THE SESSION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13317, 20 June 1907, Page 6

THE SESSION.

FORECAST OF THE WORK. •■iSfeciai— By X-eiegraph. WELLINGTON, June 19. . ixobubiv at no previous session within reteut : 'y«iirs has the Government been so well prepared with its business for presentation to Parliament as the Ward-Minis-try is on this occasion, and this in spite oi the fact, that the Premier has- been in England half die year and that the Hon. Hall-J ones, has been practically inca]>acitated from work for some weeks and is not likely to do much during the ensuing session. Critics of the Government who have regarded these elements as acting detrimentally to the Ministry in the preparation of its work have overlooked the fact that th-re are four such workers in the cabinet, as Dr Findlay and Messrs McNab, Millar, <>;i.t Fnwlrls. who have been making streuu-.-.>i* .ftVrts to hive everything in readiness lor Parliament. They arc so up-to-date with the work that the Attorney-General is able to recuperate for a v.ejk in Napier; Mr McNab h=is not been prevented from visiting Stratford, Levin, and Palmerston North, daring the last few days, whilst- tonight he goes south,.and speaks to his constituents at Gore on Friday. This could not have been done if the Ministers were behindhand with their work.

THE LAND BILL. The first business of the ses-ion. after tho Address-in-Reply lias been disposed of, -will be the Land Bill, which is now divided into three distinct measures (1) a Taxation Bill providing for limitation of large estates, (2) the Land Bill itself dealing- with the 66 years lease and the concession:; to lease-in-perpetnity tenants and general amendments. (3) the endowment proposals. In regard to the Taxation Bill I understand that It -will be of an exceedingly drastic nature. • The Government has no wish to raise extra revenue by this increase in the graduated tax. All it wants to Ao is to accomplish the object o£ the original limitation proposal by forcing into the market the excess estates in ii way that will meet the wishes of all contending parties. Mr McNab, with a fair knowledge of the Views of members, has no hesitation in saying that on the second reading of the limitation proposals the Government will account of 50 votes in favour of the Bill in the House. As a result of Ms campaign throughout the colony during the last six months he is astonished at the extent members a.re prepared to go in the way of limitation. The only direction in which hostility could be evidenced to the Land Bill, he s»vs. would be a refusal by the House to accept the 66 years lease in place of the 999 years lease and the fhrht over the terms of granting the freehold. He thinks the Government will have no difficultv in resisting the granting of the freehold" at the original value and if any freehold is granted it must be a modification onlv of the conditions of last year's Bill. There will be other proposals submitted bv way of amending the present Land;-; for Settlement Act- In the direction of preventinrr the present element of gambling at Government ballots-. NATIVE LANDS.

In the important policy measures of the session must not be overlooked the diligent deliberation* during the recess of the x Satire Lands Commission. A number of its reports upon which legislation will be based are now in the hands of the Government. A determined effort is to be made in the ensuing session to bring into profitable occupation the immense areas of uncultivated Maori lands. The Native Minister starts that private dealings, in native lands will practically come to an end, and the land will be offered to the public through properly constitutect authorities, apart, from such land as may be reserved for profitable use bv the Natives. "DEPARTMENTAL reports. The departmental reports of the LandsDepartment aie all ready. These number seven in all and include a very valuable one. specially prepared, on the timber resources of New Zealand. A DAIRY SCHOOL. With reference to the Agricultural Department it is as well foi ward with its work as the Lands Department. The Minister of Agriculture will, dining th-? .session submit important legislation with regard to the establishment of a dairy school and experimental station on thoroughly modern lines. In this he will he largefv guided by the report of Mr W. Singleton, of the dairying' division, who h now in Canada investigating the latest developments in respect, to dairying schools and instruction in the Dominion. LABOUR AND CUSTOMS.

Turhing to the Labour and Custcme Departments, Mr Millar has been very busy all the recess with the Customs experts in the preparation of his tariff revision proposals on which some very interesting debates may be anticipated. There are important amendments to be made in the labour laws to remedy the

defects which have been disclosed since the close of last session. With land, tariff and labour there is quite sufficient business in hand to keep members actively engaged for five months, ihen Mr on the stocks various Bills dealing with education, teachers' salaries, and hospitals and asylums, -whilst the Attorney-General has-also a good deal ot business ready for iubmission to Parliament. It is doubtful if there will be time for the long promised Local Government Bill."

