QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1543, 12 September 1912, Page 6

QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

' THE MARRIAGE LAW DISGUISED. THE PRESS & POLITICS. ./ ■ JR. HINDMARSH'S BILL COMES T0 GRIEF.

'*';'' ■ .x . The House of Representatives spent an ■:l nneventful afternoon yesterday, most of which was spent in' the.usual Wednesday .'.,' discussion upon tho replies made by Alin- !" isters to the questions of members. Soon after the House met the Prime . • Minister gave notice of his intention to '1 introduce on the following day a series of ;■ resolutions affirming the principle of an Elective Upper House. Air. Massey fol- ' .'..lowed up this action by giving notice of the Legislative Council Bill. ' ' .•.,„ Italf an hour in addition to the usual ~-_ two. hours was devoted to the discussion >f'questions,' although these were fewer ~ in number than usual, and most of ! them purely local in character. .-Two questions having a wider interest ■:. ■ rere discussed.. A question by Mr. Anderson brought under review an, alleged , • practice by the State in demanding that borrowers ■ from its lending institutions !■: . should insure in the State Fire Office. The -Hon. Jas. Allen denied that any. compulsion was brought to bear, but re- " marked'that the State Insurance Depart-ment-was given every facility in obtain-1 ing business under these circumstances. 1 „ This answer was a good'deal criticised by > - several members contending that com- - pulsion was,, in effect; practised by the :■'■ ;-. State. '- : - ■•'•' ;■ '_ Another discussion'took place on a pro- ;/ '. posal by Mr.,-Davey .that the House ':-■■■■■ . should begin its sittings in the morning, ;' ', and transact its business in daylight, ;. leaving Committee work to be done in the evenings. Several members supported the -, proposal, but it was opposed as impracticable by a number of tho older Parlia- ' . mentary. hands, among them the Prime' Minister, who said among other things ._ that Ministers would ■ have no time to I '"• transact" their business if the House met ; " ■ in the morning. A fairly general desire :• ~..'. was expressed for-an abandonment cf / .late sittings. On this subject Mr. Massey' ''■' ■ said" that he had no desire to drive • the v . House. ■ When it resumed after the dinner adjournment, the House went into Commit ' ' tee and entered upon' a long discussion of Mr. M'Calhini's Jlarriages Validation I ■'■, vßiil.v'a'-.measure aiming at the validation .-: ~of .marriages 'between..a man and his deceased .wife's niece or a woman and her deceased husband's nephew. . An amendment was inserted to provide that the Bill should be prospective as well as retrospective in operation, and so ''.. amended it was reported from Committee. '■; ' : The New Zealand Meati'Time (Daylight Saving)..'Billwas no sooner called oil in "-Committee at.10.15 p.m. then Mr. Sidey xoved to report progress, stating that his sxperience in the.House convinced him . that it was hopeless for a private member ' .•'■■ ,to expect;to, place the Bill on the -Statute .Book. Progress was reported. ••>■: The Legislature Amendment Bill, a ':■":.;'lure, -introduced by Air.. Hindmarsh, was .".':. co'mmitted' at 10.50 p.m. It provides that .-organisations spending money on behalf of political, candidates must furnish returns of their expenditure, and that polii tical articles and reports published during Election week must bo signed. Discussion upon this measure terminated . ~ irhen a motion to report progress . was carried by 31 votes to 23. Air. Hind- " "marsh protested against tho division on the ground that no progress had been made since the defeat .of,a: preceding motion to report progress, but as his protest ■wa9 not made until the Mis had begun to ring it was ruled out by the Chairman ... of Committees (Air. F. '.W. 'Lang). The "House, when it resumed, discussed the /'•matter for nearly half an hour, but 'the .- . \ . ■ Speaker took the same .view, as Mr. Lang had done, and the division was upheld. '"■'■■ The House tose at 0.15 a.m..