THE FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1830, 16 August 1913, Page 6

THE FINANCIAL DEBATE.

REFORM FINANCE.

HON. JAS. ALLEN DEFENDS HIS POLICY.

The House of Representatives met ;at 2.30 p.m.

Air. J. HANAN (Invorcargill) gave notice to ask the Prime. Minister whether lie is for or against, a referendum on the Biblc-in-schools question.

Mr. Hanan . also gave notice to ast for a return giving particulars of officers in. the Publio Service receiving .£3OO a ybar or more, who had been allowed to continue in the Seryic6 after reaching tho retiring age of C 5, the return to state t!ie reasons for which such, officers had been allowed to remain in the Service. ; THE EXACTIONS !,0F BREWERS. Mr. J. H. ESCOTT (Pahiatua) gave notice to ask. the Government whether, seeing .that so many hotelkeepers are forced by' high rents and monopoly conditions into breaking the licensiug law in their endeavour to pay the brewers' exactions, the Government would make it mandatory that all leases of hotels shall require tlie sanction of the local licensing committee. SIX DAYS A WEEK BILL, THE TAKING OF EVIDENCE. Mr. J. H. BEADNEY (Auckland West) moved that the Labour Bills Committee be allowed to sit that afternoon. Mr. D. 11. GUTJIKUO (Oroua), Chief Government Whip, opposed the motion, on','the ground that it would unduly reduce the attendance of members in the House. Twenty members would be sitting on committees, that afternoon. Mr. -J. PAYNE (Grey Lynn) moved as an amendment that the Committee 1 be instructed to Teport ■ within fourteen days. There was an opinion amongst the people he represented, _he stated, that tho Committee was being nsed to kill the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill, (tho Six Days a Week Bill). The PEIME MINISTER said that, he scarcely liked tho idea of any committee sitting in the afternoon, but in this case the circumstances ivere exceptional. Two witnesses from Rotorua. were anxious to get back by to-morrow's train. Most of their evidence had ..been taken. Under tho circumstances he would not oppose the motion. . At the same time ho considered that thoy were going rather too far in allowing committees to sit while the House was sitting. • They .were in /for a heaVy session, so far aa committee n;ork was concerned. Tho Prime, Minister added that he did, not think' it possible for the Committee to report within fourteen day 3. A verygreht.dcal of interest was'being taken in the Bill, and people who were anxious to come .forward awl give evidence should be .afforded an opportunity of doing so. The Committee was sitting upon two days a week, instead of once a week as usual. ... . •-MV •V. TT nT;»\"R.TT flniri f.hnfc

•Ilr; E. H. CLARK (Chalmers) said that one witness who had come to Wellington represented some hundred "'of- : workersin Dunedin, and ho wag anxious to give his evidence and get away that night. Mr. Ct. AV. RUSSELL (Avon) endorsed what the Prime Minister had said. The circumstances in the present case being exceptional, he would not oppose the motion if it were clearly understood that the Committee was not to be allowed to •<, sit every, .afternoon.;, The.Prime Minister: Oh, no; to-day. only/ ' 'i Mr. Russell said he thought that the. lion, member for Groy Lynn was not quite „wise, in seeking to limit the'time for tho report, to bo brought down. The session -.would- -be <i long one, and there would bo ample time'for full evidence to bo taken. _ - - Mr; Bradneydeclined- to accept the amendment;' it would take weeks, he said, to go through.the evidence already'in sight, .. ~,, . 1" The amendment- was negatived on the voices, and the Committee was granted permission to sit in. the afternoon. " "~<>THER'-QUERIES. Mr."'H."6. ELL 1 (Chri'stchurcli South) gave notico to ask the Postmaster-General whether it was true, as reported, that * slot telephones of foreign manufacture were being imported to take , the place of those now .in uso. • . Mr. T, M,..WILFORD (Hntt) "gave notice to ask the Attorney-General whether lis would, add a clause to the Municipal Corporations Bill to provide that all kinematoCTaph operators in towns of over 5000 population should be licensed by • cal authority. The object of such a clause, he pointed out, would bo to ensure that the operators were all competent, and that the public would be protected from danger of fire.