LOBBY GOSSIP

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2200, 13 July 1914, Page 7

LOBBY GOSSIP

THE QUESTION OF THE HOUR , - -Tho main topic of conversation in the .lobbies noil is the Bible-iii-Schools'Ref-;,oreii(luin - Bill., ;. .It . is j almost unanimously ngieed that tho Bill will •pass •,v its.-,second reading in :tho'.-House/,but tf i.t'ioro : uiianimity Sendsv . * It is; certain that, if the -Bill-, gets into i Committee .some attempts will bo mado to alter. t- M l ®'. fotm of the ballot - papery and • to niakb several. separate and 'distinct is- ? sues, instead of tho one proposal sugRested:;in . the- schedule ' of' -. the Bill. >these amendments:will bo agreed i.to. by tho House-, it is.quite mi- ■.... ppssiblo tosay.. > ■; There- are members i\ho mil vot-e , against any /proposal to . i injilxo; Bible : lessons in: schools .possible; -f and.vthete are others nvlio will vote for ■ r .everything that- the 1 Bill: contains. 1 ' On the other haud,; there are those v who ; nr<j.,m favour ;of-undenominational reli- ;■ fiious teachings or Biblo/lessons ,n'the ;VL : iscKpols;7OTnducted\\l>y' , vho _ arev opposed to : giving the ,clersy . ; different denominations - the right.' to ■ enter, tho.-,schools, .and. there are others, ~.. it is.said; iwho. hold exaotly the opposite r. : yiewi The scheme/ known, as: tho Nol-; - soil-system, providing for instruction of ... .children in the. schools . outsido of tho ; ordinary, school hours, will probably find ' .some supporters.; ■ -As 'far-as . can be : \loariied;. however, itrseems ito Jbo quite , clear r . that a majority.? of ' members. are.- - of opinion that some opportunity should -. be . given to the people' of .voting 011 :..-■ some proposal relating to Biblo- lessoiis in schools PLAGUE OF DEPUTATIONS ' .; -Ministers: of the Crown, and especial-' ' 'lv-; the : Prime :: Minister, ':"ard being.scourged..by a plague ,of ■,deputations-:at. '..-'.•pi^nt.<..:-.-:The.othorvorening--Mr;' , Mas-:' , > seyt,warned a-party of\peoplo:,.who had ~ :omeialong to present .in:'person certain resolutions:' from. a conference,',: all" of i hicli resolutions' had'appeared, already, i ; or. would appear -tho: next. day,. 111 the ,■ .speeches - brief,, ,as -that: was - the - sixth. : ...deputation- he had : received; l tliat' day/ • /, On' Saturday,: ivlien. a formidable ;■ array? ■ : ,oropponents -of theßible-in-schnols 'proj, i .Dosals ranged ■;> themselves, 'round: .liitr l .table, ilie ; informed them-, that,vlie chad; ".fmind. it necessary to put a timo limit *?n ■ dcp-.itations,ias lie .■.had.!'found they. - took, up so much of his time that he could, vnofc-.-■ get. ..through his J ordinary work.; .-. He proposed. l therefore, tolimit ijvtheJ deputatiorirto .'.halfan jli6'uriA~;fA's r liappened. -hou-ever;: lie- did-not. enforce; , his, rule • i-igidlv. v,bufc ho ' 'ospressed.lus satisfaction when:.the speak-.-<T4 had -finished;-. It would appear .that ; deputitionists ; in future; who .wislii t(:- . . keen m :-the -.goodi'graces'; of . Ministers ; would be well advised, to»make their rc-" t marks as brief as possible i NON-PARTY BILLS ;>More than in:, all the--.other proposed legislation.of itliis session the rank and ' 1 ; file of ; : members..of"" both <:stdes of'the . House.are-,concerned justnow'abont'the • tno noiirparty measures, .those relating -..to.,tho :BiblcTin-*chofls and to-licensing;. % winch have bpen introduced thisisession. l ! , :It. is .improbable that .the -second, read-: . ing of; the; -Bible-ui-Soliools-Bill; 1 abotw: v , which there is-most speculation; i,Willi be proceeded-with this week. —The Licensing Bill.-.will also probably be'held ovei for another week > f-w-v ANOTHER MARE'S NEST. .: :ln i.the . debate, fon vtho . Address-in- ; Reply a'few days ago Mr L M. Isitt :• read, with .much . show- of righteous in- s dignation-,',:a; -.memorandum agree- . ment to lease :to which the parties were certain Natives and«a European,*.