The Fielding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1907. The Political Position in New Zealand.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 293, 17 June 1907, Page 2

The Fielding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette MONDAY, JUNE 17, 1907. The Political Position in New Zealand.

With the near approach of Sir Joseph Ward on his return to the colony, after attending the Imperial Conference in London, interest becomes centered upon the political position in New Zealand. The Premier has had to use all haste in his passage from London to Wellington, because of the sudden collapse of his locum tenens (the Hon. William Hall-Jones), .md the latter gentleman has Veen in such a serious state of health that the management of the affairs of the colony has been thrown upon a Ministry, the greater portion of which is without experience as State Ministers. Sir Joseph Ward will, tN-re-fore, have an exceedingly hard row to hoe, because Parliament is called together for the 27th inst., and that will allow the Premier only a very few days in which to prepare to meet the people's representatives. Tho impending session bristles with difficulties, and is overloaded with work, if the Ministerial programme be adhered to even to one-third of its promises. . First in importance comes the Laud Bill, that has been the football of the recess. For twelve months Mr McNab's Bill has been the bone of contention in camp and hall and meeting-place, from Auckland to the Bluff. The members of the Farmers' Union, avowed opponents of almost every phase of tho Bill aud strenuous fighters for the continued option of the freohold, have organised meetings throughout all the country districts, and at times have even entered into the strongholds of the leaseholders in cities and towns Scarce an issue of the daily papers of New Zealand for the ]>ast twelve months has been without a reference to some meeting upon this much-discussed Bill. And oven now, when the colony is on the eve of tho second session of the present Parliament, thero is much doubt as to what will be the Ward Cabinet's attitiub towards tho Bill, which it dropped so suddenly and so sens l tionally last session. Thero are still persistent rumours to tho effect that the original Bill will bo cut into at least tliree measures and will be brought before Parliament piecemeal. As a matter of fact, Mr McNab has his little Bills ready for. introduction. The party in power is so much divided upon tho question of freehold versus leasehold that Sir Joseph Ward will find it difficult to give the measure a free place on the floor of the House. The question of the day is : What form will the compromise on the Land Bill tako? Some well-informed folks think that the Government may "pull out" its freehold proposals and substitute a substantial graduated landtax. This would be an astute move, especially as a section of the Farmers' Union has declared that a graduated land-tax would be preferable to the loss of the option of the freehold. And such a tax would be a happy way out of a difficulty for some of the freeholders who are otherwise staunch ; supporters of the Ward Governme.-it. There are some individuals who are not without hope that the influence ! of the arch apostle of the single -tax j (the Hon. George Fowlrfs, Minister I for Education and Health) wiil 1 aye j some weight witfli the Cabinet in turning the scales towards a compromise. But it is doubtful whether a ■ graduated land tax would le -my I more pleasant to Mr Fowlds than to, j say, a wealthy landowner. How.-jv -r, j tho fate of the Land Bill is still in ! the lap of the gods. { Besides the great question alluded I to above that remains to be settled, ! the Government has given repeated • distinct promises that tho coming ses- \ sion will witness a bringing in of a ! revision of the Customs tariff, and on j the strength of those promises the Labour Unions, Industrial Associations, and some political bodies havo set up Tariff Revision Committees to furnish reports and suggestions that are meant to assist the Government in framing its revision. But tariff revision would in itself furnish material for a whole session' of Parliament, and would take up far more time even j than the Land Bill should the latter be given full play. There has not, however, been any evidence that the Cabinet has been working overtime • ou tho Tariff. All the indications ' that can be gathered are that the j Ministry will again shirk the larger issue and compromise by Cringing in J proposals for lifting the duty on | flour, sugar, and other necessaries of I life, with tho object of providing j what is called a "free breakfast tabic." Industries and the question | of production as bearing upon those ! matters will, apparently, be shelved for yet a little while longer. Then there promises to be an imircnse amount of labour involved iv revising tho Labour laws, especially in regard to repairing the damage done to the Conciliation and Arbitration Act by recent strikes and other protests against this legislation. These arc only the main matters before the country. There are a multitude of other pieces of legislation that crop up with each succeeding session. To carry out what is immediately in view, and to fulfil promises regarding othor proposals .the Ward Ministry will need to keep Parliament in session for the whole of the next twelvo months. That is not likely. And as next year will provide a session immediately preceding a general election, there is not much promise of anything being undertaken j in 1908. What will the coining session of 1907 produce? Certainly a vory hard time for Premier Ward.