THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1889, 18 October 1913, Page 6

THE HOUSE.

The House of Representatives, met lit 2.80 p.m. TAXING MOT'OR-CARS. Mr.' G. W. RUSSELL (Avon)* gave notice to ask whether the Government, : in bringing down legislation for Customs duties on imported motor-oars/ ■ . would consider the fairness of exempting from duty motor-cars already sold duty paid for forward delivery. The 'PRIME MINISTER: The GovBrnmont has r.ot yet said that it is going ■ to impose -a duty on imported ; motor-cars. Sir J. G. Ward: Then the stato- . ment in the evening paper was not quite correct? The Prime Minister: I don't oaro ! two pins what the evening paper says. Mr. Myers: What about the Beer Duty Act? The' Prime Minister: That is all right. ' , EARLY CLOSINC. Mr. R. M'CALLUM (Wairau) asked the Prime Minister whether lio would bring in a rule that the Houso should not sit later than 2 a.m. Tho Prime Minister: 'I certainly will toot. 1 THE DEFENCE ACT. MINISTER. ON PROSECUTIONS. Mr. L. . M. ISITT (Christchurch (North) addressed a question without . notico to the Minister of Defence in regard to a youth named Beero, a resident of .•Christchurch, who had been convicted seven' times under the Defence Act 'during tho last' eighteen month's, and was now again being sumtaoned. The young man was entirely dependent upon his own earnings, and had already been fined something like Mr. Isitt quoted from a letter . .■which ho had received from tho Canter- * bury Women's Union, to the effect .that Beere had been prosecuted by the police as an idle and disorderly person, and fined £13 and costs, although he •was really an industrious and respecttable lad. Mr.. Isitt submitted that 'treatment of a lad in this way amount,«d to militarism run mad. The Honi. J AS. ALLEN said that he "was aware of tho case of tho lad men- ' tioned by Mr._ Isitt, and was having inquiry made into it. , Ho wanted to express the opinion—a 9 he_ had done before —that it was not his idea to ■prosecuto the same lad over and over ngain,' although lie was _ continually breaking the law. He had informed tho. ~ Defence Department to that effect, but the Department had not absolute control. The officer commanding the district had ;no doubt exercised his "own discretion in regard to thiß matter. He ■would inform the officer in question of Jiis own opinion on tho subject. PUBLIC VACCINATION. I ' ! FOOTING THE BILL. SIR JOSEPH WARD asked what the position was in regard to the paynfent of numbers of. medical men who had carried out vaccination on behalf of the (Public Health Department 1 . . Ho had 'received a number of letters from medical men, complaining very bitterly, .and wanting him to ask if tho Government was hard up. The Hon. R. H. RHODES (Minister #f Public Health) said that as the hon. 1 was aware, no money had ' yet been voted for the payment of vaccinators., Ho proposed to ask for it ion the Supplementary' Estimates. As soon as the money was available the medical men would be paid. For the Information of mombers, he might stato ttat claims amounting to £8000 had already been received from medical men for services as vaccinators. THE RECENT BLOCKADE. FACTS PUT ON RECORD. SIR JOSEPH WARD directed attention to a paragraph,'printed in a Nelson • paper, attributing to tho Hon. Jas. (Allen a statement that the recent weekend stpnewall by the Opposition , had Inade it impossible.for Cabinet .to mid givo consideration to tho question . bf naval policy. The Prime Minister: It is quite true. Sir J. Ward complained that the statement had been mado in an interview, and would go.on record. He plso called attention to a cablegram from London, published that morning, in which it was stated that everyone. ! .know what the,naval defence policy of. New Zealand "Was. Ho I 'was suro that. 4his did not apply to anything that had transpired during his time in office. It was not right, he contended, to blamo the Opposition for the delay that had occurred in connection with the statement about naval policy. Tho dis-' oussion complained of had not taken place on ordinary sitting days. Tlio Hon. JAS. ALLEN said that he would be very pleased to let it go on record that the Opposition wasted so much time in stonewalling on Saturday that Ministers were not able to meet fin council. Had they been able to fDieot in council on the previous Saturday probably tho final details of _ tho ,'Visval policy would have beon decided 'Upon/ Owing to tho obstructive tactics of the Opposition, Ministers were prevented from meeting, and tho final ,'dotails wero not settled. He hoped' Ithat Ministers would bo ablo to deal twith the matter during tins weok-end. A Protest., Dr. A. K. NEWMAN (Wellington (East) asked tho Speaker to rule as to Sthe dividing line between questions put like that just put by the leader of tho Opposition, and questions 'put upon the Order Paper in the ordinsrv way. Tho SPEAKER said that only urgent questions should be put without notice. Honourable 1 members asking questions without notice should Batisfy themselves In the first place that the questions rnu Id not stand over. SIR JOSEPH WARD asked whether this applied to the Leader of the OpPP Tho°SPEAKER said that the Leader of the Opposition was in the same position under tho Standing Orders aB an ordinary member.. except that ho had Romo special privileges in dealing with , Ministerial statements. , , . \ SIR JOSEPH WARD said that In the past the Leader of the OMPsition^

had always been allowed, at the proper time, to addresß a question to a Minister, and to refer briefly to the Minister's reply.

The SPEAKER Baid that in the present caso tha Leader of ths Opposition had addressed an ordinary question to a Minister such as might havo been put by any other member. • There were cases in which the Leader of the Opposition had a right to address a question without notice to a Minister or Ministers. UNEMPLOYMENT IN CHRISTCHURCH. A DIFFICULT PROBLEM. Mr. H. G, ELL, (Christchurch South) asked the Minister of Public Works a question 'relative to unemployment in Christchurch. He read a letter which stated that there wore a number of men out: of work. Some of them had been out of work for fivo or six months, and the writer had been out for nine weeks. Mr. Ell asked the Minister of Public Works -what provision he was making to give employment for these men.. The Hon. W. ERASER said that on the previous evening he had received a telegram from Christchurch. sent by Mr. A. Hunter, stating that there were many married people out of employment, and asking him if ho could find work for them. . That morning he had communicated with _ tho engineer-in-chief upon question of employment. He had not h'eard of. this before, and no member from Christchurch had approached himon tho siibject, and therefore ho took it that there could not be much in it. In spite of that, however, ho would not let the matter rest, but had given instructions to the Labour Department to find out from Christchurch exaotly what tho facts were. "It is not always an easy matter," continued Mr. Fraser, "to find employment for a certain class of mert. Many are loth to leave tho city, and want employment there. I cannot givo them that. Tho only work I can give them is work in the country— tunnelling or on the roads."