-Mrs; : Elliott; .-, liln s this- El-' .. liott. the agreed -as one of ,tho : . conditions-ofj..tho-lease-of certain lauds - ,au 'Kaikohe .to attempt !to seeuro r the' ,;>■ erection.of .thenew-Kaikoho lion on ; .the property or. near to' lt- .; Mr., Isitt\ declared . that' this -condition : ; Was' .mere ; imposition . on' , the: credulity/ ,of .the; Maoris,-and highly discreditable - to I .the -solicitors wild drew the ment In the House on Friday the Rt.'Hon - :. -W. read the. following^tele-: gram he ; had- received from"Mr:-Oliver. ..Nicholson, solicitor..on the.subject< :-o."E«i | ticulars.iofv'Kaikohe;niattoi l i-nien-'' . tioned in -the Hmrso-bviMr. Jsitt-are as Jollow.i-rv-Mr :^Blom fieldj 1 Uolr : ing for the Native .owners,'interviewed inry client, - Mr.-Elliott:, and- persuaded him to purchase • ono-half interest ui the;; land-in question j, and provide - the Eioiicv.,to. subdivide land as - township, 1 . . and .dispose 'to best advantage as part-" . riership property, < price paid was special' .. hovcinment : valuation; - wliich'' liwas ! higher, than that -of • any,t adjacent .pro--Jiertiv.: ;Agreement: evidencing - thatNatives retained one-half intci est was prepared and deposited -; ,with Maori ; Land Boardj wlio ivero satisfied arrange- ; .nient • was most, satisfactory for Nn'./tues.; : Clause re railway was- insferted I ~t!on. so .as to 'assure; purchaser: doing: . what every .reasonable, person: would do; to. got,best results for; all ■ concernod'- > However, no necessity. aroso;for any ap-- ; -plication to Government, as'railway sito • was found to bo located so near to land ;in question.as to bo as beneficial to same i-as if .actually located on block-. Trans-" s :fei'-.of.whololand n'as ( in .Mfs" ~Elliott's , name, to - avoid Natives'- being ■ ;;ntado parties to ..probably over 100 sales | and save expenses of confir- . -. matioi|s of. nach - traiisactidii . and. other • ' implications, - such: as death of "indivi J . . dual . Native iowners. These' formali- , ties, and complications; would have rendered carrying out: partnership lmpraci ticable., -AV hold of purchase nionpy -for* , . hilf interest actually purchased by Mrs-i Elliott was paid 'Natives; • Transaction 7 was entered into when Sir Josepli;'Ward . was; 'Prime :Minister, !. whose Government knew nothing whatever ,of samo ; . AVholo matter is umquo in. Native-trans-', actions, as Native; owners will participate, equally, with- European purchaser : .^ n -3erived ? * ftuK. , chaser finding alk capital reouired forroadmg, surveMiig, etc, without interest at'-iinst Natnes" Mi;.: Massey. said that" be- believed ...that,the. tplegiani contained a thorough-- ~ '1\ -.accurate„ statement of-the. transaction; .and lie thought; that in' justice .both to the present and the ;lato Goyi" .. ernmclits ;it should: be made public ' '.The names montioned—those of Messrs :■ Nicholson, Parr, and Elliott—norr .. those of ' -very- .prominent Vcitizcns of . Auckland, and lie wns sure that not one .-■. of tlieni would lend himself to do anvthing that was not. thoroughly straight- • forward and above /board. (Hear, hear) ' SENIOR CADETS. 0 ~ The substitution of davlight for night parades in tho case of Senior .Cadets was , -. strongly-urged m; the House 'on* Friday -afternoon by Mr. Young - (Y/aikato). . .He .said that m many cases m tho coun- . .trv, these boys did not rcach home after. tlig parades till .'about' htilfat, night. ' This - was-, not ■i- rlßsirab.lev.vHo; thought . that t.lip parages, shdjild take; place. 1 ; jri: the,. ;day' ..■.time; and.that in tho case of bovs at-, (eliding .school, the. time.': spent;/.: .-it parades should bo counted coual to . school attendance. ■ • Ho was glad t0... ... ihave thc assurance of tho. Ministar that this matter was .receiving* considers--tion