WORK AHEAD. THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMME.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 120, 17 November 1909, Page 3

WORK AHEAD. THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMME.

MUCH TO BE DONE. A SECOND SESSION IN PROSPECT The legislative programme, of the Government was fairly clearly outlined by the Prime Minister after the caucus of the Government Party yesterday. Later in the day the Piime Minister made a statement in the House of Representatives on the fciibject. He wished, he said, to slate what business the House would be asked to put through this session. He wished to ask the Leader of the Opposition if he could see 'his way to facilitate matters on his side of the House, by falling in with it proposal which he (Sir Joseph) would make on behalf of the Government side, as to the financial debute. As the whole of the prcpo&als contained in the Budget would be submitted to the House in the form of independent Bills, ami there would then be an opportunity of discussing them, Parliament would require to adjourn by 22nd December, and if the Leader of the Opposition would agree to there being only one speaker on* the Opposition side on ' the Financial Statement, he himeelf wonld be the only speaker (in reply) on the Government side. If this were done it would give members the opportunity of discussing the important Bill? which the Government proposed to ask Parliament to. put through this session, and the Government could pursue its programme without driving members — a course which he wa6 not prepared to accept the responsibility of. If this were agieed to, and the House would apply ilstlf to work, the majority of the Bills could be put through by 22nd December. If not, he proposed to ask the House to adjourn for about a month after Christmas, and reassemble about li«t February — certainly not later — to finish any of the important legislation not dealt with by 22nd December. "Wo should stop on until tihe important work is completed," he explained, "and upon the completion of the session we need not meet again that year." Mr Mass-ey : That would not do. The Prime Minister : At a|l events, we should sit until the work is completed. There is no reason why we. should not sit until Ist June. *I see no reason for prolonging the session for the sake of prolonging it. If we have not completed the proposed legislation vithout pressing or driving members by 22nd December, I will ask that the House should reassemble pot later than Ist February. The Prinio Minister then outlined the measures which it is intended to put through this session, and which were set out in detail in The Pest jesterday afternoon. The Land Bill, he said, would bo ready for circulation at the end of the week, and the Defence Bill and Death Duties Bill at the .beginning of next week. The former would go to the Lands Committee, and the latter would need to be referred to a special committee. By allowing Government business to take precedence on Wednesday and Thursday, and also sitting on Mondays, the House should be able to settle seriously to work, and he did not think it would be necessary, for some time, at any rate, to sit on Satiud&ys. The Superannuation Bill wan intended to provide- for the transference of £25,000 to the Railway Service Fund, and £5000 from the Police Fund to the Public Service Superannuation Fund. The Native Land Bill would not, he

thought , take long to put through, as it was largely a consolidating measure. LICENSING LEGISLATION. The Licensing Bill was to receive attention at once. Important licensing legislation had not gone through the House for many years without some prior agreement, and. when the last Bill went thiough, a committee representative of both sides considered it ; and it was clue to that fact that the\Bill got through. On the present occasion, there had been_ an attempt to secure a similar understanding. Speaking as Minister of Finance, he supposed members would have noticed that outside there had been considerable controversy in regard to the provision for a five years' vote. No Treasurer would agree to a. lesser period, for it would be readily realised that a change in the methods of taxation would be involved if the proposals came into existence. There was no chance, he a,dded, of any licensing legislation . going through unless there was an agreement between the paities interested. At the same time, he felt convinced that it was in the j best interests of the country that they should now arrive at nome final decision upon the point at issue. He hoped that when the proposals did come be- ,, fore Parliament, they would go through. '! LAND PROPOSALS. The proposals in regard to land* legislation would be in the hands of members by the end of the week, continued the Prime Minister, and it would be better to discuss them then than to spend time in discussing them during ■ the Budget debate,. If members would agree to his suggestion, they would save a good deal of time, and clear the ground for immediate action. (Opposition laughter.) "I see a smile from the back benches." continued the Prime Minister. "The time is now getting very near to Christmas, and if members on the Opposition benches will lestrain themselves, as we are willing to do, it means that a great deal more will be done." AN OPPOSITION VIEW. ' ' Mr. W. F. Massey taid that if they were unable to get through the business of the session before Christinas, they would have "to come back after the holidays. He could not, however, agree with the proposal to extend the session till June next, and thus do away with the ordinary session of 1910. Under such an arrangement, members would not be able to receive the financial papers due at the end of the financial year, and there were other reasons why- such a proposal could not be countenanced. Sir Joseph Ward said that Government supporters had agrocd to the proposal which he had outlined. If the business of the session was not over members could reassemble at the beginning of February, and bit during that month, and also during March and April. By that time the whole of the financial results of the year would be ready for submitting to Parliament. Mr. T. E. Taylor said he desired to protest against the suggested arrangement. Parliament had now been sitting for five or six weeks, and during that time had done practically nothing. The House had practically had nothing before it but the Hospitals -and Charitable Aid Bills, and full five weeks had been wasted. Sir Joseph Ward : "Who says five weeks have been wasted '! Mr. Taylor : That is the assumption. I resent any suggestion that we should come back after Christmas. I suggest that it would be almost a good thing if a Bill "was brought down suspending the functions of the Assembly for a period of three years, to give the Go-

