Evening Post SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1914. BILLS FOR NEXT SESSION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 74, 28 March 1914, Page 4

Evening Post SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1914. BILLS FOR NEXT SESSION

Already the politicians, of all parties, are very busy with old and new arts and crafts tn win the voters' favour at next elections. The thoughts of the campaigners are not so much on' ways and means of doing good for the public as on strategy for the benefit of themselves and supporters. The I.ns are naturally eager to stay In, and the Outs are wear^ oi -pressing their faces against the cold glass of the cosy office. So each parly has a song to sing and a tale to tell about its own right to work for the taxpayer and about the other's utter unfitness to be trusted. With the Representatives in such an anxious and excited state of mind as to the issue of the fight, hew will the people be served next session — the people who pay for the politicians' comedies and tragedies? The usual character of a pre-election session is unrespectable. In the past tlie average member had one ear to the ground, and the one word which never strayed far from his mind Avas Constituent. Everything was more or less a means to that end — the precious vote. Of course, the Government of that x time had the advantage because the Ministers were the men behind the counter, with bargains for everybody, at the public expense. This year the Massey Government has charge of the store. Will there be reform? Has nothing special beeh saved up for this important electioneering session? Will the ruling party remember its condemnation of the "sweetening" schemes of other pre-election sessions^ and will it resolve rf to set up a- new standard? Would the average elector welccme or dislike the innovation? It cannot be denied that many people of many districts regard election year as a Christmas season, with the Government as Santa Claus, and therefore some courage will be needed to change the old dispensation. Various important Bills have been reserved for this session, and some of them are concerned with such large questions oi national principle that it is unlikely they will receive, in the swirl of party politics, the necessary attention. The Premier has mentioned Education, Legislative Council Reform, Electoral (affecting the House of Representatives), Local Government, and Land Bills. What is to be done about Tariff, Licensing, Gaming, the remainder of last year's Conciliation an<i Arbitration Bill, and other measures which were crowded out of last session? Does the Government intend to surrender to the Bible-in-Schools League and pass a Referendum Bill, even when, as Canon Garland knows, or seems to know, such an action will give the Government a footing on one plank of the Red Federals' or Social Democrats' platform? Of course, no programme mapped out for a session is complete without a promise of a Local Government Bill; this is a fixture, like the Governor's Speech and the Mace. The brief reference to land indicates that the Government will not spread alarm among the wealthy owners of square miles and leagues in Hawkes Bay, and they are, apparently, to be no more disturbed than they were during the two decades of the Liberal regime. Is the Education Bill to be comprehensive ? Will it make'"a better co-ordination be tween the primary and secondary schools? Will it do something for the pupils as well as for the teachers, who received only the first instalment of justice last session? One part of education reform— the system of technical classes— is dependent on the tariff policy. The present schedule is mainly one of compromise— more political than scientific. What secondary industries are to be definitely encouraged? How can it be wise to invest large sums and use much time of boys and girls and youths at technical institutions till the rulers of the country have made some decision about certain industries of which the condition is now said to* be unhealthy ? In the matter of electoral proposals for both branches of the Legislature, the need of caution has been impressed on the public by the experience of the Commonwealth and Tasmanian State elections. There are' many' cooks everywhere, each wi£h an infallible recipe for splendid electoral broth, but the experiments, so far, leave much to be learned and much ,to be discarded.