PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1891, 28 October 1913, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

■ 9 i— A PAILY SUMMARY. The House of Representatives sat last night to put through tho local Bills remaining on the' Order Paper/ but this proved to bo a long and dreary business. Tho Auckland Weekly Half-Holiday Bill was tho causo of tho trouble, meeting, as it did, with very serious opposition. Before the regular work of the evening came on Mr. (r. W. Russell asked tho Pf imo Minister whether the Government were doing anything to "ease the unfortunate position" that had arisen in connection with Labour unrest in Wellington. The Prime Minister said the Government were talcing action, but that ho could 1 not go into particulars as to what that action might be—practically the samo answer as he ■mado the previous evening to a similar question by a Dominion reporter. The Patea Harbour Bill and the Wanganui Harbour District and Empowering Bill were put through their remaining stages and passed without further opposition. Then came tho Auckland Bill, about 7.45 p.m, lie Bill provides for a fresh poll on the half-holiday question in Auckland to enable tho electors in certain areas joined to the combined halfholiday district sinco tho poll was taken to vote on the proposal. . Some members were ready enougn to allow tho newly joined areas to tako a poll to' decide the question for themselves,. but they objected to tho question' being re-open-ed for the whole city. Tho Bill was supported also on tho general ground that compulsory Saturday closing had had a calamitous effect on tho business of 'small traders, and that many workers, including some 6hop assistants, were anxious that the shops should be re-opened on Saturday afternoon. Members in opposition based their objections to the Bill on the inadvisability of disturbing the result of a poll regularly taken under tho law, and suggested that the position that had arisen at Auckland should bo provided for by amendment of the Shops and Offices The House was still sitting when Tiie Dominion went to press.. . —■ n w<" «■!-' 11 i' i