PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 229, 27 September 1928, Page 20

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

'OTTINGS FROM THE GALLERY

SND Or SESSION SCRAMBLE.

INRUSH OF NEW BILLS. /

(liy Uclegrapu.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day. With the end of the session in sight, and, with it, the life of the present Parliament, the House of Representatives find* itself this week in the midst of the usual wild scramble, characteristic of the finish of a pre-election session; indeed the House has reached that stage whore bills can be swallowed whole at a single sitting, like oysters. Saturday week, at latest, will probably find members singing "Auld Lang Syne." There was no afternoon sitting to-day. On Wednesday the House adjourned at J.;J3 p.m. after a round-the-clock sitting on the Mental Defectives Bill. Members were glad to steal some sleep. Four Government bills made their first appearance at 7.30 p.m., and the remainder of the evening sitting, which terminated at 11.50. was devoted to the passage of the Land and Income Tax (annual) Bill.

Too Fine a Margin. Tlie estimated balance of £200,146, which the Minister of Finance expects to have at the end of the financial year, is too small for anyone interested in the financial stability of this country to fpol comfortable, declared Sir Joseph Wurtl, Leader of the United party in the House to-night, referring to the GovernClient's taxation system. It was too •mall in view of the fact thnt £20,000,000 was required for ordinary bread and butter expenditure exclusive of Public Works, hydro electricity, and railways. In view of the fact that income taxation wns us high as 4/6 in the £, the margin, said Sir Joseph, was too small. The Minister of Education: 13 the land tax sound. tSir Joseph: I'm not going to make a policy speech now. The Local Member's Interest. Inferring to bills of a local nature, Mr. Froser (Wellington Central) com]>lnin«'d in tlic House that there were occasion* when tha first u member knew of projected legislation affecting hie own district was the appearance of the bill. Tlifi lato Minister of Internal Affairs had muflc it a matter of policy that in any case where a local member objected 1o legislation affecting his district out tlie bill went. Mr. Fraser appealed to Ministers to see that local members were informed when legislation of a local nature was suggested by local bodies who had gone direct to any Minister. Civil Servants Widows. Tbo question of the payment of half superannuation to the widow of a civil servant was raised again in the House tonight when Mr. Wilford (Hutt) asked the Minister of Education if there had been time to investigate this matter. The Hon. R. A. Wright, in reply. stated that before consideration could be given to this matter an actuarial report would have to be obtained. That report had not yet been produced. The Minister udnVd tliat lie was in sympathy with the. spirit of Mr. Wilford's inquiry. It would be admirable if something on the lines suggested could be done. He would b« glad to aec what could be 4 on*.

Law Practitioners. By leave of the House the Law Practitioners Amendment Bill, which was. number 25 on the order paper, was dealt with early in the evening, being referred to the Statutes He vision Committee on the motion of the Prime Minister. The bill has not yet been read- a second time. Mr. Coatea explained that there was considerable concern among lawyers over certain provisions in the bill. It was felt in legal circles that one or two years work of the council in preparing this bill should not be wasted, and it desired that it go before the committee this session. This bill, which originated in the Legislative Council, makes provision for establishment by the Council of the New Zealand Law Society of a scheme for guarantee and security of money held in trust by solicitors.