VICTORIAN POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 18 February 1907, Page 3

VICTORIAN POLITICS.

A FLOUUi!>IHNU STATE. SUItPLUS OF HALF A MILLION ANNOUNCED. THE COVEKN.MEXT PIIOGRAMME. liefeived 18th, 1.10 a.m. .Melbourne, February 17. Tin: Premier, Mr T. lleUt, delivered a policy spee< , !\ Parliament is to be < 1 i:<s<> 1 ved about the 21st February, anil the elei-lhin- held on loth March. Ifctreiv h.is it been tiie good fortune of a Premii-r to tell such a golden story as he had to tell. Af.ier dealing with the buoyancy and increase ol the geavral and railway revenue, he iiinuMinied that a surplus of over half a million was a-sured for the current financial year. The position of the railways has changed from & deficit oi per year to a surplus oJ CD:),1)00 in three year*. Tiie Government, lie said, ill'leuded to .-tutu, to its programme, which included liberal ra Iway. irrigation, and lano ! development. The tiovern-nent also proposed t: anii'iid liie Laial 'lax by t!i biiMl iu-cordini,' i;> it- protltu-ia ; capa l.i! ties. (lid aji'e [ten-ions are l«) Ik increased tn 10s weekly. Ililt.-. are t<' be imr-'Khice:! jii'ovidin«: for a'r.'feivndli:n en llie ijtiesj'»i!i of bible leaching in Slate H-huoi*. and to s.-L-nre prefer- 3 cnt'al voling, -o as to euro Ihe evil oi minority representation, al.-o for the utilisation of pr:>on labour on road consUaicton and other reproductive work. Woman's suffrage would be left an open question for the Cabinet. Personally, he was ngainst it.