PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 4, 7 April 1916, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

TO OPEN ON MAY 9. THE MILITARY SERVICE BILL. OTHER LEGISLATION. The Prime Minister stated on Wednesday (says the New Zealand Times) that Parliament will meet on Tuesday, May 9th. Members will have just about live weeks to prepare for a session that must prove a highly important one.

The business of the session will be confined almost entirely to matters connected with the war. The item first in importance will be the bill dealing with the recruiting .question, giving the (Government power to keep the ranks of the expeditionary force full in the event of the voluntary system failing to provide the required number nf men. Just what form the bill will take is not yet known; possibly even Cabinet Ministers are still in doubt on some points. The British law provides for the compulsory enlistment of single men, and does not affect directly men of military age in the other classes. The single men were told that if they did not enlist voluntarily on or before a certain date, they would be deemed to have enlisted on that date, and would be called up as they were required. The Xew Zealand bill may go further than .the British law went. The men of military age in this country have already been divided into five classes in the National Register which the Government hopes to have made

complete by means of the personal canvass under the new recruiting scheme. The single men without dependents form the first class and the married men with children the fifth class. The Military Service Bill may empower the Government to call up all men of military age in accordance with this classification, the single men without dependents being taken first and so on. If that were done, the single men without dependents would provide all the recruits required during the present year.

Ministers, it is understood, have a full recognition of the difficulties that arise in connection with any scheme of compulsory service. Apart from the possible opposition of any section of the community -to a conscription law, there will lie complex questions relating to select ion. training, and so forth. Hut the recurring shortages in the reinforcement drafts have made action imperative. The one danger that cannot be, faced by the Government is a failure to provide the regular reinforcement drafts promised the Army authorities and expected by the troops already at the front.

Apart from the Military Service Bill. other important matters will be before Parliament. An amendment of the War Pensions Aet has beeii promised, in the direction of giving increased security to dependents of men who fall at the front. The Government will ask for some increased powers under the War Regulations Act. The Minister for Finance, who will be able to disclose a satisfactory financial position as far as the past financial year is concerned, will have some legislative proposals to bring forward. It is assumed that lie will ask for increased taxation, it) view of the possibility of the prolongation of the war over the present year.

There has been a persistent rumour that the coming session will see some change in the personnel of the Ministry. If anything of the sort should occur it is not likely to have political significance. The change would be <l»e to the desire of a Minister to accept office outside the political sphere, Another prophecy heard in manv quarters is that a very vigorous assault will be made upon the Defence administration.