THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1574, 18 October 1912, Page 6

THE HOUSE.

ABOUT A PETITION. SPEAKER'S RULING ASKED FOR, Tho llouso met at 2.30 p.m. Mr. A. M. MYEItS (AucKland East) asked to be allowed to reler to a petition ho had. received lor presentation to tho House. Tho petition retiected upon the credit'of a Juuge ot the Supreme Court, but it did not raise matter which would justify Parliament in addressing tho Governor to remove this Judge irom office. He asked the Primo Minister to obtain a ruling from the Speaker as to whether he would bo in order in presenting a petition. The Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Prime Minister) said it seemed to him that the first thing to do was to present the petition. For his own part he would be very glad to havo the Speaker's ruling. Mr. Myers then presented tile petition, which was signed by E. Langguth, of Auckland, and others. Mr. SPEAKEK said lie would peruse the petition, and givo his decision next day. THE END OF THE SESSION? Mr. A. 13. GLOVER (Auckland Central)' gave notice to ask the Postmaster-General when he proposed to opeu tho Auckland Post Office. The Hon. E. H. RHODES: You askea me to postpone it .till after the end of the session. , Mr. Glover: But I want to know the day. Air. Rhodes: You tell mo when tho bossioii will end, and I'll tell you. Mr..Massey: The seoond of November. . SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK.. IS IT GOING ON' / Mr. R. M'CALLUM (Wairau) said he wished to ask tho Minister for Public Works a question without notice. He had had a message from ono of hi* constituents, he saul, to tne effect that there was a report current in his electorate that all the men. above the number of twenty-five were to bo dismissed shortly from the Mirza works, on tho South island East Coast railway. He asked tho Minister to give him sbino nssuranco which would allay tho panic in the district. If only twenty-five men \>tro to be kept, it would mean that about one hundred men would be put oif, and there was no other work offering in the dis*' trict. The Hon. W. FRASER (Minister l'or Public Works) said tho people in Mr. M'Callum's electorate must bo very nervous , people. All he could say at' present.was that everybody would not be put off the works. If the honourable gentleman wanted to know how many were going to bo put off, he had better wait until the next day, when the Public Works Statement would bo brought down. He had informed other honourable members, and lie would say again that ho would not be drawn to give details of tho Public Works policy. But work would not be stopped on the lino. Mr. G. W. Russell: I notice that all the railways that are being stopped are in districts represented by Opposition members. (Cries of protest from Government benches.) Mr. Nosworthy: That's the old policy. That's what you treated us to.