LOBBY GOSSIP

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2192, 3 July 1914, Page 7

LOBBY GOSSIP

AND POINTS FROM DEBATES

DAILY SUMMARY

_ A great part of yesterday afternoon in the House of Representatives was was tod in , a somewhat colourless discussion on sinking funds. Previously, the introduction of a Proportional Represontatioußill by tho member for Wanganui had accounted for about half an ■hour, so, that, with , one thing and another, it was 4.25 p.m. before tho noconfidenco'debate was resumed by Mr/ .J. A. .Young,', member for Waikato. Other speakers who took'part were: Messrs.:. T. E: Sidey, F. Mnnder, JPayne, and HV.J.'H. Okey. Very little -party, licut was generated at any stage of yesterday's proceedings' and the dcbjilo rather moro than threatened at,'times "to. degenerate into a drifting match.". Ideas as to its probnblo duration are somowhat divorgent, biifc it is expected that tho Addressriu-Iteply will bn before the House for another week or so, at ■ aii.yra.tcj and so littlo interest is being-manifested in the no-confidence amendment .that it may'goto a dirision at almost any time. : ' : . The debate.; wns adjourned last night nt 1.1'.-13..'p.in.j. on tho motion of Mr. A. E.. Glover. ;!', '-'...

~'.,.-■ '. The mombers of tho'Legislative'Conn- ".. ■ "■:-pil yesterday;were ocounied in listening ''";o a : very interesting disclosure of the policy of the Minister in charge of immigration, in respect to boy immigration. In ?noWng the second reading of tho Master and Apprentice Amendment .'.. Bill, .the Hon. H. D. Bell vigorously '": replied to the "howling of tho Liberal Press' at.tho timo farm hoys were assisted to this country. Ho was then accused, ho said, of bringing hoys out .■ to slavory, but such accusation was : without.foundntion. The Minister was heartily.. c'amnlimonted beforo the dcbato was adjourned. ...; A SENSITIVE MEMBER. , A point of ordor gave rise to a lively sJiirniish ui the House of Representatives .>laat evening, in which the mehibor ■ for Avon ■figured- prominently,, Mr. •■,'■■,Okey,, member for Taranaki, speaking ■ in the Nd-Coiiiidencs Debate, referred ■... incidentally to tho fact that Mr. lUissell , ivas the owner of C(J,UOO acrc.3 of land, -Mr. Forbes (Opposition Wlijp) there.■;iHioii.>aist>d;n point of order, and obv -tainijfl from Mr. Speaker a ruling that .'.''■■ ;',.»p'jnomber'was.entitlecl tomako oifen- .: '■'-sive.-'reference' to -tho' private affairs of '~ another.-' . Mr. Okeyidenie'd having made any of- ■':;,'; fensivo rererohce, and said that ho had ' ..merely.stated a fact—that tho member .: \ .for Avplt" possessed 60,000 acres of land. '.'•■. : Mr. C. Parata: Worth half-a-crown' . ■an acre,. - : / / -.Mr.-Okey: : Worth half-a-crdwn an ncrej perhaps. ' ■ ..,,', i . ( Air. Buijsall thereujpon rose protesting ■ that, this was a most offensive rafer- •• enco, quoted a Standing Order, and ro- ; :pMttxl Mr.'Speaker to rule. ' ■ •' • The Prime Minister thought that tho point should-bo, settled once: for all. Uver and over again returns had been . asked for, .mostly by members on the other side of tho Hpiise, and those re- ; .; turns had been furnished and contained .the names of members of the House, tho number of acres hold by them, and the yaliio' of the land. Those returns been quoted, from over and over ••■•'- again, and no objection was made. NW ' ~( , : i ^'i fc % 3 r.lglit'-.tp, .prp.vide tßose returns, •^ / -coiitflming,%i,name s , of, tliß,|members for Waipaiva, Wairajapa, and Hawko's Bay and other names-rand on'ono occa- )> won a plan was issued of the estate bt ■'B.gontleman who was .well known in ' the Legislaturo of this country and who was a Primo Minister—if that had ; been done over hnd over again—ho did :■ not approve' of it—then he submifted that the reference of the member for laranaki was strictly in order ' . ■ ■Mγ.- Forbta: Ido not think It is fair that tho private affairs of .members .should, be discussed..' That Standing Order should bo inspected. rho Spaaker did not think that it was, a desirablo thins to,do, but as loug as no offensive reference was made thcro Was no Standing Order to stop

