A LONG SESSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14220, 17 November 1909, Page 7

A LONG SESSION.

> •' < --Kg*-. "! ~V'V:! ; rf -.>.'. ~ .*' '„ - ■ ■ \ WORK OF PARLIAMENT. I A BIG PROGRAMME. Vv\.->v»r ■."■■' ; TO RESUME IN FEBRUARY. T BY ' TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington*, . Tuesday. „ -i ; Government caucus was held to-day, ! *• the conclusion of which the Prime Minister stated that 44 members were present and that two members who were ' absent were accounted for. ■ The caucus," Sir Joseph continued, .««w»3 called by me for the purpose of discussing the business of the session, ijnore particularly in view of the limited •time available between now and Christmas. "We recommended . the re-assem-ijjjjg 0 f Parliament one month after the ; Christmas adjournment in the event of I the important policy Bills now before the I House not being passed before December 5 22. To this the caucus practically unaniI mously agreed. I stated that the policy \k gills indicated in the Financial Statement were intended to be passed. The Bills in question are the State-guaranteed Advances Bill, the Land Finance and Settlement Bill, the Death Duties and i.'Graduated Income Tax Bill, Bank Taxation (including notes). Racing Clubs .Taxation, Land Settlement (including •money to be raised for the purpose of 'acquiring , Maori lands in the North), Customs Primage, Defence Bill, Land Bill Native Land Bill, Licensing Bill, King Country Licensing Bill, Superannuation Bill, Railway Betterment Bill, Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill, 'State- Provident Fund (or Annuities) Bill- To all of these the party agreed, '•■md in the event of the programme not teing finished by the date mentioned the 'House is to reassemble not later than February 1." . ONE DISSENTIENT. j |AN ABSENT LEASEHOLDER. \si TELEGRAPH.SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] o'-<- ■"■;-'■ . Wellington, Tuesday. .The decision of the Government party at the caucus to-day to agree to the Prime Minister's recommendation to re-, assemble after Christmas in the event of : the business being unfinished, was, it appears, not quite unanimous, there being joile dissentient. It 'is said that Mr. Baume was the dissenting member, although no authorised statement on that point is available. Mr. Hanan, tho member for Invercargill, a Government supporter who in opposed to, the land proposals, , did not attend the caucus. Some other members of the party were absent from Wellington, and consequently could not attend. Some Government supporters profess to think that after all the session will end before Christmas. . ,

MONDAY SITTINGS.

-. SHELVING MEMBERS' BILLS. 'At the afternoon sitting of the House it n| dcwided to. give .preference > to- Governpent Bills over private members' Bills on. Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the Prime Minister gave notice of motion to sit on Mondays after Monday -week, WIN?/ 1 ■-''■"■ l ''■'■ '■—— v ; '" ; /■'■:,'' CLOSING MEMBERS' MOUTHS, A POLITICAL CUL DE SAC. IBy the postponement of the. session last year and \ the leisurely manner in which business , has been , dealt .with this session . the Government have got into a tind: of political cul de sac, from which they apparently have considerable difficulty in extricating themselves. The proceedings [>t the caucus of the party this morning jpere. reflected in the statement made in, the House during the afternoon iby the Premier. He wanted the Leader of the Opposition to agree with him. that neither the Government nor the Opposition parlie's should discuss the Budget, or in other' Words that there should : only be one speaker from each side, namely, Mr.' Mafsey and himself. -He did not, he said, address himself to the three independent members. If what he suggested .^re/done",' he believed they could finish *he business before Christmas. "If not ie proposed that they should sit till December 22, then adjourn for the holidays, and resume the session not later than I february 1 next:-'.''• ■ '•"'-'- '■'.'■'■'■ '*. "'-,- ■•■■"' *©-?..? most extraordinary part of the proposal, however, was that the present j «ssiori i should go on till after the end K the financial year (from February till I June, if 1 necessary), and that there should be tip session for the year 1910. ■'■ ."" - ' Mr. Massey politely declined to shut mouths of his men. He said he ' wold not rule them with a rod of iron, "apparently the Premier could rule his Party. • It was the duty of members to to the business in a businesslike way, tad if it could "not be so dealt with before Christmas "then they should . come wk and deal with it. - ■, Taylor, '•.'-. McLaren, Hogg, Buchanan, and Fisher opposed the proposal to stop discussion on the Budget. | : During ; the discussion the Premier rented the suggestion : that he ruled his followers with a rod of iron. In the evening the financial debate *as entered upon vigorously, members on jioih sides of the House taking part. The effect to silence members has thereWe so. proved fruitless. - As the ■ House cannot possibly get through half the programme before it by Christmas an autumn session seems instable. <■ ; THE IMPORTANT BILLS. DEFENCE, LAND, AND LICENSING. I [bs telecbaph.—press association.] Wellington, Tuesday, '•« the course of his statement in the "use of Representatives to-day the Prime fcnister referred to the following as the W'st important Bills to be dealt with this tooni-.Tho Bill to authorise the exNMiture on the Dreadnought; Bills dealit with defence, land, native lands, wising and King Country licensing, hositals, superannuation, and annuities. The M>Land -Bill," he said,' should not take ijp? time . to put through. It was a large W) ; but chiefly a consolidating measure. Land Bill, said the Prime Minister, n m be. circulated at the end of the