POLITICAL NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9172, 12 October 1915, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

THE END OF THE SESSION CLOSING SCENE EXPECTED TODAY. The House of Representatives did its business very rapidly indeed yesterday, and at 11.30 p.m. when the last item on the S n]:ary Estimates had been passed the. Prime Minister suggested that members should wait an hour or so for tho Appropriation, Bill and end if the session at the sitting. The idea commended itself to some members, but there wore objectors, who possibly had speeches to make on the motion lor the ’utroduetion of the bill, and the House adjourned until 10.30’ a.m. to-day. The Legislative Council will meet at 11 a.m., null unices some members prove very /loqueut the session should bo closed '.villiin a few hours. A few of the legislators have left lor their homes already’. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Legislative Council Amendment Bill, which was put through all its stages yesterday’, amende mo bill. of 1914 so as to extend the period within which, nominations may bo made to seats in tho Council from January Ist, 1916, to September Ist, 1917. It is assumed that a general election will have taken place in the meantime, and the Government ■in power . will not be debarred, as it otherwise would have been, from securing by appointment a working majority in the Council pending the full adoption of the elective principle. AN EXCELLENT~ITEM. Among the items on the Supplementary .estimates was a vote of ’eost of repairing motor-car used by Prime Alimaier, wuich was maliciously damaged at public meeting iu Ponsonby, Auckland-.” The votes on 1 the Estimates were passed for the most part at headlong speed, and apparently most of the members failed to notice this particular item until late. Some of them would have liked to ask why the Dominion was to pay a sum that on the face of it was either an item of election expenditure or else a debt duo to Mr Massey by some malicious person or persons unknown. FAIRJKENTS. When the Wellington city leases were being discussed in the House of Represetnatives last evening the AttorneyGeneral (Hon. A.. L. Her dm an) argued eloquently that tho holders ■of corporation leases must not be penalised merely because they were wealthy. It was the duty of Parliament to see that their rents were fixed at a reasonable level, and that they were not bled to the last farthing by the city. This sentiment brought the member for Grey Lynn to his feet. Mr Payne welcomed the At-torney-General as a convert to, the prin-. ciple of the Fair Rent Bill. “If it is that wealthy persons ■ and companies should be charged a fair rent, and a fair rent only,” he said, “then obviously we should see that ordinary people in this country are required to pay a , fair rent and no more.” The Minister looked his dissent, -but said nothing. ' ’ '»