LOBBY GOSSIP

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2209, 23 July 1914, Page 7

LOBBY GOSSIP

AND POINTS FROM DEBATES DAILY SUMMARY; Proceedings in tho House of. Representatives yesterday wore unexciting. Most of tho afternoon-was spent in discussing Ministerial'replies to questions, ''and a great pa/t of the two .hours set aside for this purpose was ''expended in a party wrangle on tho subject of railway construction. Thcro wa3 also a good deal of talk about pensions, and tho Hon. F., M. B. Fisher intimated that . the Government contemplated some further extension of benefits under tho Pensions Act. ' . The whole of the evening sitting was speiit.in the second reading debate upon Mr. M''Callum's Betterment Bill. Eventually the debate was adjourned, and the House rose at 11.25 p.m. Tho Legislative Council held a long sitting,; and considerably advanced the discussion on the second reading of tho Legislative Council Reform Bill. Eight speakers took: part in tho debate, the Hons. J. MacGregor, W. C. F. Camcross, 0. Samuel, G.. Jones, A. T. Maginhity, C. H. Millii, R.. Moore, and J. Barr. At 10.12 p.m..the Hon J. T. Paul moved the adjournment of the debate.

.'"..' DEFENCE DEFAULTERS. '.-. Tho member for Grey, whose sympathies with the anti-militarist movement aro well" knowii, had something to say in the House yesterday about tho punishment of defaulters under the Defence Act by divesting* them of the' right to vote.'- . He asked , the Minister of Defence to remove the disqualification imposed already on a. number of young ii.men, and urged'that the clause under which such a punishment was imposed should be repealed. Ho suggested, however, that from a party ; ppiut of view it might bo wise for the Minister to withhold full rights of citizenship from these young men. -.'',... The Hon. J. Allen said the member for Groy had put forward-a prejudiced statement of the case, in stating .that the: Government had framed a law. to deprive certain people of votes . who might exercise .those votes against tho Government. ■ The fact was that the clause to-which thei member for Grey took exception was in tho Act of 1909, put there by the right'hon. gentleman whom Mr. Webb now supported. And tho original clause made it possible for ■young men to bo deprived or their civil rights for an unlimited time, even for life, but the Reform Government had repealed the clause and substituted a new one to put a limitation on the_ period for which a man might bo deprived of civil rights—a period not exceeding ten years." He.was sorry' the 'honourable gentleman's mind was so prejudiced— that' party politios had. so completely swallowed him up—that ho should'havo forgoteen that tho Reform Government had liberalised the law. But if- these young men ■ broko the law they must stand the consequences. Tho magistrate hearing the case, and not tho Minister or the Government, decided whether civil rights should be taken away. Mr. Webb. Tho magistrates should not have-the power. _ .". _ •■ . Mr. Allen said:ho did not think tho Government should take away ' from magistrates the power to inflict this punishment, \which seemed to him to be a fair and proper punishment for this •sort of offence. In fact, he thought it:was a better punishment than the imposition of fines.' "THE POTATO IS COOKED." ( . . "The: potato is cooked,": thinks the. He-n.O. Samuol with rogard- to >the opposition to tho Legislative Council Bill. The Hon.. ,o;.''.Samuel has been. one. of the.strongest opponents of the measure for an elective Council, and in the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon ho again voiced, his protest against tho measure. In doing so he recognised that any protest, was-futile,'.as the Government had a majority in favour, of the Bill.] Like the old Maori chief of Taranaki, who recognised when ho was hope-, lessly overpowered, he would admit, he said, that the Bill would be passed, and would say, as had been done on the historic occasion 'he referred to', "The potato is cooked." (Laughter.) , A BUBBLE PRICKED. ; Another, bubble of Opposition* rumour was pricked in the House of Representatives. yesterday afternoon. Mr. G. W. Russell:,had a motion -on: the Order Paper: "That there be laid on the table of this House all. papers relating to the sale to the Dominion.Cement Company of the buildings,owned by tho Government at Doubtless Bay and formerly used as a cable station, and in particular the valuation of the Department of th 9 buildings, the original oost, the price paid for them by the purchasers, and th'e'names of the chaiiinan and directors of the aforesaid company." _ When the motion came up ~for'consideration the Hon. R. H. Rhodes said ho had no objection to telling the honourable gentleman what irterest the Government had in the cable, station buildings at Doubtless Bay : That interest was nil. They had.been sold to the.Cemont Company by the Cable Board, and the Government Lad no■thing to do.with tho transaction. The buildings had been offered to\ the Public Health Department for various purposes, but they were not reported upon as suitable, and thoy were not .purchased. . •'.''' ,The Prime Minister suggested .that Mr. Russell ■ should. withdraw his motion, seeing that it would bo futile to insist on going on with it, but Mr. Russell did not withdraw,' and tho motion was put. There was a loud chorus of "Noes." and it was declared lost. Mr. Russell guffawed 'oudly, hut there was more uneasiness than merriment in his laughter. ;.-'•- ELECTiON YEAR! Evidence that this is election year, if such wore necessary) was furnished in plenty in the House of .Representatives yesterday. The Hon. RAM'Kcnzio protested against tho stopping of work on the Glenhope-Murchiso'n lino, and declared that all over the South Island ■railway works were being stopped. He quoted, some figures to prove his contention by showing that "the niunbcr of ■men omployed on railway work's was lower than it ever had been before. In his protest ho was supported by Sir Joseph Ward, who spoke with show of concern of the number of men ho had seen carrying swags in his travels through the country. Mr. Almore and Mr. Colviu both accused tho Minister of neglecting railways in constituencies represented by Oppositionists, while ho was at tho samo time authorising new lines in districts represented by Government members. . •The Hon. W.. Frasor- (Minister of Public Works) remarked upon the agitation:—"l am reminded, if there was, tho least chance of my forgetting, that this is election year." Ho made the explanation which he has already frequently made, that tho lino from Glcnhope to Murchison cannot bo continued ■until Parliament has appropriated a sum for the work, and that as soon as the money is voted the work will be recommenced. He had told the people of the district this long ago, and they fully understood. He did not propose, lie said, to put members right, if the position were mis-stated again as it had been. Tho allegation regarding shortage of men on the works was, he said, groundless. The figures quoted by tho momber. for Motucka wore misleading, becauso they referred only to co-opera-tivo labourers, but since' tho adoption of the small contract system on somo works a great number of men actually on the works wore in the employ.of the contractors, and not in the employ of' tie State. Tlwro wae also the fnot that

