THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT.

Clutha Leader, Volume XL, Issue 40, 18 November 1913, Page 3

THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT.

MINISTERIAL DUTIES. A WISE PROVISION. WELLINGTON, Nov. 17. Hwii. J. Allen (Minister for Defence and liiianee), who had been absent . fi'om the House for some weeks, reI turned to his duties on Tucsdav afternoon. Mr Allen has had a very bad sliake. The work of Ministers has increased so greatly during the past 10 years that it has become almost impossible for them to overtake their individual duties in the working hours of the day. The Ward Government frequently claimed that it was necessary to increase the strength of the Cabinet, but it was contended by Mr Massey (then Leader of the Opposition) and many of his followers that this was not neces- | sary. The present Government has de- , cided that much of t'lie work imposed | upon Ministers is quite unnecessary in I that it is largely routine. In the Public , Revenues Bill now before the House provision is made to relieve the Minister for Finance of much detail work, and this course will be followed in other Departments. SCENES IN THE HOUSE. The New Zealand Parliament has always maintained a high standard of conduct. The nearest approach to scenes in later years has occurred in the closing weeks of sessions. Members by that time have become tired and irritable and have begun to see red. During this session there have been several regrettable incidents. The worst was that of Thursday, when the member for Patea detailed certain occurrences during the strike in which a special constable and a member of Parliament wero the een-

tral figures. It is obvious that the private actions of members should not be dicussed in Parliament. Mr Pearce did not receive much support from his fel- ! low party men. The majority of them were in thorough agreement with Sir Joseph Ward's (Leader of the Opposition) dignified protest against lowering the tone of Parliamentary debates. Really, however, the cause of Thursday's episode must be laid at the door of the strike and the failure of Mr Speaker to assert himself sternly after I Mr Robertson (Otaki) had spoken. The speaker should put down any personal recriminations, and if he does not do so there will be no end to scenes. >' A MEMBER AND A BILL. Mr J. Payne (member for Grey Lynn) takes himself very seriously. He introduced another Bill on Thursday called the State Control and Farmers' Protection Bill. It is intended to render strikes like the present one impossible, but its terms are unfortunately quite impracticable. The introduction gave Mr Payne an opportunity to talk for half an hour. The pressmen left the gallery in a body and for nearly the whole of the time Mr Payne was en his feet the gallery was empty. As soon as Mr Payne sat down and the Chief Government Whip rose to name .the adjournment of the debate the members of the fourth estate; returned to their places. There was likely to be copy in the debate on tlie adjournment but none in Mr Payne's speech or his Bill. ALLEGATIONS OF AGGREGATION.

_ Some months ago the 'Mangaweka Settler' published a series of articles alleging that aggregation of land was going on in the Mangawek.i district, on the Main Trunk line, in the North Island. These articles were copied into the metropolitan dailies and caused a ccrta : n amount of newspaper discussion. Hon. W. F. Massey (Prune Minister) relerred the charges made in the articles to the Lands Committee. The gravamen of the charges was that though this aggregation had been taking place prior to the passing of the Land Act, 1912, it had been greatly accentuated by that Act. The committee went into the matter very carefully and summoned the editor of the 'Settler' and several Crown Lands rangers and other Government officers to give evidence. It was proved that there had been aggregation to a moderate extent; that this aggregation had taken place years ago and under the law in force prior to 1912; that whatever aggregation had taken place was largely owing to the areas into which the land had been originally surveyed having been too small; that the Land Board had agreed to any grouping of sections ; that the Land Act, 1912, had had no stimulating influence on the .aggregation; and that, there was no evidence that and agents were tempting the present holders < ; f leases in perpetuity to conve:t their farms into freeholds. The Land Committee gave a great deal of time to consideration cf this matter It is of opinion that means should be de- < vised to prevent undue aggregation, but recognises that there are cases where the orig'nal areas are too limited to enable the occupier to make a living, and in these it is necessary to group the farms. BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, The Bank of New Zealand Bill passed through Committee of the Whole on Thursday night,. Hon, J. A. Millar (Dunedm West) moved to amend Clause 0 of the Hill m the direction of reducing the capital of the bank from the proposed three millions, This amendwent was lost on a division, Sir Joseph m ard ' Mjf artta )' Mesa-s Macdonald says ay of / J le » t - Huasell (Avw, and Brown (Napier) voting with the Government. The Bill has been altered by the Public Accounts Committee in some particulars. It now -provides that the country shall have one million of preference shares and the shareholders two millions of 'ordinary shares of the new capital. The country will be entitled to one third 0 f the reserves and the shareholders to two-thirds. If the bank at any time winds up, creditors, including the holders of notes, will be the first charge upon its assets. Then the country comes in as holders of the preference shares and afterwards the shareholders as holders of the ordinary shares. The bank retains the million of Government guaranteed debentures. Together with the million and a-half of reserves and the one million guaranteed debentures, the capital of the bank, if it is called up in full, will be £7,000,000. But it is not probable that the whole of the share capital will be called up. The reserves are growing rapidly and this will assist in the trading capital. The bank will now bo in an exceedingly strong position. SECOND" BALLOT BILL. The Second Ballot Bill which the Government has given notice to intro-! dues is said to be a modern attempt to "dish the Whigs." The Opposition intends to fight the Bill at every stage, and acting upon this plan got In early and often. It is- unusual to oppose the introduction-of a Bill. That courtesy is generally allowed. This is only fair, as . until the Bill is introduced and prinM no 046 knows what it oontaine. But the Wberw mi Mat Oppwitiow

members think they recognise in the proposal an attempt to play one of tho component parties against the other. If this view be correct then the Government has laid a scheme to win the next election without any chance of lossheads the Government wins, tails tho Opposition loses. Its experience for nearly 20 years should convince the Opposition that it has as good a chance under the simple majority system w under the preferential vote that it de*}}'f- T «e passage of this Bill will be a difficult one and may bo dangerous to the Government.