THE SESSION

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 144, 14 March 1921, Page 6

THE SESSION

TO-DAY’S BUSINESS IN PARLIAMENT

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE Parliament is to meet again this afternoon. The Legislative Council will pass resolutions relating to deceased members in the afternoon. The House will take ordinary business, and probably will receive the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill, one of the few Bills of the session. The debate on the Addrese-in-Reply is to be opened in the House in the evening. The motion is to be.moved by Mr. K. S. Williams (Bay of Plenty) and seconded by Mr. J. Craigie (Timaru). The two amendments to the Address-in-Reply, one from Mr. Wilford and the other from Mr. Holland, make it certain that the question of whether or not Mr. Massey ought to go to London will be thrashed out during the debate. Each amendment mentions the Imperial (Conference, and suggests that Mr. Massey ought not' to go, so that a division on either of them will serve as a test of the opinion of the House. No division is likely to be reached before Wednesday .at the earliest, and the sole matter in doubt then will be the size of Mr. Mosley’s majority. That the Prime Minister will go to London with the consent of a majority of the members of the House is taken for granted.

LENGTH OF THE SESSION

THE END BEFORE EASTER.

The session has opened quietly, and members have little doubt now that they will be able to leave Wellington before Easter. The various groups that sit on the left of the Speaker evidently do not intend to miss the opportunity afforded by the session of throwing a few political stones at the Government. That is their task under the party system, and they see no reason why a mere Imperial Conference should interfere with it. But as a matter of fact the House realises well enough that this is not a business session, and that the matters coming up for consideration need not occupy a great deal of time. Some protests are going to be made against the delaying of the ordinary session until the end of September or the beginning of October, but most members apparently are prepared to accept this arrangement as being necessary in the circumstances.

REMAINING BUSINESS

The remaining business of the session, after the Address-in-Reply has been disposed of, need not occupy many days, Mr. Anderson’s Shop Hours Bill, introduced nt the request of the small shopkeepers, is going to be opposed by the Labour members and may not gei through this session, since the Government will not be prepared to allow much time for it. The Labour members take the view that the exemption of small shopkeepers from six o’clock closing is likely to interfere with the shop assistants’ forty-four hour week, by giving the larger shpfeeepe-TS an argument to bet used in the Arbitration Court. The money Bill is to include quite a number of miscellaneous clauses, including one dealing with the moratorium, and it is anticipated that the Prime Minister will take the opportunity to make a rather serious statement to the House and the country regarding the financial position. Reports that are coming from (Hie country districts are giving members a good deal of anxiety, and the House is anxious to hear all that the Government can tell it concerning market prospects and the finances of the Dominioh generally. ’

REFORM CAUCUS A caucus of the. Reform Party was held on Friday night. All the members of the party were present or accounted for. The work of the session was discussed at some length. The proceedings were entirely cordial. THE BY-ELECTION The by-election rendered necessary by the deailh of Mr. TV. b. Powdrell, member for Patea, is not likely to take place until about the middle of next month. The Speaker of the House of Representatives has been notified by the Registrar of the death of Mr. Powdrell, and if the. session was a normal one the by-election would be taken as early as possible. But since the session will be over before a new member can be elected, haste Jb not necessary. The House has to direct the Speaker to order the issue of the writ. No Reform candidate for the seat has been announced definitely. Colonel T. W. M'Donald, who formerly commanded the Otago military district, is reported to have stalf# his in’iention of standing, but it is not known, yet if he will offer 'himself as a supporter of the Gov-, ernmont. The official Opposition candidate probably will be Mr. W. Morrison, -who contested the -seat! unsuccessfully in 1914 and 1919.