several largo tunnels were in course of construction, and it was impossible to employ so many men in tunnels as on open works. It was not desirable that whilo tunnels were in course- of construction men should bo employed at earthworks beyond them until the tunnels wore reasonably near completion.

CUSTOMS TAXATION. Tho.determination of Opposition members to substitute one thing for another is at times very marked. In tho House yesterday, Mr. Ell (referring to tho period during which tho Reform Government has been in office) spoke of "an increaso in Customs duties." Ho.was at oncp corrected, at first quietly, and theii .insistently, by the-' Minister .of Financo, and other members, but for a time persisted in using the phraso "an increaso of Customs duties,'' and repeated it several times. "Therelias been no increase in Customs duties,", said Sir Walter Buchanan, and the Minister of Finance adviscd.Mr. Ell to talk of something ho knew about. Finally-Mr. Ell gave way, and substituted "an increase ,in rovenuo from Customs'duties," but ho did so protestingly, and evidently wished to contend that "increased Customs duties" and "increased revenue from Customs duties" were to all intents and purposes tho samo thing.-

PENSIONS FOR THE BLIND. . "Provido for tie blind on this occasion," said Mr. Anderson in the House of Representatives yesterday, when the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher was. discussing the possibility of extending pension benefits: • . The Prime Minister: That means the other side- of the. House. (Laughter.)

TOO COSTLY. "I don't think a railway to cost. £25,000 or £30,000 a mile is one that I should ask this House to vote money for," said the Hon. W. Frasor, Minister of Public Works yesterday, referring to the .Gisborns-Motu railway. Ho explained that the lino had been pushed as far as he thought advisable towards Motu until an easier routo was found. In tho meantime the vote for the East Coast lino would be spent on the section between Tauranga and Opotiki. This'line he thoroughly behoved in, cause it would open up a wide extent' of fertile country, 'and allow settlers an- opportunity to market their produce, | • ■

THE LICENSING BILL. Tho -Licensing Amendment Bill will probably not be before the House again until Tuesday next. ■ It is practically' certain that its passage' through its next stage (Committee) will not be easy. It is said'that if the Bill ever reaches tho Upper House it will bo supported by a majority of five.