Since Kir Joseph Ward's arrival at Free-ma-ntle, Ministers have beea in constant touch with him and when he reaches- Wellington on Wednesday next, probably even he himself will be surprised at the work his colleagues have done during his absence in preparation for the session.

DR FINDLAY INTERVIEWED. Per Press Association. NAPIER. June 19. i*:e ;:on. T-v Findlay. Affr.rrey-G-en- - •'->'. who t- .0 pr- . ::z no a visit. :n Xaj'T 7\ .'a- i::le:v : rwei by a lvporier io-dsy with t" c-i-rt.un" legi-"alive proposals. which will com.* before the next session of Parliament. In the cour>.e of the intervkw Dr Findlay. referring to the formation of fire district:--, said that the Act of la*t year had been found to be defective in several important respects,' end immediate legislation was required to remedy in the direction of removing the present anomaly with regard to the representation of insurance companies upon the Board.'and aho with respect to the vesting of Fire Brigade buildings and plant in the Fire Boards, and also in financing the brigades until such times as the revenue provided by the Act can b:- obtained. Amendments were also being proposed in connection with the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, with' a view to rendering more definite the machinery fcr "arriving at rnvards and making the operations of that machinery more expeditions. A Bill penalising the giving or taking of secret commissions would be introduced during the coming session. Dr Findlay repeated what the Hon. R. McNab liad stated regarding the proposed land legislation. Speaking in connection with his own department, Dr Findlay said : "'I hope to be able to submit! for the approval of my colleagues a Bill dealin-: with our judicial system, which mayinvolve the abolition of District Courts and make provision for a more continuous Court of Appeal. This scheme, however, has not vet had the approval of Ministers, but will* be ready for their consideration in the early part "of the session. I believe that a "considerable saving in the expenditure of th? colony and increased efficiency in our judicial system can be effected by the scheme I have an View.".

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. PALMERSTON NORTH, June 19. The Hon. R. McNab, -in the course of an address to the Dairy Conference today, announced the intention of the Government to appoint inspectors of daily produce in England, and that the Government had been promised £IOO3 by one interested in agriculture, towards the cost of the nucleus of a dairy herd. It was the intention of the Government to purchase tile beginning of such a. herd iroin the best milking strains obtainable in the world. . '

' A PERSONAL EXPLANATION. MR MILLS ON THE MINISTRY. BLENHEIM. June 19. The Hon. C. H. Mills in a piv-.session.ul addiess at Picton last night, in referring to matters that led up to the reconstruction of the Ministry, said that the late Premier expressed no personal desire for r;WMi.-truction. though the Cabinet had seriously discussed the matter, all bting present. Mr Mils said he had told Mr Seddon that if he resigned from the Cabinet, he would also resign as member for Wairau. The mutter then dropped. He .-.hvced that- when Sir Jo-cph Ward went Home in 1906, Mr Seddon was left far too much work, and \rn>> .-ent off to Australiaby the iem:tining Mini.-ten-; with the idea of saving him. He described Sir Joseph Ward's ini.-rview with him on his return from the Old Country as the new Premier. Sir Jos-rph Ward explained what-he eons.idied wer.- complications that had arisen in the Party and the Press, and said he thought the" representations could not be over-looked. Ht- (Mr Mills) accordingly resigned. He had found nut since <that Sir Joseph had been misinformed on many mutters. From what had transpired during the short session of last year and since. th_- people had formed tluir own impressions of what were the real r-ause;. of his retirem.nt. and linn would show. Refuting rh ■ remarks in the Press of {he colony as to his hein can amiable nonentitv. etc., Mr Mils sought to show that as Govern-

ment Whip for many years he had wielded a great power in vetoing or parsing measure?. He claimed credit for choking the Federation aspirations of the late Premier and those of some other ministers, also for defeating the Midland Railway Rill. After the later . had betn thrown out by six votes, the late Premier sent for him in anger and declared, that ho would reintroduce the Bill and "take good care the tail doesn't wan the dog r.ext. time:" Mr Mills claimed that he had always reserved to himself a free hand. Referring to the Land Rill he said the difficulty was to know what was going to be the shape of the land proposals of the Government. Mr MeNab was sincere in his closer settlement. views-.with which he agreed, but he would rather cee liiin introduce a slight amendment in the present land laws. He denied the rumour that he. was going to leave New Zealand for Australia. He would iguin be a candidate for the W/airau seat.