NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 682, 6 December 1909, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES.

mil THERE BE AN AOTOMN SESSITMJ. THE LAND BILL. No indication has been given, out as to the order of business this week Bills which, will piobably bo finally disposed of without delay are the Hospitals Bill and the Shipping and Seamen Bill. Owing to Mr. Sidey's amendment in. the State Guaranteed Loans Advances Bill that measure seems to bo hung up. , Will the session finally close befoie Christmas' / If tho Government is determined to put through the wholo of its programme it seems evident that it will not Most of the members view with disfavour tho proposal to hold an autumn session. The probabilities are that the Government will drop portion of its programme iri£h a view to an early closing of Parliament. In view of the attitude of the leaseholders tho Land Bill has little chance of becoming law thie year. Negotiations, it is seated, sue ■now proceeding between the Prime Minister and tho leaseholders, in order, if possible, to aim a at a compromise Very little is now heaid in tho lobbies on tho question of licensing legislation. According to; the: Prime Minister a Bill on the subject has little chance of passing, unless the parties first come to an agreement That the Trade mil not agree to the alteration which tho No-License party desire to mate in the compact nhich was recently made seems almost certain And, so, the promised Bill 15 not likely to come down this year GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY. By on lnadvertenco it was stated in Saturday's Parliamentary report that an amendment to reduce by ,£1 an item of the Estimated relating to the General Assembly library was earned. This was not the case Tho motion agreeing to the item as it stood, 'lrithoutTeductioni was , adopted wrthoufca division. POINTS OF ORDEfI. ' Mr. Boss, ILP., causes a good deal'rf rrnta~ Exm by Ids porsistenco in raising reasonless points of ordor. After having raised , several such points on Pnday night, and bean dismissed by tho Chair, ho interrupted Mr. Wright Mr. Wright was unkind enough to be sarcastic. " The hon. member," he said, "must remember 'that I am a mere 1 novico, and he should therefore treat me kindly, ontl not ondea-vour to uso his skill and great knowledge to spoil what small point there may bo in what I happen to say." The Pahiatua member was then ruled but of order. v 1 I I "ON THE FREEHOLD." Pitfalls abound in debnto Mr Witty, an extromo leaseholder, was ou Friday night defending the methods of the Valuation Department, and m order to male his point he referred to his own purchase of a considoiablo area of land. "On tho freehold'" asked somebody in astonishment. "Yes, on tho freehold,'' said Mr. Witty. later Mr. Massoy jocularly observed that Mr. Witty was " a regular landshark." " mind what I am or not," was Mr. Witt/s disappointing answer.