POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 114, 22 August 1910, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent). Wellington, Friday Night. CHAIRMANSHIP OP COMMITTEES. In the afternoon, the s<un shone on the dismal swamp of Whakatane per medium of a Drainage Bill introduced inI to the Lower House by the Government. The men of that ilk basked to their hearts' content. The general interest, however, was on another matter. The Government nominated Mr. Colvin for the chairmanship of committees and blankness fell on some sections of the House, and for a while there was chaos in the lobbies. What will be the outcome on Tuesday, no deponent yet can say, except that between this and

then much water will flow under the bridge. Flotsam and jetsam will be closely scrutinised during the process.

! TO PAY OUR DEBTS. ! In the evening the great event was the debate on the second reading of the Bill for the extinction in 75 years of the Public Debt. It was a grand debate, and 'Sir Joseph was fluent, persuasive and optimistic. He detailed his scheme and made it appear as—so far as the financial burden is concerned—an airy nothing. Just a paltry £II,OOO a year was the consolidated revenue added to the sources of income already flowing towards the sinking fund, and the thing is done. No strain, no fear of bad times, nothing ibut a patient wait of 75 years, with the money fructifying oa the land of settlers. What is even more important, he proposed to fix something like a date for the end of future borrowing, and actually outlined a tapering scheme with dates and amounts in proposed detail. Behold a nation which forswears sack and lives cleanly. Sir Joseph was very earnest and insistent, pointing out the benefit to the public credit.

MR. MASSEY'S "BUTS." Mr. Massey was in his turn equally fluent, and he was delegated to welcome any proposal to stop the debt now incurred and taper in the borrowing of the future, but he had his "buts," and he chaffed t'he Premier about his change iof views on this subject. For his own | part-, he never changed. We who heard ; it agreed that he is always vehement in ' one direction ,and that is "agin the Government." lie and his merry men evidently thought the proposals not too sound financially and said so, but the difference is I«rarely of theory. Clearly all will try to make the proposal "gee/' This was" accepted seriously and with good intent. THE CRIMES BILL. In the Council, the Crimes Bill got much attention, again the feature being a fine speech from Mr. Barr, very generous, deep and sound from the labor standpoint. Lalbor, he declared', will never begrudge the reform of criminals because it depends on the teaching of them to be useful.