ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 192, 23 November 1910, Page 7

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT

(From our Parliamentary Correspondent) Wellington, November 11). PUBLIC WORKS. The main thing of the week is the Public Works Statement. A fair enough and large Statement than usual: a million ior railways and three-quarters ot a million ior roads; three hundreu thousand for water power and a modest few thousands for irrigation. This last, for the benefit of Central Otago. And a couple of most excellent reports on the water schemes with a crystallisation or two in thy toregiound. ami you have a fair idea of the Statement of 1910. Ol course, the usual criticism has been levelled by the local member who has not had enough, and to this has been superadded the debuncuation of the amount as "extravagant." These criticisms neutralise each other. Tlve general public is satisfied apparently all over the Dominion. One thing stands out very clear—the water schemes are now seen to have been founded on the solid rock of the most detailed estimate in which nothing has been forgotten from the engineering minutes to the sale prices; from the history of what is done elsewhere to the prospects of the business to be done here; and bringing up the reair as the possibilty of profitable manufacture of nitrates, carbides, and other things to absorb whatever power cannot be sold. On the whole a grand Statement.

* * # * | THE NEW LOAN. The loan in London comes as a shadow athwart the pictures of tlje Statement. Never was an announcement received with such an appearance of consternation J as the news that the underwriters a,re I to be left with the bulk of the loan. Out of the five millions the public has subscribed but three hundred thousand. It gives one a shock. But what would you? The Government was generous enough to let out the terms before the date of the issue. "Most unfortunate" was the comment of the High Commissioner who has had to face the fact ol the terms standing before his eyes in the Time® and, of course, going the rounds of the Press immediately after. That would have been bad enough itself.. But the uncertainties of the political situation were added and the situation from the political point of view is not good. It is, in fact, disquieting, not because "there is anything disquieting in it, but by reason of what the Opposition writers have put forward on behalf of all the vested interest, hit hard, but not so hard as they ought to be by the Budget. * * ♦ * CERTAINTY OF GETTING THE MONEY.

However, we have the certainty of the money—we presume because it is the fashion to get loans underwritten by men who can' stand the racket if the public prove slow. The underwriters will not lose because the situation is bound to improve and there is no real financial crisis. Nervous politicians declare that there was a time whwi such a failure of a loan would have cut out any Government. But the fact happens to be that Joans have failed several times and no Government has ever been one penny the worse. The failures l were the prompters of the underwriting course. These taught long ago that you cannot depend on the public, but you can be sure of the underwriters. They will send over all the cash wanted by the Public Works Fund, and they will make their profit in good time, though perhaps not the profit they originally expected. In the lobbies there is a disposition in some quarters to hold that the failure is a reminder on the part! of the market that we were asking just I a "leetle" too much at one go. But the experienced men insist that the market' never looks so close.

LICENSING AND GAMBLING. Licensing has been finished off in the Council, and there are those who declare 'that the other place will not stand the amendments. But a way will be found. Much worse is the position of the Gaming Bill. The Lords altered it considerably in two places, and the friends of the bookie in another place see their way, it is said, to block the Bill for the remainder of the session, which is only a week. There will be some pretty tactics. Meanwhile, there is some tall talking from the Council of the Churches and their allies. Among the latter just at present are some racing men, showing how strangely are bedfellows assorted by political exigencies.

THE FINANCE BILL.

The disappointment of the session is over the Finance Bill dealing with the new method of buying settlement lands. Everything was done by both houses to make the measure a success. All the flaws of the existing Act were taken out, and we were all expecting a straight run through for the Bill when it was discovered by the Solicitor-Gen-eral that a clause put into the Bill at the instigation of the Prime Minister would prevent buyers from "retting a valid title. The Council, wheir Dr. Findlay explained the position, lost no time in throwing out the clause: But the other place turned restive and refused to listen to the explanations' of the Prime Minister about the title difficulty; the mutineers of the Government camp were strongly reinforced by the Opposition, and the House refused by a serious majority to agree to the amendment of the Council. Thereupon the Government dropped the Bill. They might have let the thing go back to the Council and the subsequent negotiations between representatives of the two Houses might Have saved a good Bill brought forward Jiis vear in the interest of land settlement . Buying by guaranteed bonds has received a set-back for twelve months. Pity!

# * # * "TAMMANY" THROWN OUT.

Hine has got back into the Council, in company this time with a report or the committee exonerating the accused member. Contrary to expectation there was no talk, the report being received in a silence solemn enough for a funeral. But there is no doubt that the Government and the officers are handsomely and completely exonerated. Tammany has really been thrown out by the Council. But this is not a circumstance to what will happen when the other committee reports. Then there will be wigs on the green. The cost of the enquiry is already enormous.

MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS. The Innocents have been massacred, but the air is bv no means quite clear as to Ihe business to be done. Some Bills have been dropped definitely, among them —the Land Bill. But the Bills not dropped are seething in the lift. We will know about them more •vl.i'ii the last day comes, which will :",'<>hably be next Friday. The main in'■■vst /for the present centres on the U :, ie business. But for that the House v "::ld have risen long ago. Everything "•".v is marking time for this, drama to to a climax. The report will be th" special mark of the Session of 1910. "'hat a lot of copy we shall have when it is out.