IN PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1248, 6 October 1911, Page 5

IN PARLIAMENT.

DAILY SUMMARY.

DISCUSSIONS ON THE ESTIMATES,

Tho Legislative Council sat for nearly two hours yesterday, and passed a numbor of Bills without amendment. Among th'eni wore,tho Hutt Railway and Road Amendment, Hauraki Plains Amendment, and a number of local Bills. The Patents Designs, and Trade Murks Bill was considered in Committee, and a number of amendments were agreed to. Tho Council has adjourned until next Friday. The Houso continued its sitting until fivo o'clock yesterday morning. Tho Education Estimates were taken in hand after midnight, in lace of strong protests by the Opposition, and had a troubled passage. Members of the Reform party performed their duties doggedly, and stoutly declined to bo dragooned and hustled along as'tho dominant party seemed to desire. Government supporters were apparently under the. whip, and evinced a studied disinclination to engage iu tho various discussions that arose.

Seizing a moment when the. Opposition front bench was unoccupied, Sir James Carroll induced mombers to adjourn without reporting progress. As a. result, tho House 'resumed yesterday afternoon in Committee of Supply, the Government thus once again ovading any hostile amendment which might havo come from tho Opposition. Mr. Massey protested against this procedure as irregular, and urged that it should not be allowed to constitute a precedent. An interesting point of order was raised during the afternoon. Interrupted, on the ground of irrelevance, whilo pressing the claims of an Otago petitioner, Mr. Herdman induced the Houso to fako tho ruling of tho Speaker on the point. Mr. Speaker, who had been present during tho discussion, gavo a ruling which restored a wide freedom and latitude in discussions upon the Estimates. Subsequently the Chairman forbado any reference to questions of policy, but with this reservation set few limits to the discussions which arose Mr. Herdman's motion which called uppn tho Government to give eifect to a recommendation of tho Lauds Committee to compensate Mr. Hugh M'Lean for loss in connection with the Waireki leases was lost by 2-1 votes to 31. A discussion on the land ballot system was raised by Mr. Malcolm, and actively taken up. , Opposition members supported him in his contention that the ballot system was unsatisfactory, and played into the hands of the speculator, to tho prejudice of the would-be settler. Mr. Malcolm's motion >vas lost. Many questions.were raised during the evening. The subsidy for the Wanganui River service was reduced by £\, as an indication that tho service was not treating the settlers fairly. When the Valuation sub-class was before the House, some serious allegations wore made. It was stated that sonio of tho valuers employed casually by the Government were engaged in land speculation. Tho dangers of such a position were strongly insisted on. Mr. Buddo maintained that thero was nothing wrong with the Department. Tho estimates for the Lands and Survey Department.wore coin- . pleted, and the House adjourned at one o'clock.