POLITICAL NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2675, 3 December 1909, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

RUSHING THE WORK THROUGH.

(G|«wl:il to “T'lnr-s/’) WELLINGTON. Dec.. 2. Eve/y preparation has oeen made to extinguish the session almost as soon as it has really commenced. Both. Houses have taken off their coats to; it, and the annual rush has set in. .The Council has suspended its Standing Orders for the rest of the session, tp enable local Bills to be pushed through al! stage.s at one sitting, and hare started late sittings for forcing purposes. The House sits on Alondays and will add Saturdays next week, and possibly morning sittings. Nevertheless nothing but a miracle of recklessness could enable half the Government Bills and other essential work to be got out .of hand by December 22, at which date the House will rise for the Christmas holidays, and possibly may; prorogue. THE LAND QUESTION. The Land Bill is in a parlous condition. It is between the devil and the deep sea. It can only be passed by a combination of both parties, and there are too many leaseholders on the Government side to warrant the assumption that the measure has much hope of getting on the Statute Book. There was a preliminary canter on the Bill this afternoon, when the Lands Committee brought down its report, -recommending its passage with amendments annexed. No oue is supposed to know what those amendments are. They are< in the hands of the Speaker, and not yet on the table of the House, so that it would be a breach of privilege to disclose anything about the amendments if known. Air. T. E. Taylor made a rattling speech on the vacillating attitude of the Government on its land policy, and; its reticence regarding this and other policy measures. Air. Massey, preferred to defer discussion on the Bill until it- was formally before the House. A remarkable feature* of the disciission was that the Premier rated theleaseholders on their attitude towards the measure. Thev were sticking totheir leader’s original policy, and gob snubbed. The explanation of the Premier’s attitude towards' them was givenl later on, when the Printer deplored; the fact that a large majority of the people were against his policy of conserving the lands for the people, and therefore it was necessary to give way to the will of the people. The discussion, which was interesting, was interrupted by the dinner adjournment, and cannot coiue on ■again till to-morrow afternoon.

A PROBABLE LEASEHOLD CRUSADE. Invitations have reached some of thei leaseholders of the House to address meetings in various centres, but important work at headquarters prevents | compliance for the present. “No opportunity,” says one of thorn, “will be lost to -arouse public ooinion on the supreme issue that is now before Parliament and the country. The party will stieuuously rosist the attempt that is being made to sacrifice the public interests by the sale on the time-payment system of the land purchased under the ;| Land for Settlements Act. It believes that in refusng to acquiesce in an unworthy recantation and surrender of political principles, and refusing to allow the people and their children to be i;? robbed of their natural rights) at the instance of land speculators and vote? hunters, it has the bulk, of the demo- - ; cratie community to roly upon.”