PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1836, 23 August 1913, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

A DAILY SUMMARY. .The Financial Debate in tho Houseof. Representatives reached its termination yesterday afternoon and the remainder of a sitting which lasted until nearly 1 a.m. was spent in discussing the first item on the. Estimates. When tho'Houso met in the afternoon tho Defence Committee.'which is inquiring into problems connected with the administration of the Defence Act, was granted four weeks' extension of time in which to report. A question without notice by Mr. Seddon (who asked tho Minister for' Mines whether ho would appoint Mr.-Webb to the Mines • Committee) drew from . Mr. Fraser a forcible protest against, what ,he described, in effect, as a growing tendency' to abuse tho privilege of questioning Ministers without previous notice. The' Financia- Debate entered what was destined to ba its final stage at 2.50 p.m. Mr. Atmoro opened with a speech almost entirely critical of the Government. Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh followed .with an equally critical survey of some "'aspects of tho Government's policy. Ho spoke in the explosive style for which ho is noted and enlarged upon the scarcity of land for settlement and various other topics. Tho Prime Minister rose to conclude tho .debate at 4.5 p.m. In the hour that fallowed ho vigorously defended' many details of the policy of his Government, and found time to administer numerous shrewd knooks to his political opponents. Attimes he was noisily interrupted, but he cheerfully bore down all opposition and made point after point against his political opponents in a way that they did not eeem to enjoy.- Concluding his speedh, Mr. Massey submitted a string of Shakespearean quotations as desoriptivo or various members of tho Opposition. When the Prime Minister had concludod there were soino personal explanations, and then .the Bouse went into Committee of Supply upon the Estimates. At 5.15 p.m. it waa agreed to adjourn until 7.30 p.m. At that hoar members embarked upon a long and disoursivo debate upon_ the first item. As is usual on sueh_ occasions, there was a good deal of "washing up" of questions raised in the Financial Debate. Towards midnight Mr. G. W. Ruiss&ll drew a very plain statement from Ji le Hon. A. L. Herdman, when he accused that Minister- of withholding from Parliament tho annual report of the Public Trustee. Mr. Herdman emphatically denied the charge. It was ■true, he said, that he had received from the Public Trustee, and had since i;eturned to th.it official, a rough draft of a statement relating to matters of policy. The Minister also stated that there had been disloyalty on tho pairt of some persons in the Public Trust Office, and that confidential information had been transmitted, to.tho public press and to members of Parliament. The "first was passed at 0.40 a.m., and progress being reported, the House roso three minutes later. In the Legislative." Council the Copyright Bill 'passed its third reading, and the Local Bodies' Loans Bill, tho State Advances Bill, and the Methodist Union Bill were read a second time. The Council adjourned until Thursday next, wlien it is expected that the Imprest 'Bill will come down. After that, Mr. Bell announced, the Council would probably' adjourn until September 8.