SESSION OF PARLIAMEMT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14574, 9 April 1918, Page 2

SESSION OF PARLIAMEMT.

■ .*. .■ ■ ■ SHORT SPEiECH BY GOVERNORGENERAL. REINFORCEMENTS AND OTHER SUBJECTS. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter. t WELLINGTON, last night. , Ministers, who, x as managers of Parliamentary business, are able to exercise some control over the. length of the session, predict three weeks as the limit, while a few members who arrived the day before the opening express quite different views, thus indicating that the Government will meet an argumentative House. AppltTehtly there will be a good deal of discussion over sending the leaders Home at present, whue rumors travelling ahead of Dr. Thacker predicts that he will move a vote of no-corifidence m the Governnient upon the Address-in-Roply, basing^it on the administration of! tho Def.enco Department. The Governor's 1 Speech is m keeping with the 1 Ministers' estimates of the session's length beingvery short. Tfife v G6ve'rnor will read it to a very attenuated Legislative Council, as its numbai'S' liave seriously decreased^ and Goveriim.(inl|* has decided not to make fresh upftoiiitniehts. at present.~Anofher important but undecided question is the acting leadership of the House m view of tho visit to England of Mr. Massey- and Sir Joseph Ward. Tlio Premier wdl pi*obably take careful soundings within his party before committing himself. WELLINGTON, this day. Parliament -will open this afternoon. There will be a speech read by the Governor-General as usual, but this year the speech will be short and not all m the nature of* a display of tho Government's goods, as other speeches m other times have been. The mover of the Address-in-Reply will be Mr. J. P. Luke, member for "Wellington North, and Mr. Luke will make some sort of a speech m support of his niotion. There was-, a suggestion that Mr. Luke might say simply : "I move accordingly," but it, is understood that he proposes to adhere to precedent and to make a speech. It is not certain yet who is to second the motion, but there is a possibility that Mr. Uru (Southern Maori) may be. the member selected for the task. No definite der cision seems to have been made yet. After the usual formal business the House will be asked to pass the customary mourning ' resolutions regarding members who have died since Parliament adjourned. The members who will ba mentioned will be Mr. .C. Parata, Sir Charles Bowen, Sir Henry Miller, the Hon. W. Morgan, and the Hon. A. T. McGinnity, all sitting members,, and Dr. H. Bedford, an ox-member of the Hou,se,. Mr. J. McCoombs (Lyttelton), whose attendance at this session. had been considered doubtful m recent weeks, will now be present. His friend Mr. Webb will not report. It is stated that if a motion to give Mr. Webb leave of absence is moved it will not be carried ; and will never appear again. As^ to the reinforcement question, the most important subject to be submitted to Parliament at this session, no announcement will be made until the, House has met. The Government has never been of one mind on this question, but on this occasion the Ministry will probably be united. The announcement expected is that a new force will be organised out of tho considerable reinforcements accumulated m England and m France, jind that the despatch of the drafts from New Zealand will be accelerated. There is no news • yet that drafts will bo increased m strength.