POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1920, 1 December 1913, Page 9

POLITICAL NOTES.

SESSION PROSPECTS, THE LICENSING BILL,' l'ai'/iamentary Huikiings were very quiet during the week-end owing to the' fact that several Ministers and many members of both Houses Jeft for Auckland on Saturday to attend the tipeuinii of the Exhibition. Tiie party included the lion. W. F. llassev (Prime Minister), the Hon. W. 11. Harm's, the Hon. F. W. Lang (Speaker of the House of Representatives), about twenty members of the Lower House and a number of Legislative Comieillors.. The Ministers, Mr. Lang, and most of«the members will return to Wellington' bv special train at about C p.m.. to-mor-row,

, The general opini on of members seems now to be that the session will end an- Saturday, December 13, but- it is. admitted that this will entail steady awl un* broken progress with the work that remains in hand. One prominent member of the Opposition party who wasspoken to on Saturday expressed the' opinion that it would bo impossible to conclude before December 20. It is now definitely accepted that no attempt will be made to deal with tlioi Customs Tariff this session, a decision that brings, the end of the session nevcentiblY, nearer, but even so the list, gf '.Bjlfe which are considered to have' -a good chance, of being put through this session is still a long one, and there are] a '.lumber ot important items of business besides which, must be disposed ! of before Parliament ean dos® dowih is espectod that the House occupied to-morrow evening with small' Hills on the Order Paper and that, tlio serious work of the week will ' 'commcnco oil the following day. The Public Works Statement and Estimates will probably not come up for -discussion until Friday next. Probably'fitfxlf'Moit-' day evening will be devoted to a debate upon Mr. G. Hunter's-, 'Gaming Anieudmont Bill. „

A deimito announcement- jn, .tcjjard to tho Licensing Bill was expected. 1,0 follow upon a meeting, of Cabinet-- on Saturday, but no announcement- tvns made, and it remains doubtful "whether tho Bill will be introduced' thi'S' Session or next year. The question Iv depends upon the rate of progress ir>ade by the Houso duriiis: the . lwxi vveek or so, and it is still cjiijte .imissible that tho Dill may be brought down before the session ends, The' "Bill, when it does appear, is cxpectecl to'pi'ovide a. reduction to ,15 per cent," of ftm majority required to carry ••'•National'' Prohibition, Possibly also it uiuv 1 contain provisions deiiniitely establishing tho illegality of employing unregistered barmaids in private bars. Some private members on 'tho Government sido of the House are frankly disappointed at the non-appearance ' so far of a measure to double the'presentbeer duty of threepence per gallon; It is held by these members that.tile increase would bo borne wholly, by the brewers and vendors of beer am] Wold, not I>e passed on to the consumer. The amount which tho revenue would jjam would be about £120,000. It is understood that tho'Hon. ,T. A. Millar intends, at the end of tlio present sessian of Parliament, to take ?ip bis residence in Auckland. «