THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1514, 9 August 1912, Page 6

THE HOUSE.

LABOUR BILLS COMMITTEE. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. The PRIME MINISTER intimated that on next sitting day he. would move to add tho name of Mr. Glover to the Labour Bills Committee. " ARBITRATION BILL. The PRIME MINISTER gave notice of his intention to introduce the Industrial .Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill.TERRITORIAL UNIFORMS. Mr. J. DICKSON (Parncll) asked the Minister for Defence whether all the uniforms ordered for tho Territorial force had been delivered by the contractors, and whether any contractors had been called upon to pay a penalty for non-delivery of uniforms at tho specified date. Tho Hon. J AS. ALLEN said that so far as ho knew the uniforms had been fairly well delivered by the contractors. He did not know whether any contractor had been called upon to pay' a penalty for lato delivery of uniforms, but he would obtain the information desired if the hon. member gave notice, of his question. ALLEGED SEDITION. A LECTURER AT WAIHI. Mr. A. HARRIS (Waitemata) asked the Prime Minister, without notice, whether his attention had been called to an article printed that morning in a Wellington newspaper, stating that a lecturer .at Wnihi had advised his hearers at Sunday and other meetings to destroy machinery and other property of their employers. Mr. Harris suggested that it should be possible to so amend the immigration laws that, aliens who preached sedition might bo deported. Also the member for Waitemata asked whether the lecturer in qustion hud not brought himself within the scope of Iho law. Tho PRIME MINISTER: I have seen the paragraph referent to, though I can hardly believe the statement contained in it to be correct; I have referred tho paragraph to the Grown Law Officers for report, to see if the law will meet the case. If the case can bo proved—l am referring to that part of tho paragjaph rhero a man is supposed to have incited others to destroy property, the law will be set in motion and enforced to tho very letter. (Hear, hear.) If the law does not meet the case, Parliament will bo asked to amend it before (lie end of the session.

Following is the telegram quoted by Mr. Harris:—"A gentleman who mis just returned from Waihi, in the course of a conversation with a 'Lytteltou Times' reporter, stated that there was at present in Waihi an American, a member of the Independent Workers of the World, who was conducting daily classes which he call'Econouiic Classes.' The speaker stated that he had attended one of these classes, and had heard the most wicked lecture he had ever heard in his life. The lecturer advised the men one and all to work only when the employers were watching them, and to 'take it easy' at all other times. Those who were working amongst machinery he advised to carry emery powder about with them, and drop it into the oiled bearings, with the object of grinding the parts of the machinery. He also advised them to drop a chisel into the machines as often as possible, to rip the cogs off the cog-wheels. A plug of dynamite was a ussful adjunct to their work, the lecturer stated, and it was to Hieii interests to do as 'much damage as possible (o their employer's properly. This man was conducting a Sunday school on these lines, teaching this devilish iloclrine to little children, and mixing it up with teaching as to where God dwell, lie had a fairly large following, and his tcla.-sps, which were held daily for men and n» Sundays for children, were oil well nttended,"

INFORMATION WANTED. Sir .1. G. WARD (Awania) asked the .Minister for Finance, without notice, lei supply details of the liabilities of the Public Works Fund and State Coal Mines Account, mentioned in the Budget. lk> had looked very carefully through tho tables of tho Statement and could tind none of the detailed items of the;e liabilities, which, in his humble opinion, ought to be there to enable members to understand what the figures implied, lie wished to know what amount of tho liabilities mentioned referred to contracts beyond the year referred to, and also wlmt other liabilities included referred to a period beyond the vear referred to. The Hon. JAMES ALLEN' said that he would be very pleased to supply the information asked for. There was some difference of opinion in the Treasury, and in nearly every Department, as to what was meant by n liability. FIRST READINGS. The following Bills were read a first time:—Abolition of Tied Houses Bill (.Mr. J. IF. Bradney), National Provident Fund Amendment Bill (Mr. H. G. Ell), 'Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Bill (Hon. A. L. Herdmnn), Waihou a.nd Ohinemuri Rivers Improvement Amendment Bill (Bon. W. Eraser).