PARLIAMENT AT WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14806, 9 October 1911, Page 8

PARLIAMENT AT WORK.

END OF THE SESSION

ABOUT ANOTHER FORTNIGHT.

[EX *nx-cz^l-ix.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] ; _ ' Wellington*, Sunday. None of the measures required to give effect to the proposals of tin l Budget have vet- been circulated, and the general opinion of members of the House of Representatives is that few, if any., of them will be submitted to Parliament this session. Towards the close of the last session, the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) definitely stated that there would be little necessity in the final session of the present Parliament for the capacity of the legislative machine to be severely tested. He said it was not to be suggested that the Government, would bring down a large number of Bills, in view of the very fine programme that Parliament had carried through in the middle session with its record of 132 Government, local, and private measures, which had been placed upon tiie Statute Book. Sir Joseph Ward forecasted that the final session would be for about six weeks, or, at the outside, two months.

That, estimate has already been exceeded, as Parliament has now sat for 10 weeks. When members assembled in Wellington,* in July, they looked forward to 12 weeks' sojourn in the capital city, but it is probable that they will not be relieved from attendance at the House until the early hours of October 28. There is little prospect that the business of the session will be disposed of within the next fortnight, as many members who are anxious to return to their electorates are hoping, old Parliamentary hands agreeing that three weeks are necessary to bring the programme to a close. Only casual mention has yet been made of sittings on Mondays and Saturdays, but it is not unlikely that members will be asked to meet on the six working days of the hist week.

Local Government Bill. . Unless it is being saved as a surprise packet for the last days of the session, the- long-promised Local Government Bill will not make its appearance before the legislators leave for their homes. This Ministerial promise of a better order of things has become invested with fragile charms, like those of the rainbows, but like that phenomenon, it always remains unapproachably distant. Remarks made by the Prime Minister an hour before the House rose last year have acquired an amusing interest during the last few weeks. "We shall have before us next session a Local Government Bill," he promised, " and I have no hesitation in saving that when the House sees that Bill they will insist that it is one of the Bills that should be put before the country before being given effect to, for the reason that it will contain important policy proposals that will affect this country for all time. For that reason the consideration of the Bill by Parliament should not be hurried." Apparently, with a view to avoiding an undesirable hurry, the Prime Minister is going to postpone the introduction of the Bill for another year.

Public Works Statement,. * Departmental officers have been extremely busy lately upon the preparation of the Public Works Estimates; and it is anticipated that the Hon. R. McKenzio will " present his Statement early, this week. Interest will centre in the Minister's proposals for expenditure on new railways, and it is expected that some important statements will be made regarding the development and application of electrical energy. Ministers and their Votes. The unusual manner in which two members of the Ministry voted, made notable one of the divisions in the House of Representatives early, on Saturday morning, when the State Coal Mines Account was under consideration. Mr. J. Duncan (Wairau) moved a reduction of the rote, as an indication that the importation of coal into New Zealand should be discouraged. The Minister in charge of the account (Hon. R. McKenzie) announced that he would support the amendment. "Do I understand tUe Minister to say that he will .vote for the reduction of his own Estimates ?" asked the Leader of the Opposition. ■ The Minister replied in the affirmative. - "It is the first time in the history of New Zealand," was Mr. "Massey's comment. On a division the amendment was negatived by 50 votes to 14. "Did you vote?" Mr. Massev asked the Minister.

Mr. McKenzie: Oh, yes. Mr. Massey: In what way? The Minister: That is my business. Sir. Massey (after looking at the division list): The Minister has not voted at all. (Laughter.) . , Sir* Arthur Guiness: He must have been locked out by mistake. - Mr. Massey added that neither the Minister for 'Public Works or his Ministerial namesake had had the courage to record his vote. ■ Mr. McKenzie said he regarded such unreasonable outbursts from Mr. Massey as a sign of weakness. He had made up his mind to have a division to put the Opposition in their places, and his vote would found recorded in Hansard. He had always been opposed to the importation of coal. . The Hon. Thos. Mackenzie declared that so far as courage was concerned, the Mackenzie were in no degree inferior to the Masseys. . ' ' -Mr.- Fisher: Is that a challenge with pistols? Mr. Mackenzie: Any way you like to take it. He added that he and his colleague had been actuated by motives which they had not seen fit to submit to the Leader of the Opposition. Though neither of the Ministers concerned choee to . inform the House of the fact, they had paired for the division, and neither of them had gone into the lobby, or recorded his vote. '