they are oxpeoted to defend, on the same platforms, the Government's, desertion of that system, before, they state, it has en been given a fair trial It is also urged by loaeohold members that tho froehqld suggested by u'u'W'uV 0 " 1 .,?, 8 "Jwatisfaotoiy as ft, free hold, that it Is neither one thine nor the other asd amounts only to a compromise which will not, thoy. suspect, satisfy the ficeholdcis >ei* long, but can only leiul to a demand for furtnor concessions from tho Government and servo as an example foi furthei compromises ?a f.f*-,, Altcsefhqr the loyalty of its leasehold followers is W very severely etraincd by the attitude which the Government has taken up on this question. to-day's~Frogramme. Tho debate on the Financial Statement will be opened by Mr. Maseey in the House this Evening. The general opinion is still that the debate will probably bo of short duration. Foi thiti afternoon the Hospitals and Chantabla Institutions Bill (ditcnsaon in consJttee), Slate Guaranteed Advances Bill, and other measures that have no chance of being reaohod are set down on the Order Pnpor. COMPULSORY "TRAINING. it is not expected that much opposition will be bhown in the House to the proposals for national training set down m the Budget, K majority of raombors are understood to bo in Javolir of tho mcasuro of coinpuliory training f COOK ISLANDS FRUIT. A' request has been, made to tho Minister J ot Railways by Mr, Qlovor, M.P,, tlmr fruit tronj tho Cook Islands should be earned on the railways at tho same rato as that ruline for New Zc«.land-grown fruit. Mr. Glover pointed cut that, as these islands are now a portion of tho Dominion, their fruit is ontitle<! to the sumo concessions as that ncoordod to tho , Noti Zealand product, The reply of tho Minis. , wr that, whilst he ngreed with tho reasonabloness of tho request, ho foresaw tho poasibihty of fruit from tlio other islands being re--1 packed on arrival at Auckland or Wolhnijton in Cook Island cases, and forwarded by rail, in order to obtain tho ndvantago of the concessions in freight. Ho stated, however, that ho Would consider the matter.