POLITICAL NEWS. PREPARING FOR THE SESSION. THE GOVERNMENT MEASURES. Wellington, April 20.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 253, 25 April 1888, Page 4

POLITICAL NEWS. PREPARING FOR THE SESSION. THE GOVERNMENT MEASURES. Wellington, April 20.

Fair progress is said to have been made already by Ministers with preparations for the session. The Colonial Secretary has been busily engaged since his return to town in dialling Ministerial bills, but a gieat deal still lemains to be done. All membcis of the Ministry aio expected to as-emble at the end of the month. Sir F. VVhitaker and Hon. Mr Stevens will probably reach Wellington about the 30th, and then a Cabinet will sit daily to reconsider as a whole the bills which it is intended to introduce. The electoral law amendment proposals have not yet been discussed in Cabinet, and several important points have still to be definitely settled. The qualification of electors is understood to bo one oi these, and it is suspected that i\ coimideiable difference of opinion exists as to whether plurality of voting should be abolished altogether, only the residential qualification being letained, or whether the number of districts in which the vote may be exercised should be limited lotwo or three, or whether the present plan should bo pie.-erved of allowing each person to vote in every distiict in which he has specified intciest. It is not thought likely that theie will be any further extension at polling houis. It is not yet decided whether any bill amending the Land Act ot la-»t session shall be brought in this session, but at piesent the disposition seems to be to postpone it to the following session. It is rumoured that it an amendment should be introduced one piominpnt feature will be a provision a^ to. the ic-ietting of the Canterbury mns whose leases expire in May, 1890, and that it will be proposed to classify those nins, distinguishing purely pastoral from semi - agiicultural, and according lengthened fixed tenure of 14 or 21 yeaz's in the toimer case, so as to give greater '-ccuiity and to encourage improvements. The new rules of procedure will probably be the iirst business that the House will be asked to deal with when it meets. The " Post " sas sthat the departure of the Hon. Mr Laiuach ona long visit to Australia puts him out of the running for the leadership of the Opposition, a position in connection with which his name has been fiequcntly mentioned lately. The article goes on to say that members of the Opposition are at present like sheep without their shepherd, and it will be very difficult to find anyone capable of mustering the flock and guiding it out of the cold shades to the pleasant pastures which lie behind the Ti ea-siu v Dcnches.