THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1521, 17 August 1912, Page 6

THE HOUSE.

OTIRA TUNNEL CONTRACT. COMMITTEE NOMINATED. Tho House met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. Air. 11. J. H. OKEY (Taranaki) reported for tho M to Z Petitions Committee on the petition of Murdoch M'Leau and Neil M'Loan, in which they ask to be relieved of tho Otira tunnel contract. Tho report was as follows:—

That the committee, in view of the urgency of the petition and the importance of the matters involved, is of opinion that a special select committee should bo set up to deal with the Raid petition, and recommends tho House accordingly.

Sir JOSEPH WARD (Awarua) asked what were the reasons for referring this matter to a special committee. Had the present M to Z Committee too much, to do ? • It seemed to him that an important "matter such as this should bo dealt with by the committee to which it was referred. Mr. T. E. T. SEDDON (Westland) said that he, as the member who presented tho petition, had suggested to the Prime Minister that a special committee ought to bo set up to deal with.'sud]. a big raatTho Hon. R, H. RHODES (PostmasterGeneral) said that he. as' Minister in charge of the Committee, had given his opinion to the C'ommitteo that it would lie advisable to set up a Select Committee. Ho recognised that the M to 'A Committee had sufficient ability to deal with the matter, but it had so much work that they could not give the attention necessary to investigate this important matter. Mr. T. H. DAVEY (Christchurch East), a member of tho Committee, assured tho House that tho Committee had not timo to give the necessary attention to tho question. Mr. H. J. H. OKEY (Taranaki) agreed that a Special Committee bo set up. The Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Prime Minister) then gavo notice that ho would movo to set up the following Select Committee:—Messrs. Davey, Lee, Nosworthy, Okey, Reed, Seddon, Veitch, Sir Joseph Ward, tho Hon. R. M'Kcnzie, the Hon. W. Fra«:r, and the Hon. W. F. Massey.