PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1579, 24 October 1912, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED. -LAND BILL IN COMMITTEE. Tho House settled down into its customary placidity yesterday after .the stormy sessions of tho preceding days. Somo of tho Opposition members were curious about the Hon. James Allen's pro- ' jected :trip to England. In answer to a question without notice, the Prime-Min-ister promised that tho Bill to provide .for'a whole day of rest in every week for hotel and restaurant workers would be ' introduced and referred to the Labour Jjills Committee. . ' The -usual discussion on tho Ministers' (. weekly replies to questions occupied two hours. There .■' was a question on the , Order Paper asking for information about I the proposed importation of a general manager of railways, and this served those Opposition members who aro opposed to the-innovation to discuss and condemn the proposal. It has already been discussed so fully that almost everything I conceivable has been said on the subject, and tho Minister for Railways , refused to be drawn. Ho said simply that an opportunity would bo afforded the House ; later.to deal with the question definitely when the Railways Bill was under review. The fragmentary debato continued until the adjournment at 5.30 p.m. ' When the House resumed at, 7.30 p.m., i tho Public Reserves and Domains Amendment Bill was read a first time. Ten minutes were spent in discussing the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill. A division was called by Mr. Stathaiii on a clause reducing from ten years to- seven the period for which one . party to a marriage must be confined in a mental hospital to entitle the other party to have the marriage dissolved by divorce. '. The clause was retained, and the Bill reported without amendijient. -Members then settled down to considera--5 tion of the Land Bill in Committee. / The tentative' town-planning proposals contained in th'e Bill were upon the Whole favourably received, though, they gave rise to.a lot of talk. The amended land-ballot clause, which gives preference to previously unsuccessful applicants and to -married men with families, was accepted by the House, but j only after an,extended discussion, in the ' ■-~' course of which several Opposition meini bers said that the clause went too far. i . Tlio clauses relating to postponements ..of rent and other concessions to Crown ; tenants went through unamended, with the exception of a clause inserted- by the Lands Committee to meet the case of ': ; holders.of pastoral .licenses who. suffer ,;'•; exceptional loss of live stock by. severity : /of winter anil heavy, falls of .snow. The ', ■• new clause empowered tho Minister and Land Board to increase by not more than ..". five years the term of the license held by : . a p'astoralist "who lias'-suffered in this . way; and Mr. Massey accepted an amendment, proposed by Mr. Buchanan, making i the maximum term for, extension of '■ license seven years instead of five. ■ Progress was reported at 1.55 a.m. after Clause.2o' had been passed. /■ lii. the Legislative Council yesterday a number of small .Bills were dealt with, • and the Public Service Bill was read a third tiine. . ■ . *