TIME AND LEGISLATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 16048, 1 October 1912, Page 8

TIME AND LEGISLATION.

THE POSSIBLE AND PROBABLE

[From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, September 30.

Tf Parliament is to close down by October 2(3, the date now mentioned by tho Prime Minister as the likely one for the session’s curtain, the legislators will have to hustle. About half a dozen Government measures have up to the present gone through all stages, two of them being policy Bills—the Graduated Land Tax and the Public Service Bills. Over twenty Government measures are on the order paper to-day, several of them being certain of lengthy discussion, while one along, tho Land Bill, although embodying but half of the Reform proposals respecting the land, can be relied upon itself to occupy several sitting days. In addition to tho Government Bills, there are the Public Works Statement, tho Legislative Council Reform, Railways authorisation, the one and three-quarter million loan and other debates to be token into account, not to mention a Valuation Bill dealing with Native Lands, a Loans to Local Bodies Bill, a Land Agents Regis! ration Bill, Defence Act Amendment Bill, and other Government proposals, which are pending as supplements to the last. When it is remembered that even including the last two Mondays and Saturdays as sitting days the total between now and October 26 only reaches a score, it can he understood that either legislators must be stricken dumb by some parliamentary cataclysm or the" Statute Book remain unburdened by u goodly bulk of tho promised legislation till another year if the Assembly is to prorogue on the date suggested. The Prime Minister has announced his intention to keep the House lit work until it has transacted a. certain out lined programme, and the opinion is strong in tin l lobbies flint the new Administration will not be content to cry enough until it lias placed a fairly' substantial earnest of its policy in the Statute Book. On such an assumption the indicator points to a probable elasticity on thcr question of closing time.