POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 883, 25 August 1910, Page 3

POLITICAL.

In the House yesterday afternoon the Prime Minister said he proposed to ask Parliament to go on with the whole of the Bills mentioned in the Governor s speech. He had very little doubt that the policy proposals of the Government would be passed this session. “ What about the Land Bill ? ” asked a member. “I propose to bring it down next week,” replied Sir Joseph Ward, “and I hope the Leader of the Opposition will see his way to support it.” Mr Massey : “A freehold Bill will get my support.” Sir Joseph Ward : “ The hon. gentleman can see nothing but the freehold.” He would bring down proposals which he felt confident the country would support, and he hoped that Mr Massey’s friends outside the House would see that the Government was pretty progressive in that respect. The Bill would contain very important proposals, and would give Mr Massey and his Iriends the opportunity of putting on their considering caps when the Bill came down. He thought that Mr Massey would help the Government to get it through. I hope to introduce the Local Government Bill at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. It is a very important Bill. It is a very difficult mater to deal with, as it gives enormous powers to local authorities compared with what they have now. It will contain very wide powers for local authorities. Necessarily, the question of local government is a very difficult one. I make no excuse for delaying its production because the problem of re-con-struction is complex to a degree.” Those difficulties, he added, were sufficient to tax the ingenuity of any person in or outside the Government. He believed that after the Bill had been submitted to Parliament it should be circulated among local bodies interested. The question of local government was a very difficult problem, and one which had demanded the attention of different Governments for a cou-dderable time. It was an extremely difficult matter to provide a new system, but his own opinion was that it could not be got through this session. “It is,” he remarked, “so far-reach-ing that people ought to have an opportunity of considering the proposal contained in the Bill.” The whole matter, he went on to say, required to be dealt with slowly and cautiously; also the requirements of existing local bodies had to be considered, and they ought to be given a full opportunity of considering the proposals contained in the Bill, and of making such recommendations as they considered proper. Sir Joseph Ward went on to suggest that the session would finish at the beginning or the middle of November. He was not going to be put into the position, he said, of attempting to drive the House. The Government wanted the House to keep early hours, and he saw no earthly reason why they should not rise before midnight every night. There were some important financial proposals to be brought down in a few days. He hoped to produce the Bill relating to the post audit system, and to refer it to the Public Accounts Committee. The Bills relating to maternity, national annuities, defence, and Crown suits amendment had also to come down, and if the House got into working order he saw no reason why they should not go through.