WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 4 September 1917, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

* THE LIQUOR . BILL. CONSIDERED BY CABINET. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Septem. 3. The Liquor Bill is being considered by Cabinet to-day and speculation is rife as to the shape in w T hich it will be presented to the House. It is taken for granted that a majority of the Ministers are not favourable to any drastic reduction in the hours of sale and that six o’clock closing has no chance of appearing in their proposals. The Prohibitionists and their sympathisers are hopeful, however, that the seven o”clock proposal will be adopted and if this is the case the measure will l be allowed to go through without any serious opposition. It will not satisfy the extremists, of course, but several members who would have preferred six o’clock would accept it as a reasonable compromise. That they will get as much is very doubtful. If eight o’clock is named in the Bill it will be carried by the weight of the misisterial vote, though not without a strong protest from the other side. It is probable Ministers wall promise ■to' have the whole subject reviewed after, the w r ar with a kindly eye toward some form of State Control, but in the meantime they wall urge the financial consideration against any hazardous experiment. THE UPPPER HOUSE.

The postponement of the question of which the Hon. J. T. Paul is seeking to ascertain the intentions of the Government in regard to the condition and constitution of the Legislative Council has not prevented the subjects with which it deals being very freely discussed in the lobbies. The general opinion is that a majority of the members of the Cabinet, looking around for tile, time 'of least resistance, are awaiting for an opportunity to repeal the legislation that made the Council elective under the proportional representation system, but individual members of the Ministry deny this suggestion more or less indignantly. As it happens the "whole of the members whose terms recently are Liberal nominees, though neither Mr. Seymour Gieorge nor Dr. H. F. Wigram can be described as party men, and on the principle that has been observed during'the “truce” the filling of the vacancies ought to rest with the Liberal leader. But whatever may be the method of appointment, it is obvious the Council' sadly needs strengthening. Mr. Paul has not over-stated the position in this respect, Mr. George Jorges, who has sat continuously since he was nominated by Mr. Ballance in 1892, Mr. Seymour George and Mr. Wigram, in particular, being very serious losses to the debating power and matured experience of the Chamber, LAND SETTLEMENT. The report of the Land for Settlements Department, which was among the papers laid on the tabLe of the House at the end of last week, shows that plenty of land is being offered to thie Government by private owners for sub-division. This is satisfactory so far as it goes, but it does not go the length of providing opportunities to make homes for themselves to all the men who are anxious to g*et on to> the land. The number of properties considered by the Department during the year was 795 with an area of 984,788 acres and the area purchased was 50,140 acres at a cost, when prepared for selection, of £595,419. “Many of the areas,” the report states, “were small, while a large number were quite unsuitable for our purposes and the prices asked were in many instances quite exorbitant.” The Department has no expectation of the values of land receding, in view of th.e extreme prices ruling for all produce, and, therefore, suggests that “some simpler, but still effective method may be niocessary” to enable it to provide land for returned soldiers. This seems to hint at acquisition by some different process. THE TEA TAX. Judging from the criticism bevelled against the “tea tax,” during the second reading of the Finance Bill this particular item of the War Budget is not likely to got through the House without very determined opposition. The retailers have not been helping tine Minister in commending the impositon to the public. In at least one of the popular tea shops in the city the charge for morning or afternoon tea has been- raised from three-pence to four-pence, the duty being given as the reason for the extra charge, and the grocers, though not passing on the tax quite a hundred-fold to their customers, are suspected of making a very handsome profit out of the duty. The same thing is being done with cigarettes and tobaccos generally, but the smokers are not such a numerous nor such a clamorous body as are the tea-drinkers and it looks as if Mr. Wilford’s’ suggestion of a stamp duty would remove part of their grievance.' Sir Joseph Ward has promised consideration to the position, but he is so pre-eminently the strong man in the House when finance is concerned that the consumer must not count too confidently upon any concession.