POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1808, 22 July 1913, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

COMING EVENTS. BUDGET IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS' It is anticipated that the Financial Statement will bo brought down lata next week or early in tho following week. • It is understood that tlve dooument is all printed and ready for presentation to the House at any time, but that the Governj.lr - ns k House to deal with i-i this weok. Several of the measures which were given a second reading by tho House iv i thou I being challenged may require a littlo time in their Committee stages, and they may occupy tho attention ol the. House for the greater part of the week. There is the second reading of the Police, Force Bill to bs dealt with yet also, .and probAbly a lot of matter, more or< less extraneous to the subjeot of the Bill, will be introduced if the Bill is debated at all at its second reading. The passage of these Bills through tho second Teading stages will also allow certain of the committees to do some work, and generally' the House will be kept fully ocoupied. New Bills will bo introduced to-morroW also, and they will be advanced some distance' on the\ir passage through the House before the Budget makes its appearance.

' VACCINATION AND NERVES. Towards tho end of lost week, and more especially on Friday, members of the House were suffering more or less patiently the effects of vaccination. A number of them have had rather trying times, not merely from .sore arms, but from other complications, which vaccination induces in certain victims. It is said that the ragged nerves and uncertain temper of the Hcuso generally, had something to do with the early adjournment on Friday night. The House •had, as the Prime Minister said, done a very good day's work, but a few of the vaccinated members were unwilling to work much more, and altogether it is said, that the temper of the House was too uncertain for it to be asked to pass the second reading of the next Bill on the Order Paper, the Police Force Bill. More than one 'vaccinated member has had to seek medical advice. .Ono member—a prominent member of the Opposiwalking about the Buildings with his arm in a sling, and ( a member of the Government party was very unirell indeed. WHAT AN OPPOSITIONIST SAID..

Discussing the chances of some of the Bills now before the House, a prominent member of the Opposition party informed a Dominion reporter on Saturday that •lie thought his party would do their best .to have some important amendments made in Committee.. He thought sonic changes would be asked for in the Police Force Bill, and that there would certainly be a fairly full discussion' of the measure, if not at the second readiug, then when the Bill was in Committee. He anticipated, also, that the Police Offences Amendment Bill, the measure which has been obviously framed to invest the authorities with power to deal with such a state of affairs as recently existed at Waihi during the strike there, would meet with some opposition. Personally, he said he would oppose the clause in the Magistrates' Court Amendment Bill, by whicli it was proposed to raise and. to standardise magistrates' salaries. He was in favour of an extension of the jurisdiction of magistrates, and of an endeavour being made to secure the services of better men on the Bench, and he reoognlsed that in order to do this" bettor salaries than those now ruling must be offered. On the other band, he held very strongly to the opiniop that there wore men on the Bench now who were receiving more than their due at the present rates of pay. He would certainly oppose tho clause by which it was proposed to pay all magistrates, including the .unsuitable men, higher salaries. , ■ BILLS TO COME. A meeting of Cabinet was held last night, at which Bills on thd Government programme wtere considered. The Prime Stinister informed a Dominion reporter that the Government would introduce this week a Pensions Bill, anil a Workers' Compensation Bill. The Land Bill for this session, and the Bill to amend the Arbitration Act, were, he said,' not likely to como down for some little time. / It is probable that these Bills, with those already advanced some distance-, will, keep the House busy for the rest of the week. It seems safe at present to say that there •will be no late nights. Several members of .both .sides of the. House are far from well—the result of vaccination. The Hon. James Allen confessed to feeling far from well yesterday, anil lie was not at the Cabinet meeting last night. ; LAKE COLERIDGE SCHEME. The . Christchurclr Electrical Supply Empowering Bill was circulated yesterday. This is a local Bill, advanced by the City of Christch'urch,tq : secure power to borrow up to .£30,000 at not more than fivo per cent, interest,' for the purpose of preparing for the. introduction of electrical power from Lake Coleridge.