HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14835, 28 November 1913, Page 9

HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, 27. AFTERNOON SITTING. Tho House met at 2.3U p.m. MUTUAL FLU-E INSURANCE BILL. The '■, Mutual Fire Insurance Act Amendment liiil was received from tiio jbegLslutive Council and read a first time. MINISTERS' TRAVELLING K\i- , Ei\£>Jik>. Tho PRIME ilLNuSlEil laid on tho taoio a return of iMwis.ers' trareliing expenses. VSU-, JOSEPH WARD drew attention to a return now on tno tablo giving a comparison, of titc cost of ins visis to iJouuou with that or two Minister of i'inance, wnich was misleading, as it did not set out ail thc-iacts. It was oniy lair to himself that he should point tiiia out. iie went Home as JrTeniier, and as tho representative of this country, and iinuer. mese- circumstances his expenditure was naturally much larger than ii ho had gone merely as a Minister. On this latter basis his expenditure was only £oUO. EDUCATION I BILL. The House went into Committee on the Education Act Amendment Bill. The Minister moved an amendment giving Boards power to approve of lodgings provided for Junior National Scholarship holders, j This was carried aftdr a discussion, in which the proposed .supervision was generally approved. ' In connexion \rith the change in the existing law extending the date on which tho householders' meetings might bo held, the Minister explained that it was being done ti> enablo committees in country districts to fix a moonlight night for the purpose. The change had been asked for by almost every Board in the Dominion. A number of new machinery clauses were added on tho motion of the Minister. In connexion with an amendment moved by Mr G. W. RUSSELL affirming the principle of one committee —one vote in the election of Education Boards, tho Minister stated that he was going into tho whole question of the election of Education Boards during the recess. The aaieiidment was lost on the voices. Mr McCALLUM moved an amendment giving committees power to reduce the school hours by half an hour during which religious and moral instruction might be given. This was lost on the voices. RAILWAYS CONSTRUCTION BILL. The Railways Construction and Land Act Amendment Bill was further considered in Committee, the Opposition discussing the Bill on lines hostile to the construction of railways by local bodies and private companies. In reply to Sir Joseph Ward the Minister declined to put a clause in the Bill prohibiting the borrowing of money for the purposes of private lines within the Dominion.