THE SESSION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14578, 8 April 1918, Page 2

THE SESSION.

:. PROSPECTIVE RUSINESS. 1 THIRTY MILLION LOAN , BILL. THE LICENSING QUESTION. ' (Special to the Herald.) j WELLINGTON, 'this day. I Though Ministers want the sessional work over m three weeks at most, there will be the greatest difficulty m making ' the pace with the work of Par* liamenfc unless the HouSey sits longer hours and does not confine itself to the usual working week of four sitting days. , In the short. 'time allocated for ytheVses-. .sion the Government will haye to get through discussion on, the representa^ tion of New Zealand^ayt the forthcoming Imperial War -Council, decide who will go to England, to make financial arrangements to carry things ori until tire re-- , priesentatives return about Octoboi*,' and i the business session of the year can be ' taken. The present portion of the Liberty Loan represents the eru*! of the Finance Minister's borrowi*ns v authority. Therefore Parliament will 'lhave to issue further aiithOr*ity, aiid I understand the new War Loan Bill is to provide for at-leas-fc thirty millions sterling. Now Zealand's annual Avar expenditure has not yet reached that total, but' the calling up of the Second .Division will substantially increasq the cost of reinforcements. It will not be long before thirty ! millions per annum, Avill napresent the j cost to the Dominion of each year of war. Some understanding must bo arrived at this session about the next j general election, if it is to com 6 off this 'year, and unless 'there is an amendment . of the- law this will be the case; It I AA*ould be unfair to legislators to call : them ;to Wellington to keep ''them there \ until a few weeks' bsfprejthe contestThus tbe House Avill want to know the intention, of , the Government, arid it may have before it a proposal to further post-; pone the election for a year. The lioansing. question .will be raised m an acute form. A demand for a, licensing poll will come forward,, and as the Government, lias shown itself favorable to the National .Empienoy' Board's rscommendations for' a national plebiscite on the phrchase of the liquor trade .and total prohibition/ thferesulV' of the! Government's planning 'may be to postpone the general election,*' but to take a licensing, poll on the lines di the . National* Board's recommendations, m i December oi* January next, y By the time the session isywell nnder Aveigh the Government "wjll be m a better position than at pveseWt "to know the extent of the wastaj^Bamdh^ our forces I m France. Parliament cafi then be informed of the position. . and steps taken to deal with it. The Cabinet has gone into' the matter most exhaustively, and •As it had provided thoroughly for the present emergency Parliament can well be taken into its confidence as to the future plans. Delay, will not prejudice the position. .. >y.: ;. »..'. ; It had* been anticipated that a batch of appointments to "the Legislative Council Avould have been announced just be- . fore the session, but ■ I ■ understand the matter has not been considered. There •is a chance of nothing' being done at present. • . . ' .