The Daily News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1903. THE COMING SESSION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 49, 26 February 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1903. THE COMING SESSION.

In yesterday's issue we gave soma views expressed by the eeaior momber foi Dunedin, iu the course of an interview with a Welliiig'on Post representative The junior member for Dunedin, Mi J. F. Arnold, was also interviewed, and his views as to the coming session are very interesting. A! hough ih; junior member, he is a much older man it ad politician than Mr Bedford, and brit gs a well tnatuied judgicn'- to bem upn the subject. He is also looked ! upon as one of the best iuf lnied an! nble.-t members of the House, cue wli . wili in time make Lis m-ik in tha politici of this country. Speaking on the coming ees.-ion, Mr An.olj told the I'osl represeatative that groat satisfac tion was expressed ia the trades ui-io;, circles in Duneiin as the Premier's expression cf opinion coaceiniug hgi«lation with a view of granting preference of employment to unionists. Tho decision to appoint State officers to see that the Arbitration Court awards were s lictly carried on 1 ; was al-o satisfactory. Such (fficers would need o be specially qualified. As a member of the Labour party, Mr Arnold said he would insist that more legislation of a .Socialistic nature should bo passed during the coming session than was passed last year. What he would particularly like to see passed during the coining session was legislation bearing on the S'ate fire insurance and referendum. He did not think the coming session would be one in which much talking would be done, though not a tew old membei s thought it would be a session of much talk. The liquor question must be dealt with, and there was no doubt that immediately legislation was introduced scores of amendments of the Act would be given notice of. This might result in a long and stormy light, and extremists on bof.h sides would strive to get the best of the fii>h'. When the subject was introduced ii; should be dealt wi h in such manner as would settle) the licensing qu-s : io;i foe some time. There were sufficient fairminded men in tho P.ii!ia(nee;t t.o be! able to bring this need;d result about,) in spite of the opp>itioa of exti omists. ] The problem of the licensing que vionl iu the King Country would also hive, to ba grappled with ssiiously. Mr | Arnold failed to seo how the House j could deal with this qui siion fcatisi'ac- i toeily with the int'orniatiou that rnern-' bc-rs will have when they meet. He rt gretted that the Government did not set up a Royal Commission to deal with thu hubjoct during lass scsrio-', and thinks that even now Commis-no/i will have to ha sot up before :lu mutter csxn be finally dealt wish. " We cm take i.; for grantsd,"u iid tho junior | momb r fov Duuediu, " that there wdi ! >o i:U record tuition of thei 0 d>inot' ! until -after the House meets aad IVtmiek' has consulSr-U his : imi-ty." Mr Arnold thinks that' wio of the greatest dillieulti-s in -In way of fie .n-itruction is Noi I'm Islanj' rcpi-L.-0.-itntion. In any loeoostructwu • • th:, - . may take p'aee tho sJo«t-U Tslami i ;-ueiu : jeio will demand, aw- .. '1 liuvu a,' ;it;hc to, more iueuib*r>> in tiio A'; tho wuno timo it wili bo imuli diili-

cult to get suitable men from the North to fill the portfolios. More especially will it ba difficult to get North Islanders to fill the portfolios of Linds and Education. Nothing would, in his opinio?, be decided with regard to filling the Speakership un'il the eve of the session, and he did not think the election would be made a party question by the Governrat nt. The House must elect the strongest man available for the portion. " How boat promoting the Chairman of (Jom- , mitttes to the Speakership? Dj you 'hink the promotion should follow?" was usked, " No 1 ; necessarily," replied Mi' Arnold, Ha said that if the pre cedent of the House of Commons were t jken it would be found that it was not oecessjry at Home to elevate th'= Ckairman of Committees to tha Speakership, He did not think the Hous • of Commons had made a Speaker of a chairman during tho last fifty year?. Mr Arnold intends making the voyag> to tha Cook Islands, as he thinks it is a wise course for members to see the conditions of the islands and the people, He hid felt at a disadvantage through his igooracce of the is'ands whan the qu'stien of annexation was b«fore Parliament, The matter of fcho annexation of Fiji must be dealt with by Parlitment presently, He was satisfied that both natives and Europeans in Fiji were anxiously awaiting annexation, though they did not appear to bo par icular whether they were to be attached to Nnw Zetland or the Com inonwealth of Autrilin. Mr Arnold c ncludfd by stating that he consider; d that the legiela'ion of the last Parlhment in connection wi;.h the annexation of tho Cook Islands was most important, and tho result would be tint tho Premier would go down ij, hiitoiy as an empire-builder rather thf.n as a Jingo's*.