POLITICAL MOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9174, 14 October 1915, Page 6

POLITICAL MOTES

A SESSION’S WORK THE RECORD OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. The session of Parliament that closed on Tuesday night was the most remarkable, in the history of New Zealand. When it opened rather more than three months ago there seemed to be a probability that, despite the gravity of the, national situation on account ■of the war. New Zealand would become involved in a political crisis involving the fall of the Government, and possibly a general election. 'i.Tio early) weeks of tho session found the Liberal Opposition showing marked forbearance and a keen desire to assist the Government in all matters connected with tlie war. Various war bills, including a D 10,000,1100 Loan Bill,. were passed almost without debate. But the Trontham scandal came along, and presently the necessity for heavy war taxation was looming large—a necessity that a Government without a working majority could hardly hope to meet. It was thought iu some quarters that tho political crisis was imminent. But tho situation was saved, from tho point of view of tho Government, by the successful outcome of tho prolonged negotiations for the formation of a National Ministry. One member of the Reform 'Cabinet retired, and tho other six) members became associated with six members of the Opposition in the new Government.

PARLIAMENT AND THE WAR. The most important ■ incident of the. remaining portion of the session was Che presentation of a War Budget, containing proposals for raising an additional -£2,000,000 of revenue by means of taxation. Apart from that and from the passage of some additional war bills,the feature of interest to the student of politics was the discovery that tho establishment-of a non-party Administration did not produce party accordThe "Whips” had qeased to play anopenly active part in tlie proceedings of the House of Representatives, and the result was a general tendency towards independence of speech rather than .the obliteration! of party . lines. The session was remarkable both ton the formation of thfe National Government and for the nature of the work done. But looking back over the proceedings of the last three months, members can scarcely feel that they have given any very large share ot their attention to the momentous issues that have been confronting the Empire. 1 10longed debates have taken place on subjects of no importance whatever- ihe pages of “Hansard" have been flooded, with trivialities. Measures of tho high est national importance have been hurried through in a fraction of tho time that has been devoted to the discussion of "parish pump” topics. THE 1915 STATUTE: BOOK.

The 1915 Statute Book will be rather above the average in bulk. It ivill contain no fewer than 101 Acts, private, local and public, that were passed by the two Houses during the session. The. list includes an enormous Cook Island Act, containing a constitution and a legal code for the Dominion s isiaiul dependency, and the biggest WashingUp" Act on record, a measure that an active Onposition in normal times probably would have required -to be divided into sections. One or two of its clauses aro really lengthy local bills. The list of War Acts is a long one. It includes: an important Expeditionary Forces Act and the National Registration Act. “ THE COST OP ’LIVING.

Nearly every member of the" House had come from the constituencies pledged to make some effort to reduce, the cost of living, or. at least to check its alarming rise. When tho negotiations for the formation of the National Government were in progress the Liberal leader made the introduction of .legislation dealing with tho matter one of the conditions of Ms -co-operation with the Reformers, and'the outcome was the appearance of a Cost of Living Bill, which reached tho Statute. Book in the closing days of the session. The essential provision oi the measure is the creation of a Boai'd of Trade, which will have wide powers of inquiry into all matters connected with trade, commerce and industry. The board has not yet come into existence, but -the Government will invite applications for tho salaried positions in the near future. It is expected that the new body will be at work before the end of the year. PRIME MINISTER SATISFIED. The Prime Minister stated yesterday that he was ' quite ' satisfied with the way. the National Government had worked during' the session. Tho association of representatives of the two. parties in one Ministry with tho object of securing national unity during the war period had been a venture at which some people had looked askance, .but the results had been good. "I think those who have watched the business of the session must have come *<> the conclusion that tho National Cabinet has been a ’success," said the Prime Minister. “I know from communications which have reached me from all over New Zealand that it has given satisfaction to the great majority of the people of the Dominion. Pcrsonally, I may say that X am < more than pleased. There has been a certain amount of adverse criticism from a few members who do not exactly approve of what has been done, but, speaking for myself, as head of the Government. X want to say that the new* members*; of tho Ministry have done everything that it was possible for them to do. not only in connection with the business of tho session, but also in connection, with, tho administration of the public affairs generally. There has not been the very slightest friction since tho change was made, and, so tar as 1 am able to judge, tho present satisfactory condition of affairs will continue as long as. the present arrangement lasts. It would, in my opinion, not have been possible for any party, even with a working majority, to have done justice to the circumstances and conditions that have arisen" since the war broke out; but with a National Government, party influence has ceased to operate, and all sections of the Houso have been able tojoin in working for the Empire in tho most serious crisis that we have ever been called upon to face.”