Parliamentary Jottings.

White Ribbon, Volume 10, Issue 110, 15 July 1904, Page 5

Parliamentary Jottings.

Parliament was opened on June 28th. A day or two earlier, the Premier delivered a long and spirited address at Newtown, in which he showed prospect of carrying through the session despite his late serious break-down in health. He promised early licensing legislating to deal with voided polls and other matters ; and though defending the “ no license, no liquor ” clause of last year, he seemed otherwise desirous to meet the expressed wish of the country at large. It is plain, however, that the Parliamentary battle of the year is to be fought on the land question ; the struggle of Leasehold versus Pre-hold cannot long be delayed. In his speech, the Premier strongly denounced the “ flippant demand " that Crown tenants should have the right to purchase their land out and out; which demand is the one avowed and solid plank in the Opposition programme. Mr Seddon declared that on no account would he ever consent to such an immoral breach of contract as this reversion to freehold, which, he argued, would immediately result i.i the State making an inopportune present of €2,000,000 to Crown tenants now, and finally result in barring the land to every poor man hereafter. Leasehold, as at present, means land for the people; freehold, as proposed, means land for the rich man, and double gain to the money-lender, whose catspaw he declared the Crown tenant to be, as championed by the Opposition. But the House, he said, having saved farmers from the moneylenders by the Advances to Settlers Act, was not likely to pay seven millions to put them again at his mercy. The conclusion of this speech treated in an admirable and statesmanlike tone of certain national aims and reforms. His plea for close settlement of every acre, for a self-supporting and self-containing system of life and industry, strikes every thinking inind as the true safeguard against those hitherto recurrent cycles o f depression, which he declares can be avoided. His warning against the menace of trusts (a curse to any country) is significant. But most practical and cheering of all was the maintenance of his late excellent proposals for checking infant mortality, and reducing the perils of maternity among the poor. The Governor’sspeech supplemented the Premier’s outline of the session by

three additional proposals,—first, to appoint four Parliamentary under Secretaries, as employed at Home, to cope with the growing pressure of departmental business. Secondly, it is an nounced desirable to appoint a High Com. bss oner of New Zealand, as in Canada and South Africa, to safeguard the colony’s interests at Home. Lastly, it is proposed to set up a Commission to deal with the land question. As all three proposals involve expenditure, they are likely to be keenly debated. It is possible that a Commission is the best way to get at the vital points of the land problem. On the one hand there are the keen and safe arguments of the land reformers, such as Messrs Ell, Taylor, Laurenson, and Fowlds ; on the other hand, there are the seemingly practical and sincere arguments for possible freehold, put forth by the Farmer’s Union. Meanwhile, alas ! many valuable Crown lands are being put up for sale; soon it will be too late to shut the stable door.

Notable despatch is being shown so far ; the Address in Reply only 'asted two days. A batch of Government Bills has been read already, the most important being the Referendum, the Shop and Offices’ Bill, and the Midwives Bill. The Referendum differs little from that of last year, save in a longer list of tabooed questions, not to be submitted under the general referendum. These include altogether, local public works, raising of money, revenue of crown, taxation, electoral franchise, and abolition of Legislative Council. This last gives the Bill hope of passing the Upper Chamber ; but on the whole one wonders what is left, except the Bible in schools, which has been expressly held over on the promise of the larger bill. It has already passed its second reading in the House. The Shops and Offices’ Bill is also being pushed on. It provides, among other things, that shops are to stay open 52 hours a week, not more than 9 in one day, nor are employees to be kept more than 5 hours without stopping tor a meal. Overtime is to be paid at the rate of one and a half; and is only allowed at stock taking. Saturday half-holiday is to be referred to the country next general election, and when settled there, will stay ih force 6 years. Temperance and other reformers are strongly for the Saturday half-holiday. The Midwives Bill, the outcome of the Premier’s ultimatum of last May on Infant Mortality, has been well launched;

it provides for the registration of midwives and for the establishment of at least one State maternity home in the colony. Those who have already practised three years will be registered

without passing examination. However minor details may be modified later, there is no doubt that the measure is wise and timely, and will be approved generally by the House.

Of the two Public Service Board Bills introduced respectively by Mr Herdman and Mr Laurenson to abolish ministerial patronage, the former has been already discharged from the Order Paper on a disputed point of procedure. Sir \V. Stuart proposes to introduce a bill for an Upper House to be elected by the Lower House, and to hold office 7 years. Petitions are pouring in against the proposed iniquity of licensing the sale of liquor in Rarotonga and Niue. —J.M.