POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 131, 12 September 1910, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

THE LAND BILL. By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent. Wellington, Friday. The Land l Bill is the only topic to-day and it may be described as in the doldrums. There is reticence all round of a kind that does not hide a general tendency towards a state amounting almost to panic, and the panic unlocks a few tongues. The result is to make confusion worse confounded. Most notable is the increasing dislike to the new policy of expropriation by leasehold. The first day this feeling was confined to the Conservative interest, but to-day it has spread to all ranks. The leaders are dumb on both sides, but the rank and file, under the influence of panic, let out their views. On the whole, it is the most curious scene that has ever come under my notice. In every crisis I have ;ever seen the leading characteristics were direct views and loud-mouthed excitement, and no one had any doubt or hesitation, 'but in this case there is nothing of this. sort. A deep gloom reigns; the silence is only broken after effort and men eye one another as if they were at enmity and suspicious of attack. There is even an occasional whisper of a possible dissolution, but perhaps this may be a thing calculated of the wily_ few. A dissolution would give Local Option a rest and the licensees a filip of two years. It would also dodge the Boundary Commisioners for the same time, but' that would be a reason against the North, while it would make the South eatrer. The force of this may be guaged from the rumor that the clever fellows have calculated that the South is to lose two seats more to the North at the next turn of the political wheel. In the middle of these celebrations someone is seen stalking about with a rumor of great dissensions in the Cabinet. All of these things make the situation gloomy and there is a general agreement that the Bill will come to naught. The only thing certain at present is that the Bill will stew in its own juice for some time before the slow fire of the Lands Committee. I DESTITUTE PERSONS. The third reading of the Destitute Persons Bill in the Council brought out the fact that the Hon. Mr. Samuel W been given every opportunity by th» Select Committee to urge his row amendments. He said so, and was very thankful to the committee. It appears that he carried some of his points and was beaten on others, without making any 'unreasonable resistance after defeat. He received many compliments. The best thing is that the drastic penalties for desertion have been kept m, despite the mistaken humanitariamsm devoted to their excision. The worst is that the original attempt to force Wood to be always thick than water has been knocked out. THE CRIMES ACT. The curious farce over the question of privilege in connection with the Climes Act was "permitted to waste much time. Though the Premier explained that the omission to print the appropriation clause in antique type was the mistaKe of an official, the House debated and debated and only saved its face by dividing After it'had divided, Mr. Massey wanted to plunge the Bill into the soup once more with the discovery of another appropriation clause. The Speaker stopped him, however, with a remarkably neat ruling. Mr. Massey had stated his case with authorities . Mr. Speaker said he was quite right. Sir Joseph ! jumped to his feet aghast, ready to battle with "points of order. rred," said Mr. Speaker, "to hear yoiL He was quite clear about his ruling. He ruled that when the House waived its privilege about the appropriation clause it included the whole Bill as a matter of course, and therefore the Bill might proceed. The ruling stopped the runaway. It did not much matter,'for the House eot into committee on the first item ot he Estimates and spent the night m the honored manner. The only one of the many points raised touched the Heyes, case. Mr. Tavlor devoted himself to this worried minister; told stories with everything but the name; got often very near to that and demanded an explanation forthwith. Many other cases—ten other cases had been, rumor said, passed in review bv the Commissioner. Why were they not'fully detailed? The idea of divulging secrets! No, sir! that was absurd. Member after member followed The bell rang off Mr.- Taylor. He sat down, respectfully obedient, and with a look of reluctance that deceived the House, but he gave no time for the next man to get "an innings. No sooner was he down that he wa.s up with the remark, "I will rise again, sir," and was launched into the second ten minutes' spell before anybody could think. His friends followed and presently wliisoers went round mentioning names. There was a rumor that Peter Heyes was in the House by the Speaker's chair. Ij did not see him, but the rumor persisted, deepening the interest. Hours passed, but nothing transpired, and the talk drifted away to other things.