PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1869, 1 October 1913, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

A DAILY 1 SUMMARY.

The promise of tho Order Paper was to a great extent falsified when tho Houso of Representatives resumed operations yesterday after its week-end rest. A commencement'upon tho Bills awaiting attention was delayed, and a great part of tho afternoon was spent in tho frothy contention which has become almost a standing feature during recent sittings.

At an early stago tho. Prime Minister sprang, a surpriso by giving notice tb move that on and after October 6 tho House sit on Mondays at 7.30 p.m. A protost was raised by Sir Josopli Ward oil behalf of tho Opposition, but the subjeot soon dropped when Mr. Massey stated that he intended to allot the Monday sittings to the discussions on Local Bills,, tho report of tho Forestry Commission, the Public Service Commissioners' Report, tho report of tho Cost of Living Commission, and similar subjects. Tho Prime Minister indicated that he. intended to put an end to the practico which has' Obtained for some years past of deferring Local Bills until .tho end of' the session, and then sending them up in a batch to tha Legislative Council. ■ 1 Under cover of. a suggestion .that a breach of privilege had been committed, Sir Joseph Ward replied at great length fc> a statement made at Palmerston North on tho previous evening by Mr. A. Harris, member for Waitemata, on the subject of payments of law costs made by the late Liberal Administration to Findlav, Dalziell, find Co., and other firms. Sir Joseph Ward denied that there'had been anything improper about , the payments, and stated that Sir John Findlay had not received a shilling from the Government after becoming a member of the Ward Administration. Having mado and amplified this statement, .Sir Joseph Ward did not seek to proceed with the breach of privilege motion of which he had Bpoken. .Mr. Harris intimated that he stood b,v the statement ho had made, and added that in his opinion it was most impolitic on tho part of the late Government to reward-their political friends as'they had done. The member for Waitemata Bought to put on record the return of law costs from which ho had quoted at Palmerston, but had to desist on a protest by Mr.' Russellj as ho was speaking by the indulgence of the House. • The Hon. R. M'Kenzie next stated that he would movo a breach of privilege motion, but a little later said that he would not do so, but would give notice of a motion censuring the member for Waitemata. Mr. M'Kenzio's motion, however, did not appear when tho proof Order Paper came down in tho evening. Shortly after four o'olock the House turned to the Bills on the Order Paper. The report of the Standing Orders Committee upon tho Legislature Amendment Bill was approved, and tho New Zealand Institute of Architects Bill and tho Local Elections and Polk Bill were both read a third time without discussion.

From 4.10 p.m. until midnight tho House debated the Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Bill, which authorises the Government to raise a loan-of £1,750,000.' Moving the second reading,- the Hon. Jas. Allen spoko of a buoyant revenue_ and a rapidly-improv-ing financial position. Ho stated tliat the increase in revenue had been greater than the . increase in expenditure for the first five months of tho. currcnt financial year. A peculiar, incident, occurred in the late hours. Mr. Wilkinson stated that Sir' Joseph Ward, in the Budget of 1893, declared himself entirely opposed, to borrowing. > Sir Joseph Ward at first denied that he was Treasurer in 1893, but later had to admit that he was, and that Mr. Wilkinson wa3 right. ■ Tho Bill was read a second time, on the voices, just before midnight. Forty minutes wore spent upon tho Hauraki Plains Amendment Bill, which was read a second time. Tho House rose at 0.40 a.m. In the Legislative Council tho only debate of any consequence was on tlio second readipg of /tho Land Tax and Income Tax Bill. Tho Land and Income Assessment Amendment Bill was also read a second time.