PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1907, 15 November 1913, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

A DAILY SUMMARY. Slow progress was mad© by tie House of Representatives yesterday in'the real business of the country. • .The debate on Mr. P. C. Webb's motion to introduce hie Bill —Tho Settlement of the 1913 Industrial Strike and ■Lock-out Bill—was taken seriously by very few members of the House, and it ended in a little comedy. All tho speakers enlarged upon the disastrous •effect that the striko was working in the community, and it was either stated or implied by them that the employere were mainly to blame for it all. Oni this occasion the Government offered no objection to the continnance of the debate, although no members of ftho Government or the Government party took any part in it. Presently the time came for a division, but the Opposition benches had by this time 'almost emptied. The motion to introduce the Bill was defeated by 45 votes to 18. .There was a little more, than half an hour of the afternoon remaining, but it Vas wasted by , a few members, notably Mr. H. Poland, in advobating'tbe teaching in the schools of a certain system of dresscutting, invented by a lady in whose interests a petition had been presented to the House. In the evening the Bank of New Zealand Bill was read a third time, but the third reading debate, occupied two ■nours. New matter was raised by Dr. Newman, who urged that the Minister should use his influence to see that ■ clerks of the bank were better paid. Several members also urged that the fixing of a minimum wage at which clerks might marry ought not to be . tolerated. The Minister promised to Hiscuss both of these matters with the directorate. He stated his own opinion quite frankly, that he- did not believe in restrictions being placed upon young men desiring to marry, and_ he also said that he thought an institution earning huge profits should give Borne of them to its staff. The debate on the third Teading of the Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill was notable for only one incident. Sir Joseph Ward was prevented by the Standing Orders from discussing a question affecting the control of Post and Telegraph officers, and he forthwith declared his intention of introducing a Billon the subject in order to get an bpportunity of speaking .on it. inis is the same- device that the Labour members have been using to introduce jnatters relating to-the etnko situation •into the House, and the same device ■jwhich, as Mr. Massey rominded him, IBir Joseph Ward 'strongly condemned Vhen he was Leader of the. Government. The debate was carriod on until O.dU m.m., after which no new business could ibe taken. In moving the adjournment, ■ Mr. Massey said he- proposed to % ask 'Mr Speaker to announce that on and after next sitting day Bills having been 'introduced could be put through their remaining stages in one day. This brought Sir Joseph Ward to his feot to protest, arid to make again his oft-repeated' appeal to the Prime Minister to say whit Fills he would go on with this session. Mr. Massey said he was unable to say, because he did not know what obstruction would . be offered. Such obstruction had been indulged in by the Opposition as ho had never known in his experience of Parliament. The Public Works Statement would be Irought down next week, and . elsohe would tell the House next week what business he would go on with. The House rose at 1.20 a.m. ■ In the Legislative Council, the com'taittee which had been set up to deal ■with the Amendment Bill presented its report. Important alterations have teen made to the Bill, which .'■■• now..allows ,a'great: deal more time .tor the alteration of tramcars, and which includes a provision to cope with a ' tramway, 'strike. The Temporary ;Em- ■' ployees ' Bill was put through ..all its ''" stages by the.Council, and the Snipping •find Seamen Amendment Bill was fur- * ther considered in Committee.