WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1915, Page 6

WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

MOSTLY PARLIAMENTARY. BREAD, BUTTER, AND BEER. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Oct. 4. The agreement which brought the National Government into existence contained clauses relating to the cost of living and the Legislative Council Act, the Liberal leader having required that the new Ministry should make an earnest effort to deal with-the rising prices of the necessaries of life, and should take steps to suspend the operation of the Legislative Council Act, which threatened to give the Reform party a fixed majority in the Upper House- for the next six or seven years. Members who •have been wondering whether these clauses had been forgotten were relieved to-day when the Government gave notice to introduce the Cost of Living Bill and the Legislative Council Amendment Bill. The direction in which the Government is going to approach the cost of living problem has not yet been revealed, but the feeling in Parliament undoubtedly is that the power of inquiry on this occasion must be accompanied by the power to take decisive action. The Cost of Living Commission collected a certain amount of useful information, but its achievment seems to have ended there. Mention was made in the House of Representatives this afternoon of the fact that tho price of bread has not fallen in sympathy with the decline in ithe price of flour, while butter is still being kept at an abnormal level, in spite of the fact that the producing season is in full swing. Both these points are to be touched on by the Bill, so the Prime Minister told your correspondent to-day. The petitions which have been reaching Parliament all this session praying for the closing of hotel bars at 6 p.m. during the period of the war came before the House for discussion to-day, a committee presenting a non-commifcttal recommendation. The feature of a brief debate was another fine speech by Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North), who stressed the need for national economy, and for a sincere effort to increase national efficiency in the hour of struggle. Several other members followed with !similar appeals, and then the report of the committee was talked out by the genial member for Hutt, who does those I things very courteously, even wittily. The matter,, of course, is in the hands of | the Government, which obviously does not intend to restrict the sale of liquor at the present juncture.

LAND LAWS. In the course of the debate on the Land Laws Amendment Bill, the Prime Minister stated that' he proposed to ask the Crown LBw. Officers to prepare a consolidation of the Dominion's land laws during the recess. Parliament has been passing a Land Bill in eaoh session for many years, and the study of the land laws under present conditions is a complex and tiresome business. A consolidated Land Act will be a boon to the farmer—if not to the lawver!

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. The Prime Minister stated last night that preparations for taking the National Register were nearly complete. The work was in the hands of the Rfe-gistrar-General's Department, and it is expected that the taking of the Register will occupy about a fortnight. Then the results will have to be collected and tabulated, and the task is likely to occupy at least a month. The Register certainly will not be ready in time to assist the Defence Department in filling the Tenth Reinforcements, who are due, to go into camp early in November.