THE COMING SESSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14069, 24 May 1909, Page 6

THE COMING SESSION.

" JOLLY GOOD ROW" PREDICTED. Responding at a social gathering at Greymouth to ; the toast of " Parliament'" : tho', \Hon. A. R. Guinness, M.P., said that by. next July he would-: have been 'i a member 0f... Parliament for j. a-quarter ;of a : century.; Ho regretted tho death of ) Mr. Scddon. ,; for he" recognised : that since then, in the last Parliament, they had not got that lead from -'• the Government ; benches that - ' they ':'. had ; a right to. expect. It was necessary ; to keep on going ahead arid progressing, ;as : had been. done in years past. As to tho Primo. Minister's policy speech at Invercargill,' he regretted that in the list of proposed legislation submitted there was only one. measure in which labour was directly 'concerned," and that, was the amendment of the Workers'„ .Compensation Act. / That was a small item to" dish- up, and with it 'the people; would never be - satisfied.; vTlioy'jdid;, not; want -a. rest; they :: wanted progress. Defective legislation required' amendment, arid it would never bo right: to ;•': adjourn : consideration thereof. ■■ Next . session, when - Parliament . met (added • ilr» Guinness), there was " going to' be a jolly good row.'' >He had 1 been ,a"member, of,;nine, Parliaments, -arid: this coming session was awaited:, with the greatest pleasure by him. ': Ho recognised that on it depended matters of ;groat moment for the good or -otherwise of'-thei people. It wasextraordinary ,in that -no \ one was ■: able or open to tell what : really '. was likely to happen. He intended, to : advocate his accident insurance scheme from the floor of the 1 House, and give the Government:an opportunity ; of saying whether ; they ■ were in , favour of lessening the burdens on the workers arid providing them with a little assistance in time of. sickness ; and distress. Rest was not, necessary; onward they must go. ';

SINGLE SESSION FAVOURED. - In about a month's time Parliament must be at work, for supplies will run put if the session does not begin before July. > Parliament has been, prorogued until June 10, i but it is customary ,- to : prorogue .' to : that; date, with the intention of: making a further;- and final arrangement, ; which v this, : year has not yet been done. Taking advantage of :: the presence of ;so.many Parliamentarians -in Wellington during the Timber Commission's sittings a i New Zealand Times' representative obtained in a general way their views regarding ■ the proposal that there should be a short session with a sufficient interval to enable the Prime Minister to attend the Empire Defence Conference. The 'members questioned were unanimously against this proposal, arid stated that many of i their colleagues to ,whom they had .spoken during, their; travels considered that one session of moderate length Was much more j preferable than the inconvenience of coming 5 twice .to Wellington.; The second session, they, added, would begin late, arid there was always considerable inconvenience to the farmers of tho House if they were kept away from home'in the spring.