NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 May 1916, Page 8

NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL.

APPROACH OP THE SESSION. BUSY TIME EXPECTED| (From, Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, May 0. Members of Parliament are beginning to arrive in Wellington in readiness for the session, which will commence on Tuesday next. The Parliamentary Buildings are being prepared rapidly for occupation and already the gossip of politics is beginning to be audible in the lobbies. Members are expecting a busy and interesting session. THE MILITARY SERVICE BILL. Attention tends to centre upon the Military Service Bill, which is expected to make its appearance in the early days of the session. The scope of this measure is not in doubt. It will provide for the compulsory enlistment, if necessary, of all men of military age for service with the Expeditionary Forces, and to that extent will run parallel with the Bill now before the Imperial Parliament. But there is plenty of room for speculation regarding the details of the Bill, and members of the Cabinet naturally are reticent on the point. The Prime Minister told a reporter yesterday that Cabinet had completed the consideration of the draft Bill and had- sent it forward to be printed with the amendments made by the Ministry. It is being predicted confidently that the Military. Service Bill will operate in connection with recruiting districts, and that some method of ballot will be used in the selection of men from the groups as they are required. Avenues of enlistment will be kept clear for volunteers and the compulsory system will not come into operation in any district if there are sufficient volunteers offering. When compulsion is necessary the single men without dependants undoubtedly will be taken ficst and the married men with families last. The arrangement of the details of the Bill has proved more difficult than Ministers had expected, and some of the points that have arisen have required very close study indeed. The temper of Parliament will be against captious criticism of the Bill, but the members of the Government will not take up an uncompromising attitude. They will be prepared to admit that the measure is capable of improvement. ..

WAR PENSIONS. The promised amendment to the War Pensions Act has also received a great deal of attention from Cabinet. The measure, said the Prime Minister yesterday, is now ready for presentation to Parliament. This Bill proposes to liberalise the War Pensions Act, particularly in relation to wives and children. The immediate dependants, at any rate, will be assured of receiving pensions in the event of a soldier's death, regardless of any moderate income that may have been left them. The Pensions' Board has put this principle into operation already, but legal enactment is required in order to make the position quite secure from the point of view of the soldier, who wants his dependants to be absolutely protected.

FINANCIAL PROPOSALS. The session will see important financial proposals, but few hints have been allowed to escape from Ministers regarding their nature. It is taken for granted that the Government will ask for additional taxation and for authority to borrow on a fairly large scale. The Minister for Finance' has not yet made public the Dominion accounts for the financial year closed on March 31 last, and in the meantime there is doubt regarding the requirements of New Zealand in the way of extra taxation. The year 1916-17 is expected to be a difficult one in spite of the surplus brought forward from last year, and the Minister for Finance is likely to have an eye upon war profits when he brings down his proposals. There has been a suggestion that the income tax exemption may be lowered. A local war loan is regarded in some quarters as a probability of the session.

WAR REGULATIONS. Among the other Bills of the session will be some important amendments and additions to the AVar Regulations Act. The Prime Minister suited yesterday, in this connection, that any powers required by the Government in connection with the control of the liquor traffic during the war period would he taken under the War Regulations Act. The Ministry is determined to prevent enemy trading by every means in its power and will ask for any additional authority that may be needed to that end. It is possible that the Ministers may think it necessary to ask for extended authority in dealing with breathes of the censorship rules. There has been a good deal of laxity in New Zealand in connection with the publication of- information prescribed by the military authorities. Another of the Government Bills will deal with the provision of land for soldiers on a more ex- | tended scale than anything yet at I tempted.

HOW LONG? Regarding the length of the session the political prophets are unable to agree. Members see no real reason why they should not complete their work and return to their homes within tiirec months. But they are evidently dubious regarding their chances of getting away so speedily. Parliament has never shown readiness to concentrate attention on the tilings that matter, and the opportunities for waste of time seems likely to be as plentiful this year as in previous years. Members have grievances to state and "scandals" to ventilate. There are Ministers to be hcc-kled and electioneering speeches to be made. It is possible that considerations that have yet to be placed before members will tend to promote brevity of speech, but at the moment there is no ■obvious reason why a short session should be sought while tjiere is work for Parliament to do.