NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1518, 14 August 1912, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES.

3 AN OPPOSITION IN DIFFICULTIES, i>. . . ' 0 - The Opposition is apparently exporienc--5 mg very considerable difficulty in finding 1 points upon, which, to seriously attack (ho , Budget of tlio Ma«?ey Ministry. Some monitors of the party-admit the 'difficulty, . .and their dilemma is all the greater be- . caus9 cf the statements of tiro of their ; supposed leaders regarding land settle--5 ment and the graduated land tax. These statements are Sir Joseph Ward's remark that this country will have to go back , upon the policy of purchasing private . estates for closer settlement, and Mr. , G. W. Russell's opposition to the gradu- ( ated land tax. In addition to this, the L weakness in the tactics of tho leaderless . Opposition is both apparent and disheart- . ening. Mr. Seddoa's action in moving . tho other day an amendment npon which s ' tlio Government wero ablo to gain a vic- . Tory by no fewer than sixteen votes is also [ cited a,s a serious tactical blunder. • THE LANDS COMMITTEE. The personnel of the Lands Committee, which was originally set up on July 3, on the motion, of tho Hon. T. Mackenzie (then Prime Minister), was reviewed by the House of Representatives vesterduy afternoon. The Minister for La'nds (the lion. W. F. Ma.ssey) proposed the addit ion of himself, Messrs. Coates (Knipara) and Macdonald (liay'of Plenty), and that tho namo of Mr. Lang (Manukan), having been appointed Chairman of Committee" should lie removed from the list. After some discussion, Mr. Massev agreed to add Mr. Statliam (Dnncdin "Central) as « ' c'ty representative, and..Mr. Robertson (Otaki) as a Labour member. This was accepted, and the committee now consists of the -following, members The Minister for Lands (Hon. Mr. Massev), and Messrs. Anderson, Buddo, Forbes, Guthrie,. Newman (chairman),. Nosworthy, T.■ W. Rhodes, R. W. Smith, Witty. Coates, Macdonald, Statham, and Robertson. WORKERS' COMPENSATION ACT." An amendment of the domicile clause of the Workers' Compensation Act, so that dependents of a deceased worker residing outside the Dominion, may be entitled to compensation, is suggested by Sir Arthur Guinness in a question to tho Prime Minister.