•■ Mr.Russehlf a rotum is asked for 1 have no objection to my name jippear- . ing. 1 hitvo lioVcr niado offensive re-' ffoiicfi to gentlemen ou tho otter Side of the House. To -put a value on my , land was offensive. . Mi;. Massey: I think I am justified in ■J parinn up tho pomfr with regard to tho offensive reference., and the pkciiig of the viiluo of half-n-crown upon ; Jus land. Uio reference camo from , someone behind him, the member for Hurunui, perhaps. Mr. Russell: No, it did not. ' ' Mr. Massoy: The reference camo from ' behind you. , Mr. Russell: No, no. , Mr. Paraia (who sits behind Mr. Biieeell):l said I did not think it was worth half-a-crown an aero. ■ -, Mr. Massey: Ah, and the memben'for Uaranaki repeated' it. ■■■■'■. The Speaker: I do not think we need talk; further on this. The Standing 'Order is plain. ■ ./Mr. Busssll: Well, sir, I wfll got a Jist'of .the holdings of the gentlemen jn the other aide. ' ) Mr. Okcy: lam sorry tho hon. gen- ■; Jleman was, thin-skinned. ~,■' Mr. •■Russell: ■'■•No, I. am not, thin- •" 6kiflned. , ■ ' ■;■-• Mr. Okey: I suppose it is early in tho session, and ho :is ittst. off the erase. /(Laughter.) ' ■ ■ . b

EDUCATING SIR JOSEPH WARD,

'I don't know whether that is correct —I have not cheeked his figures vot and I always check his figures," said the Hon. James Allen yesterday, in reference to torno figures which had been used by Sir- Joseph Ward. "I check yours too," rotork-d tho Leader o( tho Oppdsition. .. .'• "A.vory healthy occupation,for you," wits'tho cheerfill : rojoiudor of tho'Mjnistcr of Finance, "and a good education/ tool" (Laughter.) VO'OOD THINGS DONE." ' "Those- arc- a. few of the good thincs tho Government lias done," said Mr. F. Mifiiuer in the House of Representatives hst- night, after enumerating various Government measures, for about' five minutes. "A 'few!" ejaculated Mr. Russell. "Tell us tho rest." • "Oh, I have only an hour to speak," replied the member for Mar«don. MR. HICKEY ON POLITICIANS. _ Thoro is a prospect of a "snorting intorviow". bntwi'eu Mr. Russell, the meu/bcr foe Avon, nml.Alr. tlicltcy, an odicial of the Federation nf Laiiout \Vhcn Mr.'F. Mandor was speaking in the House- of Itoprcsontatives last oven ins;, he said I hat some Federation ot Labour official, ho thought it wan Mi Hickty, had said "thitt Mnwsy was afi old Tory, tlmt Sir Joseph Ward was worse, und tliat tho 'Hon. lUcketty Sussoll' was worst of nil."' When the ronr of Iniiitlitcr which this provoked liad subsidedj Mr. Kusbcll (who had not joined _ in tho laugh) leaned 'forward in his seat, looking alißry, nnd asked: "Who said that?" Mr. Mandnr ropoatod that ho thought it was Hiekoy. Soon nfterwatda, Mr. Veilch inquired of Mr. Maiidot , : "Do you tako Hiekoy us you. , authority?" ; "No," ropliod Mr. Jlander, "but 1 thoiiitlit it was such a trulhfiil remark — that is why I quoted it." NOT ALL RED FEDS. On the night before last' Mr. Veitch, the Labour member, who had always previously opposed the Red Feds., declared that tho Labour Parties and the Liberal

Party ought io get togother to oust the Maasey party. . Mr. J. A. Young yesterday read n tclogram lie had received from a working man, tho drivor of an express cart, nt Ngaruawnhia. Tho message was: "Please tell Veitch that wo workers who arc not Red Feds lhank God the Massey Government is and was in office.!'

