PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1784, 24 June 1913, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

THE FORMAL OPENING. SOME PROSPECTS. Parliament will bo opened l>y Commi.<fsioii on, Thursday afternoon. Members ut both Houses will assemble in tho Legisiativo Council Chamber to hear tho Commission read, and immediately afterwards ho members of the House of Represent*will return lo their own Chamber and proceed 1o elect u Speaker in Kiiccesowl! to tho late Sir Arthur Guinness, jI, i 'i? u1 ?, possible candidates for u„?r • ami Mr - Miiiai '. 1,,! iormer is Chairnmn of Committees iin ' chances urn tliat m, will bo nominated by tho Government jOid elected. It Mr. Lang is elected as i-peaker, it is not unlikely that (ho posiuon of Chairman of Committees niav bo allocated to Mr. A. S. 'Malcolm, member ior Clulha.

'm ll f'f. J l '" Excellency tho Governor ri deliver tlio Speech from tho Throne. Uo will be accompanied by tho Countess ol Liverpool and attended by tho members of his stall'. The guard of honour ?i'r !r" s occaß ' lm w i" 1m furnished by tlio Wellington College Senior Cadets. Both Houses will probably adjourn on I'riday afternoon as a mark of respect to tlio memory of Sir Arthur Guinness. Some arrangement will havo to bo coma t-o in regard to. the Imprest Supply Bill. If it is not passed on Friday afternoon— nnd tho conditions on that day will not permit of tho discussion which ordinarily takes place on tho Imprest Bill—it will havo to stand over until Tuesday, Tho Governor's Speech, to bo delivered on Friday, will probably be a businesslike statement of no great length. Many important Bills are in prospect. Land, Native Land, Labour, Legislative. Council Reform, nnd Tariff Bills havo been prepared. Other Bills will deal with Pensions, Copyright, Local Government, Stato Guaranteed Advances, Libel, and Advances to Fruit-growers. Tho programme for the session will also include amendments of the Harbours, Hospitals, and Shops nnd Offices Acts.

Many members are expected to arrivo to-day in readiness for the cession. Those who have already put in {in appearance include: Messrs. D. H. Guthrio (Chief Government Whip), W. D. tS. Macdonald, J. Craigie, G. J. Anderson, P. W. Lang, and V. 11. Heed. Tho usual bustle of preparation is in full swing at Parliament-Buildings. The familiar red carpets aro being laid on corridors and stairways and .workmen are finishing off work in various parts of tho' building. Extensive renovating operations have been carried out during tho reoess and some alterations have boon effected. Tho Parliamentary Post Office has opened for business. Host of tho Ministers not already quartered in Parliament Buildiiißa will go into occupation to-day or to-morrow and in a 1 day- or two tho building will assume its wontod sessional appearance of activity. An improvement that will bo appreciated has wen effected at tho main eutranoe to tho building. Hitherto the door ha 3 been exposed to the full fury of a southerly gale,, but a sheltering porch has now been constructed with entrances on different faces so that it will be possiblo henceforth to enter the building without performing feats,of strength .with tho moan door.

Special committee inquiries are not likely to be as prominent a feature of the coming session as of those which hav6 immediately preceded it, but tho Prime Minister has announced his intention of referring charges in regard to the aggr<£ gation of land, which have been advancctl by Opposition newspapers during tho recess, to tho Lands Committee for inquiry and report. Tho samo committee will bo asked to hear evidence on a. charge, that there was some irregularity in connection with a laud ballot in Southland somo months ago. It is anticipated that both inquiries will lie public, but that is a matter for the committee to settle, The Prime Minister, in the course of a chat with a Dominion representative last ovening, stated that.hosaw .no reason why, the Houso should not terminate its sifx tings as early as it did lust session when it will be remeiubored a large volume of important business was transacted without recourse to tho extensive encroachment on thb small hours of the morning whioli was such a marked foaturo of.Bomo previous sessions. A caucus of the members of tho Reform Party ig to l>o held on Wednesday evening next.