POLITICAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1919, Page 6

POLITICAL NEWS.

PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. INCREASE OF WIDOWS' PENSIONS. (By Wire.—Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. The Minister for Public Works stated to-day that the Public Works Statement would be presented to the House on Thursday. It had already -been circulated throughout the country for delivery to newspapers. Mr. Massey'told the House to-day that he had kept his promise to consider the increase of the widows' pensions. An amendment to the widows' pension law was now before the Ministers. It would be presented to ihc .House later in the session. He could not. promise to go as far as some members had asked, but the Bill would do something to alleviate the present difficulty. THE GENERAL ELECTION. "I would like to ask the Prime Minister if the statement made by the Minister for Defence in Christehurch that the general election ill be held in the firstweek of December is correct,"'asked Sir Joseph Ward in the. House to-day. Mr. Massey said lie could not answer that question. The date of the general election had not been fixed. He could assure the House on that point. Sir Joseph Ward suggested that the Maori elections ought to be taken on the same day as the European elections. Mr. Massey said that the proper thing would be to consult the Maori members of the House. Representatives of the Native race had approached him already, and had urged that it would not be possible to take the election on the present Maori rolls. An amendment of the law might be necessary. He had no objections to the elections taking place on the same day, but one reason for avoiding this was that the same halls were required for the two elections. He had been urged to take the Native election just before or after the European general election.