POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1908, 17 November 1913, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE SESSION. NAVAL DEFENCE BILL THIS WEEK., . » Political arrangements are- still in . disarrry, largely as a result. of the ; strike, arid it is therefore impossible as , Vyet'to predict with any certainty the . date on which the session will close, ' Those who are in. the best position to '■ express an opinion on the subject admit that the position is quite Uncertain, but it- is considered that unless hew complications arise it should be possible .to dispose - of necessary business and bring'the to an end by the middle of December. There is little prospect of its being done at any, earlier date. In any case the position should ' be cleared up .considerably during the coming week. To-day the Speaker is to : announce that Bills may be put, through all. their * stages in the ■ House at 0110 I sitting.' v It is open to the Prime Min-ister-to move that new business be admitted, after 0.30 . a.m., but, it is ' thought that this may not bo necessary during the present session. It is now- extremely problematical - whether the House will "adjourn to give Ministers and members an opportunity of attending the opening of the Auckland Exhibition.' - v ' ' NAVAL DEFENCE. Probably the most important addition to the, Government programme 1 this ■ week will be the Naval Defence Bill. ■ It : will deal only with the oonditioris under, which New-Zealanders are to nn- - dergo naval training. - New legislation . is not required to give effect to other details of the Government's naval policy. ,•: v H.M.S. Philomel, which is to become a New Zealand-training ship, is expect- . > cd to arrive here very shortly, and

may get into wireloss communication with tho Dominion stations at any" itime now. - .

LABOUR BILLS,

, The prospects of the two big Labour Bills before tliG House—the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration:. Amend- ., - ment. Bill and tho. Shops and Offices Bill—are more or less affected by the prevailing uncertainty of .' political affairs'at the moment j hut. it i/. understood that thore is a possibility 1 of the ■ "more important features of each measure boing lifted out and submitted to the House in the form of short Bills. » This ivouid mean that at least the clauses in the Arbitration Amendment Bill, dealing with strikes and lock-outs, ./and ?those in tho, Shops and; Offices Bill Stealing with the six-djiy-week for hotel and. 'restaurant . employees, would have ■ some prospect;of'passingythis. session. Tho Arbitration Bill .is.; still before the. iLabour Bills Committee; but the Shops end Offices Bill has: .been.- reported. ' PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. ' / 'Ab has been stated tie Public Works ' Statement, and Estimates, will bo intro-, Minister :,y wa3 unablo to. say, when he' was gues- ' tioned on,, Saturday,' on what day the , Statement; would brought down, but - V: remarked :that it might not be possible ! so in.tho early part of.'the week.