PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 June 1915, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

PROSPKCLS Foil TFIR SESSION*. A •I'.AIiTV STOUGGLF. I'XJJKi'XY. ' MR. LANG TO BE SPEAKER. i ~~~ j int. outiikjb Mixm-jut Fun j JiDLCATION. ! (liy Wire.—Own Correspondent.) ] Wellington, Last J\ight. The tirst session of tlie new Parliament wliieli will meet on Thursday next is expected to be a brief -one. " The i war and tho ■Government's lack of a , working majority are factors that will make for the postponement of contro- . vcrsial legislation and a disposition oil tho part of Minister* to compress the session's work within the narrowest possible compass. There appears to be no reason why the work that is absolutely ' necessary should not be completed in two months, and Parliament then pro. vogued with an understanding that an- : other session would be held towards the end of the year if developments in connection with the war appeared to make it desirable. People who are expecting a party struggle directly Parliament meets are likely to be disappointed. The il'rimc Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have both abstained from making any public statement re- : garding the plans, but the opinion gener- ! ally held in political circles is that any . crisis that may occur during the ses- ' sion will be connected with legislation, and will not arise from mere party riv. allies. Presumably, Mr. Masscy will take an early opportunity of telling the House of Representatives what work he proposes to undertake. Sir Joseph Ward might be able then to j define the peculiar circumstances of the present situation, political and national. ■ It seems to he taken for granted among I well-informed politicians that there will ! be 110 formal want-of-eonfidcnce motion ! such as would have been inevitable if , the Government had faced Parliament witli a doubtful majority in time of ' peace. It is understood that Mr. F. W. Lang, l member for Manukaii, will he re-elected , Speaker. Mr. Lang will receive the Go- : vcrnmenfc nomination, and there is 110 I likelihood of any.other member being « proposed for the office. A Xcw South Wales Ministry lacking a secure majority of its own managed to persuade a mem'ber of the Opposition to take the ! Speakership, but even if the Xew Zca- ■ land Ministry wished it that incident ! could hardly 'be repeated here. With I Mr. Lang in the chair the Government's nominal majority will be one, condition- ! al upon the support of Mr. Tan Ifcnare. j There is a vacancy in tin/'Ministry | due to tlie defeat at the general election | of Mr. P. M. IS. Fisher, Minister of Marine. Rumor has it that Mr. 1). 11. Guthrie member for Oroua, will be the new Minister, and that he will take the portfolio of Kducation now held by the lion. James Allen. Mr. Allen is Minis- ■ ter of Defence and Minister of Finance, as well as Minister of Jiducation, and it is obvious that either defence or education would provide ample work for one Minister under present conditions. The most important questions that the Government is expected to face during the session are war finance and military pensions. The Dominion war expenditure at the present time probably is at the rate of from OOD.OIM) to Iifi.OOO.OOO yearly. It is being met by loan money raised largely in Britain through the Imperial Government. Ad- [ ditional loan authorities will he needed and the Minister of Finance is expected ' t.o ask for increased revenue from tax- : i>lion to meet interest charges and I cover certain shortages caused by the 1 war in other sources of revenue, notably j Customs. The nature of the new or additional | taxation has not been indicated bv tho Ministers, but nothing of a drastic or | sensational character need lie expected. , With regard to military pensions the I Government recognises the importance j I of making an immediate improvement | j in the pension scale contained in the j ■' Defence Act of l!lfl!) in order that no j | hardship may be indicted upon invalided I men and the dependents of the killed, j The present pension scale is admitted on I all sides to be inadequate, but it is possible that the Minister of Defence will I propose a measure of a temporary kind | and leave the filial settlement of the pension problem until the Governments of -Vow Zealand and Australia have been aide to confer on the point and to ascertain what -the Imperial Government is going to do in the matter. A Land Bill will be brought down. One of its clauses will remit the rents of certain State tenants who are now a.t the front with the expeditionary force. The Government may propose a further extension of the freehold principle in connection with some native and township lands. The reports of the Land Valuation Commission and the Kducation Commission will require to be given effect to by means of legislation. Some Ttills, notably the Toole Tslands Hill, have been brought forward from the concluding session of the lust Parliament, but thev may not all make theii- aneparanee this vear. The Opposition may bring forward the oiiedion of the legislative Council reform. Under | !»• legi.-hl'ion of hist yr;tr the Reform party will have a ?e----wenre majority in the Fppcr House for the next six cr seven years to come, whatever the electors may do ill the meantime and whatever Government limy be in office. Unless the Act is amended this year the Liberals will have to endure that injustice, for no late:aineiidment will be possible. This question afi'e. ts tlie iniereM. of the patties far beyond the probable duration of the war, and if seems to he generally admit- j ted in political circles that the Opposition may fairlv nsk the Government to so amend tlie law as to leave the electors full control of Parliament at the general election that is likely to follow tile conclusion of peace.