THE SESSION

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12286, 8 April 1918, Page 8

THE SESSION

PROSPECTIVE BUSINESS.

Thirty Million Loan Bill.

[From Ocr Correspondent.! WELLINGTON, April 6. Though Ministers want the. sessional work over in three weeks at most, there will be the greatest difficulty in making the pace, with the work wanted of Parliament, unless the House sits long hours and does not confine itself to the usual working week of four sitting days. In the short time allocated for the session the Government will have to get througlj a discussion on the representation of N'ew Zealand at the coming Imperial War Council meeting, decide who will go to England, and make the financial arrangements to carry things on until the representatives return, about October, and tho business session of the year can he taken. The present portion of tho Liberty Loan represents tho end of the Finance Minister's borrowing authority, therefore Parliament will have to issue a further authority, and I understand that the now War Loan Bill is to provide for at least, thirty millions sterling. New Zealand's annual war expenditure has not yet reached that total, but the calling up of the Second Division will substantially increase the cost of reinforcements, and it will not he long before thirty millions per annum will represent the cost to the Dominion of cadi year of war. Some understanding must be arrived at this session about the next general election. If it is to come off this year —and unless there is an amendment of the Jaw this will he the case—it would ho unfair to legislators to call them to Wellington and keep them there until a few weeks before the contest. Thus tho House will want to know what is the intention of the Government, and it may have before it a proposal to further postpone the election for a year. Then the licensing question will be raised in an acute form. A demand for a licensing poll will come forward, and as tho Government has shown itself favourable to the National Efficiency Board’s recommendations for a, national plebiscite on (lie licensing issue, and the purchase of the liquor trade, the result of the Government’s planning may he to postpone tho general election, but take a licensing poll on the lines of the National Efficiency Board's recommendations in December or January next.. By the time tho session is well under way the Government will be in a better position than at present to know the extent of wastage among our forces in Franco, Parliament can then be informed of the position and steps taken to deal with it. Cabinet has gone into the matter most exhaustively, and as it had provided thoroughly for the present emergency, Parliament can well-ho taken into its confidence as to future plans. The delay will not prejudice the position. It had been anticipated that a, batch of appointments to the Legislative Council would have been announced just before the session, bub 1 understand that the matter has not been considered, and that, there is a chance of northing being done at present.