PARLIAMENT

Southland Times, Issue 18856, 23 June 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

PROSPECTS OF THE SESSION. CHANGES ON THE BENCHES. OPPOSITION LEADER’S TASK HEAVY. (Special to the Times). WELLINGTON, June 22. The House of Representatives is to meet on Thursday, but the real opening of Parliament for business will not be until the following day. The business' of the first day in the House will be simply the election of Speaker, and' this will be a pure formality, for the return of Sir Frederic Lang is assured. On the next day his Excellency the Governor-General will read the speech to the assembled members of both Houses. It is customary not to do any business on this day, but it may be that some references will be made to members or ex-members of either House ■who have died since the prorogation of the last House, }t happens that this year the death roll is a small one, and it may be that Mr Massey will refer to them after the House comes back to its own meeting place from the Legislative Council as usual. There must be an Imprest Supply Bill before the end of the month, and as the month ends on Wednesday next, the House must grant supply before the conclusion of the Wednesday sitting. This may be an additional reason for submitting a resolution of mourning and condolence on Friday, leaving Tuesday for the Imprest Bill. As soon as the Imprest Bill is out of the way, the first business of the session will be the Address-in-Reply debate, and it is expected that this debate, as is common in a | new Parliament, may be a long one. The mover of the Address will be Mr F. 11. Hockley (Rotorua), and the seconder Mr David Jones (Kaiapoi). The Governor-General’s Speech this year is expected to be a fairly long one, giving some idea of the work ahead of Parliament for the session, so that if members choose to talk they will have material in the speech to discuss. In the new House there will be many changes in personnel. The most notable absence will be that of Sir Joseph Ward, for there has not been a Parliament for nearly thirty years in which Sir Joseph Ward has not sat as a front bench member of either the Government or the Opposition party. He joined the first Ballance Ministry in 1891 as Postmaster-General, and in the next Ministry was the holder of many important portfolios. Another well known permanent absentee is Mr G. W. Russell, for the past ten years recognised as one of the strongest on the debating strength of the Liberal Party. When the House meets the Opposition will be weak in the front benches. Mr T. M. Wilford is at present in Africa, and may not be back for some time. Mr A. M. Myers is in England, and it is quite possible that he will not be back in New Zealand at all for this session of Parliament. Mr W. D. S. Mac Donald, the Leader of the Opposition, will have very light support in debate, and it appears now that he may have to undertake most of the attack himself. He has not been in very good health during the recess, but he is now tolerably well, although he still suffers from neuritis. Members are assembling now in Wellington, and all of them seem to have made up their minds to the long and arduous session promised to them by the Prime Minister. It will not, however, be such a frenzied session as several of those of the war years have been. (