The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1914. THE COMING SESSION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 52, 23 June 1914, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1914. THE COMING SESSION.

With the approach of the last session of the present Parliament matters politically are beginning to be again considered. Members have, most of them, delivered their presessional address, and are preparing for the wordy battle which will precede their struggle for re-election at the forthcoming polls. It is generally considered that the anticipations that the session would be a short one, are not likely to be realised, as thore is much business to be done. One of the most important measures which the Government promised to deal with is that respecting Local Government reform, making provision for a new system of making grants to local bodies. The idea is to remove the present system of doling out grants from the sphere of ministerial patronage, and some days ago the Hon. F. H. D. Bell, Minister for Internal Affairs, stated that in this connection an independent and impartial authority, which he could not then give the nature of, would be set up to consider and deal with all applications from local bodies for grants. On all hands it is re cognised that the present system is not a good one, but doubtless any measure proposing to straighten out the present tangle will give room for much debate. Ministers c.i the Crown have publicly statrvd ■ that the Government ii absolutely decided that the Legislature Council Reform Bill shall become Law this session, and such, being the case there is room for plenty of discussion on this measure, ft is understood that the Bill will be practically the same as the one introduced last session with but few alterations, though these will he material ones. Tn the course of an interview, the Hon. Mr Bel! indicated that the alterations would hardly be ou tke hues braugkt d»wu W last

year's committee. Referring to the constitution of the Council as proposed in the Bill, Mr Bell said that it would be practically the same as that proposed by the Imperial Government for the Irish Seriate. The Imperial proposal had become law since the introduction of the New Zealand Government's Bill, 'on which the Imperial Government's proposal was virtually based. In the New Zealand Government's Legislative Council Reform Bill of 1912 it was proposed that members should be elected on the basis of proportional representation of four big electorates, and this had been included in the Imperial Government's Bill. There was a similarity between Ireland and New Zealand in that—lreland is divided into four 'big provinces—Ulster, Minister. Leinster, and Connaught—and each of the two islands of Xew Zealand is naturally divided into two big districts. In addition to the important matters above referred to, there must be a big programme of other work to be tackled, and there can be no doubt whatever hut that members have a long and arduous session in front of them.