vernment <i chance of looking round and seeing what legislation it really requires to bring down. Sir Joseph Ward said it was a pity that the member for Christchurch Noith should have overlooked the fact that the House had spent some fourteen days on the Address>-iii-Reply debate. Mr. Taylor : We bad nothing else to do ; there were no Bills. | Sir Joseph Ward : "You were not 'icre, and w> you know nothing about it." The Hospitals Bill was ready for presentation the whole time. Other measures before the House almost since the beginning of the session included the State Guarantpe Advances Bill, the Shipping and Seamen Bill, Land Settlement Finance Bill, and National Arnuities Bill. Mr. Massey : We should have had the Financial Statement three weeks as>o .Sir Joseph Ward : I do not think there has been any delay. The Budget contains many very important proposals ; it is, m fact, the most important Financial Statement that has ever been brought down in this country. In common fairness, this should be taken into consideratioi 1 , and I can only express profound surprise that the member for Christchurch North has exaggerated the position in the way he did. Mr. M'Laren, speaking as an Independent member, said it would not be i'air to rob private members of the privi- [ lege to discuss the important and almost revolutionary proposals of the Budget. He hoped there would be no "dumb dogs" on either side of the House when the debate came up for consideration. The Prime Minister said he had simply made a suggestion fov the purpose of facilitating business. If his proposal was accepted, members could, if they so desired, speak ' for an hour each on each of the nine * important Bills 10 be brought down. It was surely better to do that than to try and cover the whole of the matters referred to in the Budget within an hour. Mr. A. W. Hogg said he thought the Prime Minister's suggestion a most extraordinary one. The Budget proposals were of a iiost important character, and members would be neglecting iheir duty if they did not discuss those proposals. He hoped that no member in the House' AvoiiJd allow the gag to be placed in his mouth as suggested. • The Piime .Minister said he must odjeet to any such misrepresentation. He had not aitompted to force the position, or to place iHe gag in any member.-, mouth. He had, simply made a suggestion to the House, with a view to facilitating business, aid if the Houne did not care to do so, there the matter could end. Mr. Fisher said that they had been waiting for fifteen months for the Financial Statement. It was admitted to be an epoch-marking Budget. Yet they were not to discuss it. Likewise he objected to the proposal that the House should. meet in February, git for a couple of months, and then adjourn for fifteen months. . Ihe Prime Minister: It would ■ not be for fifteen months. I have suggested that the House could, if it so desired, sit till June, and then adjourn. Mr. Buchanan, speaking on behalf of country members, said it would be most undesirable to sit after Christmas. The Prime Minister said that unless the important business submitted was to be completed by 22nd December, the financial debate could go on for three or four weeks, and no legislation would go on th» Statute Book, but no Government would tolerate that position on that account. It would be improper for the House to accept it, and it would be unfair to the country. Mr. Allen: Why not go on with the work? We did not eit iv the winter this year. The Prime Minister replied that that was so, but important matters to the

Dominion were being dealt with all the same. Fault-finding not dq % any good. " Mr." "Buchanan '-haVl " sugges'tecl that if Parliament did not sit after Christmas it meant that no work at sril would be done. He (Sir Joseph) w^s not going to he placed in that position. If the House could not 6ee its way to finish by Christmas let it discuss tho Financial Statement by all means. If there was to be a prolonged debate pn the Financial Statement it must ,bo patent that Parliament must meet afjer Christmas and go on with its work.-'