POLITICAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1062, 27 June 1912, Page 3

POLITICAL.

GOVERNMENT’S EXPECTATIONS. A THREE-VOTE WIN. Auckland, June 25. The Minister for Mines, Hon. J. Colvin, interviewed here regarding the political situation, said the Government expected to win on the no-confidence motion by three votes to spare. They felt that every Liberal in the House would rally round and support the party.

GOVERNMENT’S POLICY

GOVERNOR’S SPEECH OUTLINED.

The last programme laid down by the Ward Ministry has been practically jettisoned by its successors in office, says tne Dominion. Cabinet sat nearly five hours yesterday in collaboration upon the speech to be delivered by Lord Islington to day. The product of their labours will be a programme much less ambitious than the one with which the country was startled five months ago. TAXATION. A proposal will be made for an increase in the graduated laud tax, and this will be accompanied by a suggestion that the present land tax exemption should be increased, the loss of revenue involved by this proposal being compensated by the increase in the higher grades of taxation. Another taxation proposal will be that concessions should be made to heads of families nossibly to the extent of in respect of each chi. ' wholly dependent upon its father.

aggregation ok i,and

Legislation to p: event the aggregation of laud will be proposed, the scheme being that no man should be allowed to occupy more than one holding, and that no holding should exceed 400 acres of first-class laud, 1000 acres of second-class laud, 01 2,500 acres of third-class land, the value of the laud to become the determining factor in subdividing, It will also be proposed that provision shotfld be made to prevent a person from inheriting on the death of an owner of land more than a certain area of first-class laud or a proportionate area of other lands. NATIVE LANDS. The Government intends to provide for the compulsory acquisition of lands by reintroducing the provisions that were superseded by the Lands lor Settlement Act, 1908. In regard to Native lands it is proposed that customary lands should be dealt with as Crown lands, and the definition of the Natives’ interests deferred. THE RURAL EXODUS. Proposals will be made that are designed to check the exodus from rural districts into towns by making country life more attractive and giving the farmer some of the conveniences and comforts enjoyed at present only by the city dweller. Increased postal and telephonic facilities will be proposed with this object. The construction of light lines as feeders for the main system will be included in the policy. In this connection reference will be made to the arrangements made tor increased services to suburban areas. NEW LAWS EOR WORKERS. Legislation relating to shearers’ accommodation, sawmill woixcis, and scaffolding inspection will be proposed. A reconstruction of the Arbitration Court will be/ forecasted, and plans announced for the extension ol the National Provident Fund scheme by subsidising friendly societies and providing facilities for employers of labour to insure their work people in the fund. THE SECOND BALLOT The Speech will recommend the repeal 01 the Second Ballot Act, and the substitution of a system ol preferential voting adopted, with some modifications trom that in operation in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. The Speech will promise a reintroduction of the Local Government Bill as it was amended by the recent conference. It will possibly be decribed as a scheme of assuring the finance of local bodies.