POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1862, 23 September 1913, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE WEEK'S WORK;

LICENSING LEGISLATION.

Rllla already appearing on fhe-prdler 4>aper will probably engage the attention of the House of Representatives in the earlior sitting diays of this week.She recent obstruction debate enabled ,tho Legislative Council to get ahead to pome extent, and it will be necessary to at oiioe provide it with additional llvork. An Imprest' Supply Bill will- be jntrod-ucod towards the end of the Week, and possibly the House may go into Committee ion the Estimates on Friday. This, howevor, is not certain. It is considered tliat one more sitting will suffice for the consideration of the romaining classes in the Estimates, and it is not unlikely that they may bo allowed to stand over for a week. The Railways Statement will -bo presents to tho House to-dav or to-morrow, probably .to-morrow, The Land Bill is not likely to be reported om until Wednesday or Thursday, and in that event the debate on the motion to commit the ; Bill, whioh in this instance takes tho | claoo of the second reading debate, will be allowed to stand 1 ovef until next 'Week.

THE FINANOIAL POSITION. I Tho Minister for Finance (tho Hon. pas. Allen) informed a reporter yestor'day that the increase in revenue for tho five months ended l August 81, 1913, as compared with the corresponding five moiths of tho previous year, was greater than tho increase ■ shown at tho end of August, 1912, over the corresponding five months of 1911. This result is shown, notwithstanding the transfer of some of the Territorial revenue, from land sales, into the Lands' for Settlement Account. The position, in regard to' expenditure is the other way about; the increase in expenditure for the five months ended) August 81, 1918, as com-; pared with tho corresponding five months of the previous year, boing less than the increase in expenditure for tho five months ended August 31, 1912, as compared with tho corresponding five months in 1911. The increaso in revenue recorded: for tho later period, the - Minister stated, was more than double '{tho increase recorded in -August, 1912.

' THE LIQUOR QUESTION. . . Licensing legislation has been pushed Into the background for tto time being, ■but it is by to means out of mind as -far as a number of members of the House of Representatives are concorniecL The beßt_ information _ available, at ■jthe moment is that a Licensing Bill fcvill be introduced beforo the session fends, which will give members an opportunity of voting ugon the question of detaining or reduoing the three-fifths majority now required to carry a licensing poll. Tho fate of such a measure is more or less a matter of speculation, but there aro well-informed members Avho believe that a majority in the House would, favour reducing the effective majority to 55 per cent, in the case of the national prohibition poll, but in the case of the- local option voting. A view of tho liconsing question whidi has been, revived in some 'Vecor.t lobby talk is that the reduction bf the majority in tho case "of , the (national prohibition poll should bo accompanied' by the abolition of tho local joption .poll. A. difficulty exists in tho 'fact that if this proposal wore adopted 'distriots in whioh local No-Lioense has Jbeen adopted) would have to abide by • Jfche issue of tha national .poll, but it is f pot unlilcely tliat the proposal may be ' taised and vigorously onampioned when Licensing Bill is next'before tie House, Individual members are chary of committing .themselves , upon, the licensing question to any greater extent ,'than they 'have already .done in p]at'form -utterances, but it seems fairly 'blear that the tare majority proposal •itvill receive no effective support in the VHousa of Representatives as it is at Resent constituted-.

STATE ADVANOEB. ' The Hon. Jae. Allen (Minister for IIF bianco) told a reporter yesterday that too alteration of the limits, as to the amount lent, minder which tho Advances Department now operates, was in immediate prospect. Wo find," ho stated 'in explanation', 'that money is. .going 'faut rapidly under existing conditions.

BANK OP NEW ZEACAND BILL. i The Bank of New Zealand Bill is at ) present 'before the Publio Accounts [Committee. So far as can be awer-; [tained', tlie shareholders Interested do [ not intend to attempt to get .the pro- | visions of the Bill materially altered iby the Committee. It is wen stated that the shareholders will only call /evidence in regard! to'the constitution (of tho directorate, with'a view to having tho preponderance of representation at present enjoyed by the Government in some degree* reduced 1 . At present the Government is' represented/ by four direotors, and the shareholders ly two. (lie Bill proposes that this- arrangeIfaient should! stand', '■

UPPER HOUSE REFORM. It is expected .that tho debate on tho inotion to commit the. Reform Bill will borne to nn end in tho Legislative Council to-day. The prevailing opinion of some members of the Council who were ! Bpoken to yesterday is that the Bill will :be allowed to go into Committee, and "that whatovor opposition it is intonded to offer to it will be reserved for the . time/when tho clause providing for the jeleotion of members of the Counoil is Reached in Committeo.