POLITICAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 17, 5 September 1911, Page 5

POLITICAL.

NOTES BY THE WAY. When the Legislative Council reassembles on Wednesday the Hon. Dr. Collins will move that a return of the approximate number of cases of phthisis in the Dominion, and in the localities in which the disease is most prevalent, he laid on the table before the end of this session. It has been suggested to the Government by Mr Russell that it should consider the desirability of giving Government business precedence on all sitting days for the rest of the session, in order that the House may concentrate its attention and effort on the real business of the country. With the return of the Prime Minister and Attorney-General, portfolios •have been allocated exactly as they were before their departure. While they were away the Customs Department was transferred to the Hon. R. McKenzie, hut it has now gone back to the Hon. George Fowlds, who held it originally. Sir Joseph Ward, in addition to being Prime Minister, is Minister of Finance, PostmasterGeneral, Minister of Defence, Minister of Lands, Minister in Charge of Land for Settlements, Income Tax, Electoral, Advertising, Friendly Societies, and State Advances Departments, and Minister in Charge of State Forests. In' the early hours when the public galleries wore empty the new member for Christchurch North, Mr L. M. Isitt, made his maiden Parliamentary speech. It was a modest effort, well within the ten-minute limit which prevails in committee, but (remarks the “N.Z. Times”) it aroused special interest because of the remarkable resemblance between the speech and those made by the fate Mr T. E. Taylor, the former member for Mr Isitt’s constituency. There are few points of personal similarity between the present and the former members, but when Mr Isitt talked to the "House about daylight, saving anyone unacquainted with events might have easily believed that it was the late Mr Taylor who “had the floor.” The pitch of the voice was the same—it is somewhat lower than the average man’s—there was the typical stressing of important words familiar to those who heard the late Mr Taylor, and there was just a flavour of the late member’s humour blended with sarcasm. This came out. in a reference to the Rip Van Winkles who would oppose the Bill. “Of course,” added Mr Isitt, “they are not on my side!”