HEW SOUTH WALES POLITICS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 December 1927, Page 1

HEW SOUTH WALES POLITICS

MR BAVIN’S RECORD. ■WELLINGTON. I)w. 20. “Air Bavin is doing well, lie is doiiifr tilings, as lie said lie would, and i think that he has the most of the community behind him,’’ said Air E. S. Marks' ALL.A. for North Sydney, who arrived by the Alarama, referring to Air Bavin’s administration in New South Wales. • It has been a short emergency session, of course-—only four months,’ said Air Alarks, “but things have been accomplished. 1 he Sydney Council has been abolished, and a Commission will he put in shortly. To this Commission there have been appointed Ah- Alorton, the city engineer of Alelbournc, and brother of the late Air W. H. Alorton. formerly city engineer at Wellington, and Air Garlick. the president of The Alain "Roads Board. The Arbitration Court, has been altered to provide for the appointment oT three Judges, with equal powers, instead of only one. and two well-known young barristers, Air Street and Air Cantor, have been appointed to net with Air Piddington. Money received under the main road tax, which the Lang Government allocated to other purposes, has been handed back to the main road funds. And. following a ruling of the Arbitration Court that the unionists at the Broken Hill works in Newcastle were entitled to complete preference, a decision which affected 50 per cent of the workers, the Government introduced and carried a measure doing away with this. “The Commissioners appointed -to administer the affairs of Sydney are to act for two years, at- the end of which time the Government intends to introduce a Greater Sydney Bill, which will provide for the amalgamation of a number of lesser boroughs with the city. . “Another measure of interest to Now Zealand was that which dealt with ‘tin-hares. 5 The New South Wales Parliament decided to prohibit absolutely ‘tin-hare’ racing, trotting, and any other sport where bookmakers were present, at night. “In the work of the session use had to bo. made of the ‘guillotine, 5 or afos-

nre, which nas introduced T>y the Lang Government last year. During the next session Air Bavin proposes dealing with further matters contained in his policy speech, ile means to go into the question of the promised alteration to the Vpper House, which it is proposed should be elected with a modified franchise, the Council to be composed of GO member-;, returned for a fixed term. Electoral reform will also he a big feature in the next session, the idea being to

sulistitnte for the present 9-1 single seats 84 single seats, this figure being r.irived at by allowing three members for each of the 2S Federal electorates in New South Wales. Abo, it is proposed to use only one roll, the Federal roll, instead of dual State and Federal rolls. This system will give the city and country equal representation in the Legislative Assembly. llie present Act provides for optional preference voting, and with this it is not intended to interfere. The greatest light will lie over the alteration to the Upper House. ‘I lie House seems to h<* in favour of Air Bavin, it lias backed up the whole of his legislation so far. and on the question of the abolition of the Sydney Afunicipal Council. which was a Party measure, there was a good majority. The Lang Governments made 24 appointments to the Council last year, and tTiis year Mr Bavin has appointed another fire. A humorous side of the Act to end the existence of the Sydney Council is that, as an Alderman of the city of eight years’ standing. I voted for my own abolition, 55