PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1817, 1 August 1913, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

A DAILY SUMMARY.

It might almost be said that the unexpected always happens in polity, terday was nominally private members day in the House of Representatives, ana the state of tho Order Paper justihed a expectation that a solitary local Bill and a number of private measures would aiford the material for a dn tively placid discussion. Instead, tho Kroater part of the sitting was spent 111 a stormy wrangle over tho appointment of Mr. ltoyd Cmrlick as Director ot lhjsical Education. Tho session has not witnessed an occasion on which the parties have been more completely at finance, and for some hours tho atmosphere of tho House was electrical. Many topics were discussed during the afternoon. At one stage referenco was made to the Cost of Living Commission's report. The Prime Ministor promised to pet aside an afternoon for the discussion of this document, and incidentally expressed the opinion that the House had six months' work ahead of it. A brief but interesting discussion took place when the Native Affairs Cominitteo reported upon a petition by tho lessees of some Native land in the north, who desire to obtain tho freehold. No recommendation was made, on the ground that the matter was ono of policy, but in the subsequent discussion the hope was expressed that the Government would short> ly afford some relief to a largo body of settlers labouring under the Bame disabilities as the petitioners. i During tho afternoon the new member for Grey (Mr. P. C. Webb) was sworn-m. He has taken his seat with, the Labour members, on the left cross-benches at the , back of the House. A long discussion took place on the subject of the lake fisheries at Rotorua and Taupo. Divorse views were expressed- as to the best method of controlling the fisheries, but the weight of opinion seemed to be that an inevitable tion is in progress in the size and quality of the trout, and that the fisheries will never fully regain their former high standard of quality. Still another subject of discussion was the report of the Petitions Committee upon a claim for compensation on account of the termination of a wholesale liquor license at Ohokune, _ which the Licensing Committee had in the first place, owins* to an oversight, granted illegally. Tfie Committee recommended the petition to the favourable tion of the Government, and the rep°™ was adopted, but a number of members sounded a clear note of warning andemphatically stated the principle-that where a claim to compensation existed a looal body the local body and not tho StatS should bo responsible. , The Public Trust Bill, an important measure giving effect to r«commend£ions of the recent Public Trust Commission, was introduced by Governor s Messago and read a first time. , The last' hour of the afternoon witnessed the parties at grips, a proposal by the Hon. A. L. Herdman to set up a Committee to inquire into and report upon Opposition criticisms of tho appointment of Mr. Royd Garlick as Director of Physical Eduoation providing the material for a'great deal of embittered - C °M^ n Wiiford and other . members who opened fire for the Opposition, while they asserted that the Government vra3 proposing to set up a picked Committee in order to • whitewash tho Minister for Education (by whom the appointment was made), affected ta meet the proposal in a jocular spirit. Mr. Wilford, in parhcufar, was jubilant. He had an Mdioiico and gave every indication of happiness as he told members what a good tunc, he would have cross-examining the Minister for Education. T At the evening sitting, when Ml. -isitc carried on the debate before crowded galleries, the Opposition Btruck a so™?" wlmt different note. The burden of their talk now was that in setting, Committee the Government was intent_on applying thft gag" and stifling criticism. five Hon. F. If. B. Fisher and the Brimo Minister successively replied to the storm of .talk projected at tlle f P art l from tlie'other side,' and eachcanto oil well in exchanges with • the Opposition. Two members of the committee withdrew their names, and were replaced by other members, Mr. Veitch pleading volume of work and Mr. 'Malcolm that his office of Chairman of Committees made it undesirable that ho should serve upon a committeo likoly to 'be involved in party strife. . , Immediately after the resumption at 10 p.m. the Housa went to a division upon an amendment by ill'. Atmore that tho name of Mr. Buxton should be substituted for that of the Hon. A. L. Herdnrtm upon the committee. This proposal ■was negatived by 3G votes to 20. Subsequently Mr. Hwdman offered to include tho Hon. J. A. Millar in the committee, and the offer was accepted by the Opposition. The committee was sot up without further discussion. It was 10.10 p.m. before the first Order of tho Day, a Christchurch local Bill introduced by Mr. Davey, came up for consideration. It was Tead a second time after half an hour's discussion. The only remaining item ot business wa9 the execution of Mr. Wilford's Gaming Amendment Bill. When it came up at 10.45 p.m. the member for Butt asked the House to spend a couple of hours in disoussing it, but tho Prime Minister insisted on, movinjf the adjournment, and the House rose at 10.49 p.m. In the Legislative Council the debate on the Reform Bill went on smoothly, but by way of a change a fair number of speakers supported the Bill. Tho speakers of the day were the Hons. R. A. Louglinan, C. M. Luke. J. Duthie, J. T. Paul, John Barr, J. E, .Tenkinson, and J. B. Callan, of whom all save Mossrs. Loughnan and Jenkinson supported the eleotive principle contained in the Bill.