POLITICAL NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 51, 18 July 1912, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

JJEW BROOMS. By Telegraph—Parliamentary Reporter. Wellington, Last' Night. The most significant feature of the present political situation is that -the new Ministers are going so carefully and quietly to work that their presence is scarcely felt. There is nothing of the ue-w broom about any of them. The only one who has evinced any tendency to bring about anything like a decided change is Mr. Fisher, who has already put forward proposals for the establishment of an advisory marine board and the distribution of Government advertisements, not for the help of needy newspaper proprietors, but merely in the commercial interests of the departments concerned. Reference to the last debates leads to the conclusion that the Minister will find a good field for ids activities. As to other Ministers, it is apparent that they are intent on "making haste slowly," and are chiefly concerned about acquiring a good grip of the departments under their control.

LAND LEGISLATION. So far, too, nothing has leaked oufc with regard to the Government's policy to be submitted when Parliament resumes. Some land legislation h to be brought down, but it would appear from statements already published that the Prime Minister may not find it convenient to introduce a land policy Bill this session.' That seems rather a pity. One of the chief planks in his platform was the freehold, and it was expected that a Bill dealing with the subject in a comprehensive manner would have been one of the first measures to be submitted. It is possible, of course, that we are doing Mr. Massey an injustice, and that he will eventually face the House with a definite policy on the subject, but at the present moment it appears that he intends to hold over his policy for more mature consideration. In regard to defence, the Government is generally credited with a desire to perpetuate and uphold the existing system. CUSTOMS. As to the Customs tariff it his been . officially stated that no attempt at a change is to be mads at present. In view of the declared desire of many candidates who now support the Opposition,, the omission, it may be anticipated, will not be received with any great degree of enthusiasm. Tariff reform is necessary not so much with regard to manufactured articles as to articles of general consumption, the cost of which presses so hardly on the poorer classes, who provide by far the greater proportion of the revenue derived from that source. CLOSER SETTLEMENT. The new Government has already given an indication that it intends to carry out the policy of acquiring land for closer settlement that will of itself enI tail the using.of loans, unless the new I proposal is to sell the freehold of the I land acquired, and by that means release the money so used for fresh purchases. If that is the intention, fresh! legislation will be required, and yet, as stated above, the Government has made it clear that there is not much possibility of a land policy Bill being pushed through this session. To that extent the outlook is not promising. No dotibt Mr. Massey will have reasonable explanations to give when he brings down his Financial Statement, but, without appearing captious, it does appear strange' that on such important issues there appears to be no prospect of the Government taking definite action at the ear- ! liest possible opportunity.

LEADER OF TOE OPPOSITION. THE HON. T. MACKENZIE. The Taihape Times loams on good authority that the Hon. T. Mackenzie will act as Leader of the Opposition. Sir Joseph Ward will assist as a private member. THE NEW GOVERNMENT'S POLICE.

Says the Lyttelton Times:—We are glad to have Mr. Massey's assurance that his policy is going to be "democratic" and "progressive" and to see indications of his intsntion to be as good as his word. He already has purchased a large estate in the Hawke's Bay district under the Land for Settlements Act, and has informed our Wellington correspondent that he is "in favor of actively pursuing this policy." With' such prospects before us there is no need to recall anything that may have been said in "the wretched past." There are a dozen other indications, including Mr. Herdman's modification of his Civil Service Bill, that the Reformers intend to adhere very closely to the Liberal policy and that their long-sustained cry for "reform" had chiefly to do with the constitution of the Cabinet and the privileges of office. It is a little disappointing to learn that Mr. Fisher's zeal for the revision of the Customs tariff in the interests of the workers is not to have legislative expression this year, 'but there can be nothing to prevent the Minister of Finance making a substantial addition to the graduated lind tax at once, and when this has been done we shall begin to think that progress may sound as sweet under one party name as it may under another.