PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1822, 7 August 1913, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

A DAILY SUMMARY. Tho overshadowing orent in tho House of Representatives yesterday was the introduction of the Financial Statement, a document which has been awaited with keen interest for gomo weeks past. The Statement, however, did _ not make its appearance until tho evening. According, to tho Order Paper the afternoon was set apart for tho bonefit of private members' Bills, but these measures woro oaco again denied thp need of consideration to wlu'ch they axe supposed to be entitled. Nearly an hour was takon up in a discussion upon the subject of the smallpox epidemic, which was chiefly interesting as showing th.9 wido divergenco of opinion as to the gravity cf the epidemic which obtains in the House. When tho discussion threatened to develop into a debato upon rumours, it was stopped by tho .Minister for Public Health who had some indignant words to say about a too-ready acceptance by 6ome members of unverified rumours. Mr. Rhodes admitted that the epidemic in the north had assumed a graver aspect and stated that he intended at once to dispatch Dr. Vnlintino (Chief. Health Officer) to tho North Auckland district. Tho rest of the afternoon wea spent in a first-reading discussion upon the Education Amendment Bill, a private measure introduced by Mr. Brown, member for Napier, amd having for its declared object the granting of increased salaries to school- teachers. Opposition members, with' a single voice, denounced thp failure of the Government to remedy tho grievances of school teachers, but the attack was rolled back when Dr. Newman and other mpmbers retorted with a statement that tho profession of tho school teacher was the worst-paid in tho Dominion because the education system had been 6tarved for twenty years past _by the lately deceased Liberal Administration. Tho Minister for Education effectively developed and enlarged upon the same theme when ho spoke a little later. In addition, he accused the Opposition critics of hatching a plot with intent to forestall an announcement on tho subject of tea«h«rs' salaries which would appear in tho Financial Statement that evening. Somq Opposition members, notably Mr. Hanan, became very warm under the Minister's stinging denunciation, but Mr. Allen boro down all opposition in a 6peech which, was full of fight from first to last. Mr. Brown's Bill was talked out at 5.30 p.m. \ • The Financial Statement was introduced in the evening immedately after the dinner adjournment. The reading of tho Statement by the Minister occupied exactly one hour and 22 minutes. Afterwards the Estimates, accompanying the Statement, were referred to the Public Accounts Committee (which was instructed to report within 11 days) and it was agreed that the Financial Debate should begin on Wednesday next. The House rose at 9.2 p.m. - In the Legislative Council the Reform, Bill was referred to a Select Committee for consideration and report. _ Several public Bills were read a first time, and Wo private Bills were read a third time.