Mr. Voitch: You can have him. He's tho only one. MiVWilford: You had him last time. I don't think you'll havo him again. Mr. Maescy: We'll havo more in Hutt than yon have any idea of. ' After, concluding hie speech Mr. Young received tho following telegram, signed by nine workers at the New Zealand Dairy Association's butter factory at Ngaruawahia: "Veitch's statement ro workers is simply bosh." ABOUT A RUMOUR. Something about what Sir. Joseph Ward was doing' in London before' tho Minister of Finance reached thero was mentioned- by the right honourable gentleman in tho House yesterdajf afternoon.- He had montioued more than onco that he had been in London, when ■'■■' Mr. 0. K. -Wilson interjected: You floated tho loan I ' . ."':'" ... Sir Joseph Ward: I beg your pardon? Mf\ Wilson: You generally get credit for i it. ■ Sir Joseph Ward said that bofore tho Minister of Finance arrived in London hj was soon by leading financial men. At tho timo a rumour was current' in London based on the statement of some Reformers here that the Minister of Finance was coming to float a loan of sixteen millions. Ho had contradicted the rumour, and also ho had done all he could to keep the country's.credit good. ' Mr. NosWorthy: You prepared tho wayP : ,■ ■ Sir Joseph Ward eaid he had done what ho thought right, and what he would do again. Ho would not, under anj- - circumstances,. try to prevent a political opponent from making,a successful flotation of a loan,_ Ho had given an interview to tile Press ill consequence of statements made- which he know to bo contrary to (act. , • .-,: Tho Hon. J. Allen: As to the rumour in London that I was Koing to London to float a loan of,-'sixteen millions of money, I can only say that I was there ■shortly: afterwards, and I never heard a whisper of it when I was in London. I don't know who the financiers wero to whom the right lion, gentleman referred. . -' . ■ , ..:. Sir Joseph Ward:. It was published in the Press of New Zealand" before you left: ~ ...:■.■. .-, ■,: . Mr.Allen: I never saw it in tho Press of Now Zealand. .' . \ . ~ Sir Joseph Ward subsequently, in a personal explanation, said that the probabilities Were that the rumour was based upon tho statement inacje by tho,Minister and others about the- largo amount of loans falling, duo in tho your following. .•:•'■ ■'■'■ COIMOIL TO ADJOURN./ . Members of tho Legislative Council will wait upon His Excellency tho Governor (Lord Liverpool) at ,, 2,20 this afternoon, to present the Address-in-Reply to His Excellence's Speech. Tn the. council yesterday afternoon; tho Hon.; H. D. Bell intimated that later fti tho day he would probably uiovo tho adjournment of the council till tho following Tuesday week Hα desired to proceed with the Legislative Council Bill when the benches were bettor filled than they were then. 'After a ten days' adjournment the business in tho Lmvei iHouso woy)d! I havp,pp,rpgre,ssscl.enough to 'c-nablo them, to. proceed,.withi/tjier im'f portant work thoro was beforo tho council. . ■..'.', ~:■■•.' .•;<;. VICTORIA COLLEGE. Tho Victoria Colloge Amendment Bill, introduced': into tho Houso this . session by tho Hon. J. Allen, provides for /an alteration in the title of tho college, to Victoria University) College, and,tor an alteration in tho constitution' of the council. It is proposed in the Bill that the council shall bo constituted as follows:—Two membei'S ap-pc-intedby the Governor, two members appointed by tho Professorial Board of the College, four members elected by tho 'District Court of Convocation, one member appointed by. tho Wbllhigten City Council,' two members clouted by tho membera of,tho education boards of education districts wholly or partly within tho Victoria University district, one member elected by tho governing bodic3 of secondary schools,. two members elected by. the teachers in puKio schools in tho Victoria University district, holding certificates of competency, and one member oleoted by those teachers in secondary schools and. day technical schools. There is. in tho Bill a proviso that a member of 'the. Protest* sonal Board on tho Council shall not be entitled to vote oh any (judstion beforo tho council directly affeoting,£he salary of any members o'i' the; teaching staff of the college, or any payment due from the council to am- member of tho teaching staff ]". ■

BIC HOLDERS AND SMALL FARMERS.

"I have been in the House for seven years," said Mr.. Okey , (member for Tarauaki), in the House , last evening, "and I don't know, one thing that wo have done'for the. largo landowner except gradually cut off bits of his land. If wo bring' tho screw down much lower wo are goilig to affect a great number of our Worthy settlers whojaro now the backbone :of the country. ■ All our land legislation has been in the direction of dllowihg a man to take up 640 acres of first-class land.' If he takes up 640 acres in. Taranaki, where land stands at £60 or £70 an aoro, you will find that that man—the best class of settler that any country can have—will suffer by the next'turn of tho screw. I fail, to bCo why auy Government' should bring in such legislation; ft would be the greatest possible mistake.-- As far as suudijvsioii of land goefc, I am with you every time. I am, hero for small settlement, ami'l believe ft great deal can be dono for tho small farmer. 'It is of very littlo use for the Government, at present t<, break up largo estates in hilly country, where'every few years there ia a snowstorm, which would mean ruin to small settlers. But if tho Government subdivided somo'of our best land, so , that small men could tako it up, and go v in for intensive Cultivation, that policy would best help the'country's prosperity. I hope to see more of this-class of administration carried on in tho near future." Mr. Okey praised the deferred payment system and advocated its oxtension. ' '