THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 991, 5 December 1910, Page 9

THE HOUSE.

, SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES. ■ - ... PERTINENT QUESTIONS. •' ••• were Drought down at 5 a.m. on Saturday : After : tlio first item without discussion, progress was reported, and : • ,?;. ine. House adjourned until 10.30' a.m. I . when wiO'subipct Avas resumed. ' City Mall Service * In answer to Mt. M'Laren. - . Minister said tho itom, _ plant for Wellington city ; j;. mail service, was for a motor-lorry. ■ ' /: rhs Staia Sawmill, 1 j: Mr. HURRIES drew attention to He , . enormous expenditure proposed in con;V .j . section with the Kakahi Sawmill TOrv n chascd bVilio Railway Department from . thojuhlic Works Department, vii., ■ /',/• MILLAR explained expenditure .was for ' . new plant which was necessary. Ho : i . said the sawmill had another, 17,000 acres of bush, in addition to that upon ;. winch they were now workine. Mr. M'LAREN referred to tie timtrust and a circular sent out to ' >somo carpenters, who. had started in a ?4 «f?".w»y.as contractors. He cliarac■i tensed the. position as industrial tyr- • : : rann3 r . Tiie men were threatened that > ( tney must not go into the trade except wi tho terms and conditions of tho IVust. ould the State Sawmill, under public r tances ' supp!y - timber t0 " ; The Hon.. Mr. MILLAR said that up K> rho present, tho mill was supplying only State requirements. He would . JooJonte the question and later on something might be done in the direc- | tion indicated. Government House. Mr. HERRIES asked for information as to the additional' vote of £%0 for and tiio : ™to of 150 n for "temporary residence " v - . Excellency tho Governor and .staff (including transport) £150." Sir JOSEPH WARD said oue of these votes -was for the temporary residence and the other for arrangements made on; account of the drainage trouble. Auditing for Local Bodies. V . Mr. ALLEN said ho feared the Government auditing of local bodies* accounts was. not so complete as it ought to .be. Circumstances that had come :■ i - under his own. notice created an uni-. . easy , feeling (that defalcations might X.;. . occnr and not be detected in the audit . .. .'Sir JOSEPH WARD said that in the cases Mr. Allen referred-to tlie Audit : Department. had detected tho defalca- ' • tion. ; . . Mr. Allen: That was not so. *V. The PRIME MINISTER said the , - ■ Vhplo question would bo looked'into. Br. Valintina's Salary. ' Mr. HARDY (Selwyn) asked why the j. ' services of Dr. Valintino were not l ■ • recognised by an increase of salary. A /, country practitioner V would cam a j - greater income than Dr. Valintino was getting for his very valuable services 7 to the community. (?: i.Sir JOSEPH \YARD.. said tho sala- -• ' pes of the higher officers 'wero not dealt ! jvith on tho Supplementary Estimates. '■ . Everyone recognised the very , high palue of Dr. Valintine's services. I : Mr. HARDY said Dr. Valintino bad. '■ , "one very good work in connection with i the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act, I , which 'was - working very well'. « T^ r ,\ r ''' TAYLOR (Christchurch -.. North) urged that more care should bo V. devoted, to analyses of food products ;• to. prevent adulteration, a considerable v , amount of .which was going on in some ...!< New Zealand factories under tho shel? - fccr. of fictitious labels. ' ; The Hon. D. BIJDDO said Mr. Taylor . was probably unaware of the amount /S . of work that was being done. For i■' . three months last- year tho analysts i i were fully 'occupjcd with analyses' of ;;i milk, to determine a proper standard.

and that having been done, tho work specially referred to by Mr. Taylor was now. receiving attention. Civil Servant. Rewarded. ' The PRIME MINISTER (Sir Joseph Ward) explained, in reply to Mr. Fisher and Mr. Taylor, that tho £150 allowance to Sir. W. M. Tycrs, Inspector of Taxes, was a special recognition of meritorious services in connection with tho recent incomo tax prosecution at Christchurch. Mr. Tycrs had also received an increaso of salary. Against "Tohunga Business." Mr. MASSEY objected to the item of £50-—"expenses in connection ivith rainmaking operations at Oamaru," —but was content to place his protest on record. ; He did not believe in "going into the-tohunga business", in this connection. APPROPRIATION BILL. Tho PRIME MINISTER moved tho second reading of the Appropriation Bill. The Bill provides, inter alia, that £800,000 be transferred from tho Consolidated-, Fund to tho Public "Works Fund. Power is given to apply £1000 refunded by the Woodville" County Council in reduction of an inscribed loan. Under another clauso advances may be made to dairy companies under certain conditions. Thero is also provision authorising expendituro by local authorities in celebrating tho coronation of King George V. It applies to borough couucils, county councils, road' boards, town boards, and harbour boards..- Another clauso provided for the extension of tho appropriations till July- 31. The Bill was reported without amendments and subsequently was read a third time and passed. THE CLOSING SCENE. VALEDICTORY REMARKS. ; Whilst the Speaker was absent to get the assent of his Excellency tho Governor to'the Appropriation Bill, a mock Parliament wis held. Mr. El) filled the position of Speaker, Dr: To Rangihiroa was Prime Minister, and Mr. Hogg, Leader of the Opposition, whilst the - Hon.- J. Carroll was clerk of tho House. Tho large crowd in tho galleries thoroughly enjoyed the pro- i ceedings. I Tho PRIME MINISTER, in bidding au revoir to Mr. Speaker, referred in eulogistic terms to tho able manner in which ho had conducted the proceedings of Parliament. Mr. MASSEY. declared that Mr. Speaker had presided over the business in a manner worthy of tlio highest traditions of- the Now Zealand Parliament. Mr. SPEAKER said he was satisfied that' too much praiso could not be given members for tho maimer in which they bad conducted tho business and added a word of thanks t-o tho officials for the way in which they had performed their duties. . Before dispersing, tho moiqbers, through tho Prime Minister, acknowledged tho faithful mariner in which Mr. Colvin had filled tho office of Chairman of Committees. Special reference to tho work,of the officials was also made by tho Prime Minister, Mr. _ Massey, and tho Chairman of Committees. Best wishes for a ■happy recess for all wero then exchanged all round. A. motion that the House do adjourn was, amid great laughter, defeated by 26 votes to 19, , but Mr. Speaker, despite cries of: "Give us more work!" left tho chair on tho ground that there was no more business. '. The curtain was finally rung down on a session which has been remarkable in many ways at 9 p.m.