IN PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1210, 19 August 1911, Page 5

IN PARLIAMENT.

DAILY SUMMARY. DOINGS OF TWO COMMISSIONS, Whilo the Houso has been "marking time," the Council has been enjoying ft week's vacation. It resumed yesterday, but even then there were no Bills to hand iroin "another place.". Sir MSurico O'Rorke raised onco more, by way of notice of motion, the, question of university degrees in Divinity, and after a very little further business of a forms! nature, tho Council adjourned until next Wednesday. Tho afternoon in the Lower House soon becarao interesting. Sir Willinm Steward asked the Government whether tho House would be given an opportunity to discuss tho alterations of electoral.boundaries before the commissioners present their final report. Tho Ministerial answer was "No," and the Houso accepted tho explanation that it would bo improper for it to endeavour to exercise any control over the commissions. Mr. Massey asked whether it was truo that the commissions had .been supplied from tho Survey Department with maps showing suggested boundaries. Three Ministers replied cm-, phatioally in tho negative. Several members complained of tho treatment they had received at tho hands of the commissioners, and, the Hon. T. Y. Duncan was sadly discoursing on the mutilation of Oamaru when his speech and the whole discussion were cut short by the raising of a point of order. Six Government measures—the Mining Amendment Bill, Coal Mines Amendment Bill, Mental Defectives Bill, Friendly Societies Amendment Bill, Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Bill, and Stone. Quarries Amendment Bill—were advanced a sta.se. Then followed another discussion on the woes of the country racing clubs. The occasion was the order of the day for consideration of the report of tho Racing Commission. The most significant featuro of the debate was the Honi J. A. Millar's declaration that the Government would stand by the report of tho commission. This was equivalent to a death sentence upon Mr. Jennings's Bill, and the discussion, which was kept up for another three hours, was directed at the constituencies rather than at any immediate political object.