THE COMING SESSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15948, 19 June 1915, Page 9

THE COMING SESSION.

NEXT WEEK'S CEREMONIES.

ELECTION OF SPEAKERS.

WORK FOR PARLIAMENT.

WAR TAXATION BILL.

Tin-: first session of the nineteenth Parliament of New Zealand, the election of which has ju:.t been concluded under such remarkable and, perhaps, unprecedented circumstances, will <bo opened in Wellington on Thursday next, .bine 24. The last Thursday in June lias been the customary (late for the meeting of Parliament during llio past few years.

As the approaching region is the first of a new Parliament it will be necessary, in accordance with the usual custom, for two days to be occupied with the opening ceremonies. This is rendered necessary by the fact that the House of Representatives has not yet had the opportunity of electing its Speaker. Until this election takes place the Governor, according to traditional usages and time-honoured phraseology, Joes not find it " convenient to bo personally present " at the opening of Parliament. Parliament will therefore be opened on Thursday by a Commission l appointed by the Governor, which usually consists of about four members of the Legislative Council. How Parliament is Opened. Tile members of the two Houses wity meet in the Legislative Council chamber at half-past two o'clock on Thursday afternoon, when His Excellency's Commission will be read and Parliament formally declared open. The members of the Lower House will then repair to the chamber where the members will be sworn in. The Speaker will then be elected, and shortly afterwards an adjournment will be made until the following afternoon. In the meantime the newly-elected Speaker will formally present himself to the Governor at Government House foT approval. The members of the two chambers will meet again on Friday afternoon, when His Excellency will attend and complete the opening ceremonies by delivering " the Governor's Speech," in which the Government of the day, in a more or less general manner, indicates its policy for tho session. Usually, however, the details of the important measures, particularly those relating to financial matters, are not disclosed until the Minister for Finance brings down his Budget, which makes its appearance in the ordinary course from a month to six weeks after the opening of Parliament. ° Election of Two Speakers. There will be several features of interest in connection with the opening of tho new Parliament. Firstly, there is the narrow margin between the respective strengths of the two parties, the interest in which has been accentuated by the recent election petitions and the conseouent prolongation of the I 'election contests right up to the eve of the assembling of Parliament. •

The election of a Speaker of the House is always a matter of interest, and on this occasion the election of a Speaker of the Legislative Council will also be necessary, tho five-years' term of the retiring Speaker, Sir Charles Bowen,' being about to expire. In this connection, it may be pointed out that ths Speaker of the upper branch of the Legislature retains office and exercises his functions until his successor is appointed. This is not the case in regard to the Speaker of the House. The Hon. F. W. Lang, M.P. for Manukau, was the Speaker of the House during the last two sessions of the late Parliament, lie having succeeded the late Sir Arthur Guinness in 1913. <

The election of a Chairman of Committees is another duty that the House will i bo called upon to perform shortly after ■ the opening of Parliament. This position ! was occupied during the past two sessions by Mr. A. S. Malcolm, M.P. for Clutha. Parliament, shortly after its opening, will bo asked to pass resolutions expressing .recognition of the services of. legislators and ex-legislators who have died during the recess. An Imprest Supply Bill, to provide for the carrying on of the Public Service during the month of July, must also be passed, before the end of the month. The Address-in-Reply debate may be expected to commence on the evening of Tuesday. June 29, or on the following evening. The War Taxation Proposals. Some important measures, arising out of the war and the active participation of the Dominion in the hostilities, will be included in the legislation to be put forward by the Government. The principal measure, of course, will be the War Taxation Bill, which the Prim* Minister lias indicated will be introduced with the purpose of meeting interest and sinking fund charges on the cost of the war. It is not. improbable that some of the features of this measure will give rise to differences of opinion and considerable debate. Proposals- in regard to a soldiers' pension scheme will also come up for consideration. Some modification of' the Mortgages Extension Act, passed last/ year shortly after the outbreak of the war, will also be proposed. Some General Measures. The Cook Islands Bill, which was introduced last ysfti- and. not proceeded with, | will be re-introduced. This is a lengthy Bill of upwards of 600 elauees. Another Bill will provide for amendments of the Valuation Act on the lines of the recommendations made by the recent Valuation Commission. Some alterations in the bankruptcy Act may also be submitted. The usual Loan Bill, of course, may be expected, and there will also, be a Small Land Bill, consisting mainly of amendments affecting the administrative machinery of the Department. Parliament will also probably be asked to settle the vexed question of the boundaries of the education districts of the Dominion, respecting which a Royal Commission has lately been; taking evidence. Several other measures will also be submitted. Length of the Session. It has been puggested that the session may close about the end of August, but any opinions upon such a subject can only be regarded as mere guess-work. The House is meeting under unusual circumstances in regard to party divisions, and whilst the session, in anv case, is not likely to establish a record for length, it is imnossible to forecast at present the probable date of the prorogation. An interesting ceremonv which will probably take place on the day of the opening of Parliament, will be the tinvcilin? of the statue of the late Ri?lit Hon. R. J. Seddon, which has been erected in the Parliamentary grounds.