Manawatu Evening Standard. CIRCULATION 4000 DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1914. PROSPECTS OF THE SESSION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9831, 24 June 1914, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. CIRCULATION 4000 DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1914. PROSPECTS OF THE SESSION.

I The fourth session of the present Par- | liaraent opens to-nioi row. It was to J have been, as is usually the case in elecj tion year, a short, if strenuous one. j The indications, however, point in the other divert ion, and, by all present portents, tin* session is likely to bo alike iong. strenuous and stormy. The oifiial Opposition, with its reckless criticisms of Government action and legislation, is in no mood for business. It may, indeed, be taken for granted that any and every Government measure, which Oppositionists choose to regard as contentious, will bo vigorously opposed, and that a recurrence of last session's stonewalls may bo looked for. There is a feeling abroad—and it is certainly a justifiable one—that the Massey Government has done far better than could be reasonably expected of it in face of tho heavy financial and adj ministrativo handicaps that beset its | path for tho first twelve months or so I of its existence. Tho country is coming | to recognise that it has legislated along very helpful lines to tho community generally, and that it has shown by its policy and actions that in many respects it is even more liberal than the Liberals themselves. An uneasy realisation of these facts probably prompted tho campaign of misrepresentation in which certain members of tho Left have chosen to busy themselves during tho past five months. Every possible attempt has been made to discredit the Government and to make its continuance in office impossible. Certain members have, indeed, gone so far in this direction, that it is out of tho question for them to recedo or admit their error. It may bo taken for granted, therefore, that tho less scrupulously minded Oppositionists will endeavour to keep the ball rolling during the coming session, and that they will, within the bounds of Parliamentary practice and procedure, hamper and hinder the Government programme. It has been charged against Mr Massey and his colleagues that they have broken their pledges, because portions of thoir 1911 programme have so | far remained untouched. No sensibly minded member of the community would, however, expect any Government, and especially a new one, to give full effect to its policy and programme within two years of its accepting office, and tho Reform Ministry is still only in its second year term. The Prime Minister, in a recent interview, indicated his determination to carry through as much of the 1911 programme as Parliament can be induced to accept, during the session opening to-morrow, and, although the lion, gentleman has not fully outlined tho nature of! the proposals that will he placed bofore Parliament, it is understood that a big legislative programme is in hand. From their publicly reported utterances, Ministers have indicated that, among other measures which aro to be put through, are iucluded Local Go*

vernment Reform, the Reform of the Legislative Council, a new Libel Law, a further extension of the Widows' Pension scheme, a Liquor Bill, and a measure dealing with the Electoral laws. Rather rashly, Mr G. W. Russell has jumped to the conclusion that Mr Massey and his colleagues intend putting the Mackenzie Government's Local Government Bill on the Statute Book. Tho reform proposed by the present Ministry is, however, more in the direction of securing assured finance to local bodies, and it is understood the measure to be introduced will do away with the present system, under which Parliament votes, and tho Government doles out, public works moneys for roads and bridges to the constituencies generally. Next to the reform of the Civil Service, which has diverted the Government of all powers of political patronape, whore appointments and promotions are concerned, we cannot conceive of any reform more urgently required than that which will practically do away with the "roads and bridges momber," 'returned by constituencies who have been largely dependent upon public works limits for their development and means of communication, etc. Many a good man, whose services would be of real value to the community, has been turned down by the electors in the past, because he failed to secure for them the moneys with which other constituencies were bribed and debauched in "the good old days" of the Continuous Liberal Administration. It is beyond question that the hold that Government retained on the constituencies was largely due to the patronage extended by it in this direction. Probably a stern fight will be put up over the Government proposals, which are intended to readjust the method of distributing subsidies and grants to local bodies so as to make them practically independent of political favour and patronage. The reform of the Legislative Council wi!i\ it is understood, be brought about by the Council itself. With a change in tho personnel of tho Upper Branch of the Legislature, consequont upon tho appointments the Government is making, there should bo no difficulty in securing the passage of the Reform measure, which tho Hon. H. D. Bell has stated is practically that vetoed by the Council last year. A measure of reform, coming down from tho Upper House, under such circumstances, can hardly fail to be accepted by tho House of Representatives, indeed, if it failed to do so, tho latter would bo stultifying its action in 1912, when, following tho rejection of the Legislative Council Reform Bill by the Upper House, its members endorsed with practical unanimity tho resolutions brought down by the Prime Minister, affirming tho principle that tho Council should bo made elective on the lines proposed by the Government. In the mood in which the House reassembles it is, however, impossible to forecast, with anything like accuracy, the progress of events. The political campaigning of the last few months has added a bitterness to party politics that is far from reassuring. Growing asp.riiies of speech and an almost ho;>olc.ss disregard of tacts, where they toil in favour of the Government, are the noro noticeable teaturos of Opposition electioneering methods, and it has been hinted, in more than one quarter, that there will !)■ a systematic endeavour to block Government business and to thus frustrate 'he fulfilment of tho pledges given by Mr Massey and his colleagues to the country in 1911. We trust it may he otherwise, but it would not be at all surprising to find, at tho end of three or four months, that the business of Parliament had been more or less hindered, if not paralysed, by tho action of men who are more concerned to regain office than to conserve the best interests of the country.