POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 57, 2 December 1918, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES

WHEN WILL SESSION END? MORE DAYS OF RUSH It is tho belief of members that the Government will make an attempt to finish the 'business of the session this week. It will be a- frantic nish to do' it, but tho House has already shown what can be done on occasion. There is no news yet as to when the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward intend lo leave for Europe, but thoir departure cannot now be much longer delayed. Those members who are friendly to the Government will certainly be pressed lo give the easiest passage to business that can reasonably be given. BREAKING RECORDS. The House of Bepresentatives has done two phenomenal things this session. There is only one other precedent l'cr getting all the Estimates through Committee in one sitting and that was so long ago us to be within the memory of only the oldest member of the House. It was in about 1891, when Mr. Seddon had tho weakest opposition. Also, this year not onlv was the Financial Debate cut out 'because no one offered to speak to the motion that Mr. Speaker do leave the Chair, but Mr. Speaker left the Chair and the first item of the Estimates was passed without debate. There is no pre. cedent for this in the history of the New Zealand Parliament. In 1916 the Financial Debate lapsed, but only because, there seemed to have been no proper arram'ement among the members of the unofficial Opposition as lo who was to begin the debate. Afterwards, on every day that there was a motion that tho House should go into Supply on the Estimates, there was 'debate. On three or four occasions Supply was intercepted. There is a rule of the llousc that Supply cannot be intercepted on Irulftys, but for some reason Mr. Speaker put the motion to go into Committee to the House on Friday morning. Not a member took advantage of the unexpected opportunity, and Ministers must have heaved a sighof relief when the motion went without debate.