WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 July 1928, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE SESSION

EARLY PROROGATION

(Special to “Guardian”.)

AVELLINGTON, June 23.

Ministers themselves and members of their party have their hearts bent upon the session of Parliament closing not later than the first woek in October. Mr Contes and his colleagues realise they have a harder fight before them than they had three years ago, and the rank and file understand they will share in their leallers’ difficulties. This is not to say that the Reform Party is apprehensive of being ejected from the Treasury Reaches this year by the adverse swing of the political pendulum. It is inconceivable that any shuffling of the cards could leave it with a minority in the new House.- But if its huge majority of fifty odd were cut down to nine or ten it might find itself in an extremely difficult position.. So far it has been held together by weight of numbers, rather than by unanimity of thought and sentiment, and never lias had to face a united opposition of any magnitude. The test of its resources in this direction still has to come. UNITY AGAINST DIVISION.

The desire of Ministers to get to the constituencies as early Ins possible is natural enough. The Reformers, tcj begin with, are much better prepared for an appeal to the electors than are tile other likely parties to the fray. The Labourites, of course, always are ready for an election, keeping themselves before the public year in and year out; but a session of Parliament offers them many opportunities for advertising themselves and their wares and knowing the value of publicity they will be in no hurry to get away from Wellington. The Nationalists and the Uniteds still are coquetting with one another and with the constituencies, and at the moment seem to be in in particular hurry about anything. Sir Joseph Ward, who still, it seems, may describe himself with propriety as the “party of one,” will not' leave London on liis return journey until to-morrow and cannot take hjs seat in the House before tho end of next month. Obviously the Reformers’ game is to act while the other parties are thinking of doing so. PROSPERITY AND TAXATION.

Just how the Ministers are going to get rid of Parliament in the first week of October, however, remains to be seen. The Prime Minister is pledged to give a “ fair run ’ 5 to the Licensing Bill, the Bible-in-Sch'ools Bill, the Sum-mer-Time Bill, and a number of other bills of equal consequence, and the Minister of Finance will not be ready until two or three weeks hence with his Budget, which this year, if members are not too deeply engrossed in their electioneering, will be very eagerly examined and discussed. Ministers were proclaiming from one end of the Dominion to the other during the recess that the financial outlook had much improved during the year and that there were other signs of returning prosperity ahead. Words to a similar effect were put into the mouth of His Excellency the Governor-General in th n Speech he delivered at the opening of Parliament, and they were reiterated by Ministers during the debate on the Addrcss-i 11-Reply . Parliament will not be justified in proroguing until those glad tidings arc reflected in a reduction of taxation. DAYLIGHT. SAVING. The Summer-Time Bill has been given precedence among the bigger measures exercising tho minds of the public, and its fate may be decided on way or another during the present week. “ While concentrating their main efforts on obtaining summer time as a permanent institution,” says the “ Dominion ” this morning, “Mr T. K. Sidey and his supporters are not very sanguine as to their prospects of success! They are hopeful, however, that Parliament will agree to another trial and they will probably suggest that the period should be two summers, this period leaving them one summer to concede as a compromise if such should be necessary.” There is no question on either sido of the controversy tlia a majority of the electors are in favour of summer-time, but the Prime Minis ter holds strongly that tho. farmers in a matter of this kind must receive firs' consideration and that a referendum would not disclose the real merits of the position. On this point tho Hous~ may be closely divided. ,