WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1919, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

» r ‘ v ' v ‘ ~ .. r >lr «» • */>** ! THE GENERAL ELECTION. ' -■■■ • . . 1 MtUif IN DECEMBER. 5 < tOur Bpoikl CbfanSipoideilt). i WEttikGTdii, Sept 19 SSir j'osepk Wiftrid ’succeeded yesterday in obtaining from the Prime Minister a fairly close indication of ' the dat<3 of the general election. So far* as he *copid judge, Mr Massey said in reply to a direct question, the election, would be held in either the first or. the second week in December. Pressed by Sir. 'Joseph to give an assurance that the election would not take place before the first .week id December, the Minister Supplemented: his previous statement by saving he expected the session to list till the end ‘of October or the beginning of: November and that his idea was that: there should be an interval of five w'eSks hetweSn the'end Of the session: and the election. This is generally accepted ft's att Hfabiitki ice thht the j

Will not take sfac& till December io oV 12, Which has been abdntthe ushal date f6r many years past. This will Allow the Hofi'fib to sit for a; full three, months and give the Goveffim'enVafi 'Opportunity'to int'rodude the pedlar Bills on whitfE it Will fight the election.

‘■land And iNCo&fi tax. r ..’Though the 'Land .and tax. Bill introduced by the Minister of, finance yesterday , wgs the old familiar which has been slipping through the House since the beginning of the war jvithout debate, it brought quite a number of members to their feet on this occasion. The war was over and the tongue of every critic; was loosened. The chief com-. ‘plaint was against the backwardness of the, land .even Air R., McCalluin, the member for Wairau, who does not talk at 'large on such subjects, declaring that the grievances of landless 'people were being aggravated by the fact That thousands of large land-owners werp escaping their fair share of taxation bccauso of out-of-date valuations. The Hdn G. W. RnSsell' weut to the length of moving that the debate should bb adjourned in order that the Government might reconstruct its’taxation policy,,'bnt he found up seepnder and ultimately* of course, the Bill got through all its stages without amen £ment, the House being rewarded for its compliance by an early rising.

women’s eights. The WoinettVParliamentary Rights Extension Bill, introduced by Mr Massey ifi fulfilment of the promise he gave to the House last session, was circulated yesterday. It has only one operative clause 'Which provides that women shall'not be disqualified by

>. * I iex or rnamagd from being appointed > Sr elected ftp members of the Legislative Cobfißii or of tjje Hoiibe df Rftjate- , aeniaiives.br iron* sitting pr voting as members of cithfer House. The measure SbbttlS to be arousing little enthusiasm here, either inside or outside of Parliament, and though it is being taken for granted it will pass through the House with ft substantial majority, its fri'eftds are by no means confident of it faring so well in the Council. The whispers of a quick dispatch awaiting it iu the Upper Chamber still are cutrobt, but no definite information their reliability is available. ' ELEOTIVfe EXECUTIVE. / The Farmers’ tjftibfi Conference gave short shrift to tlVb Elective Executive proposal yesterday, but Several of the delegates seized upon the opportunity to say frank things about the politicians produced by the . present system of government. Mr] H. D. Vavasour, for instance, a gentleman free from party bias and full of tong-snffenng charity, insisted that party government was the curse of New Zealand. at Home were coming to the opinion that party government was a failure and were ■ jjooking about,for some, better means , of enlisting, the best brains in the ■ Service of the country, “ But here, unfortunately,” the gentleman from Marlborough concluded with a sigh of despair,. “we have no statesmen —ws pave only party politicians.” The. majority of the speakers expressed ■themselves in much the same terms, but they saw no 'hope for improvement in an Elective Executive and decisively voted the remit out. This ■is the way in which public opinion i towards the proposal is now tending. :