LOBBY GOSSIP

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2210, 24 July 1914, Page 7

LOBBY GOSSIP

>■ AND POINTS FROM DEBATES DAILY SUMMARY It was expected that private members' Bills would occupy tho' attention of tho Houso of Representatives yesterday. Thursday is local Bills day and when there aro 110 local Bills on tho Order Paper it is usual at this stage of the session (provided Government business does not intervene) to mako Thursdays available for private members' Bills, pn this occasion Government business was brought before tho House early in the day in the shape of an! Imprest Supply Bill. About half an hour sufficed for formal business. Ans'vering Mr. Wilford, the Minister of Education said that tho Education Committee would no doubt grant ample facilities to those desiring to give evidence on the Education Bill always with, the reservation that the Bill must 110t .be unduly delayed. The Prime Minister informed Mr. Russell that the Motor Bill would not be gone on with for some weeks and .promised to consider a suggestion by that member that the Bill should be referred to a Committee.

Tho .Imprest' Bill was introduced at ten miuiites past three; and t'liero. was an instant protest from Sir Joseph Ward on the ground that the Govern-ment-had sprung a surprise on the House and had not observed the usual practice of notifying the Leader of tho Opposition that an Imprest Bill wag to be introduced.,; Mr. Massey replied that it was Sir Joseph Ward who had fir ft departed from the courteous observances of the House by neglecting to give. notice of his recent Want-of-Confi-dence Amendment. It was the first time in the history of the New Zealand Parliament, the Primo Minister declared, that such a'lack of courtesy had been displayod and he had been actuated on the present occasion by a desireto bring home to the Leader of the Opposition a proper sense of his lack of aiurtcsy. ' - .

Apart from some brief passages on the subject of unemployment most of the Opposition members, who carried on the debate during the /afternoon spent their time in trying to find-new ways of saying, what they thought about the "action' of the -Prime Minister: in taking them by surprise. .

/For ;the last half-hour of the afternoon _ the debate ran placidly on the question of the Auckland site. Until the House resumed in the. evening it was considered quite likely that the debate might die out at'an early hour, but this expectation was defeated and disoussioii continued spasmodically upon various topics "until the small hours were reached. Railway construction', finance, and the Legislative Council were .discussed in 'turn, but upon tlio whole the proceedings for hours on end were dull.

It was only when the Hon. F. M.' B. Fisher rose after midnight that matters became really lively. His speech was tho best of the debate, and" was not so much a defence of t'lie Government as 'a scathing indictment of the Opposition.

The Legislative Council Bill went through the second reading in the Council yesterday by 24 votes to 8. Tlie Speakers were: Tlie Hons. J. T. Paul, Captain Baillie, W. Beehan, and I AV. Earnshaw. ThoHon.H. D. Bell briefly replied. The'Bill will be committed on.-Tuesday: ■■ ■• ■

THE REFERENDUM BILL. , , The Education: Committee of : 'tho'' House of Representatives will moet today at, 10.30 a.m; to hear evidence upon the .. Religious Instruction in Schools Referendum; Bill. In addition to witnesses already arranged for, the Com'mittee has agreed to hear a representative of the New Zealand Teachers'' Institute. Eight witnesses in all will be heard,, four of them 'representing the Bible-in-Schools League,. Professor Hunter and Mr. Foster, representing the National Schools Defence League ; Bishop Cleary, representing the Roman Catholic Federation; and one witness from the Teachers' Institute. Tlie witnesses will be permitted to cross-ex-amine. each other through tho chairman of the Committee (Mr. G. M. Thomson), and the proceedings are expected ;to' bo interesting.- The 1 Committee will hot, only consider tlie question of the. desirability of applying the' referendum to sucli-a question and the haturo and form of : .the, issue to be submitted to. the people, but tho desirability of having Bible reading in State schools and tho right of the clergy to enter .the schools during; school hours and give denominational teaching,

BANK-NOTE AND TOTALISATOR . TAX. '■ A return was (aid before the House of Representatives yesterday showing tho amount of taxation collected each year since tlio increase of the bank iiote tax came into operation •in 1909, and also the taxation collected each year since the increase was made in the totalisator tax. \ The return' showing tlie amount received as bank composition for the five years ending March 31, is: £ ■ 8. d. 1909-10 ............ 35,486 10 7* . 1910-11 48,782 16 1 1911-12 48,996 9 9 1912-13 51,429 10 2 , 1913-14 50,229 19 '2 'Collected at increased rate for three months. ' . Totalisator Tax. : .' £ s. d. 1909-10 / 29,855 3 4* 1910-1 54,714 15 1 1911-12 75,294 14 5 1912-13 88,629 2 6 .. • 1913-14 ............ 100,1311810 increased rate came into force on March 1, 1910. FINDING WORK. Unemployment and distress consequent upon it, especially in Christchurch, was mentioned in tho House of Representatives yestorday by Mr. H. G. Ell, and tlie lionoarable member seemed to suggest that the' Government had not done its duty in finding work for men Who were in need. :

The Hon. W. I'ra6er protested indignantly that ho % bad not boon failing in his duty in this _ respect _ Some weeks ago, because, of information he had received that there were numbers of painters out of work, in Wellington and Auckland, lie had authorised tho expenditure of considerable sums on tho painting of public buildings in these centres. Several weeks ago lie had given instructions to the Public Works officers in the various centres to find work for labourers if possible. He had undertaken to find work for men out of employment, but in many cases;the men would not go to it. Tlioy would not leave tho towns. . Ho had, howover, placed, a number of men upon works in different places. There had been for a considerable time work for 100 men' at tlx© drainage works at Riuigitaild swamp, but the men were not coming forward. Mr. Myers: Wlint are the wages? Mr. Fraser: I don't know, but I believe they are tho same as the ordinary wages current in the country. lie ex- ! plained also that tho fares of men were paid if tlioy wero being sent to distant works. Sir Walter Buchanan quoted a case of some unemployed sent up to some road works in tho Wairarapa. Tho men arrived on a wet night, and were put up comfortably at .a sheep station, but because of that.little temporary discomfort many of the men decided the next morning to leave the work and go back to town: What could be done with men who would not leave the tcivne tti take

buch work as was offering iu the country?

Mr. J. V. Brown did not tliink "digging in a swamp iu the middle of winter" was very attractive work. The Minister should find some other employment for men out of work

Mr. G. AV. Russell accused the Government of "callous indifference," in regard to unemployment. Mr. Payne had previously said something to the effect that the Government showed their real attitudo towards the unemployment question by refusing to assist his Right to "Work Bill, and Mr. Russell, who acts as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, supported the membor for Groy Lynn in this accusation.

REFORM CANDIDATE FOR EASTERN MAORI SEAT. A representative conference of Natives from the Eastern Maori electorate, which has been sitting in' Wellington for a week past, has selected Hetekia To Kani Pere as tho Reform candidate to opposo tlie Hon. A. T. Ngata at the coming election.'

' The delegates who attended the conference were: Hani Tupata, Kaniera Erihana, Hono Ptiriri, Mohi To Atahikoia, Kewi Tutu, T. Pomare, Haso Nikora, J. H. W. Uru, H. Kaliuroa, Kawalio Wini'tara, Ohief Mota Taupflki, and G. It. Ball.

The claims of about a dozen possible candidates wero considered by tho conference; and tho selection of Mr. Pore, represents tho unanimous decision of delegates representing a large proportion of the electors of the Eastern Maori district. Yesterdav a deputation from tho conference .waited on the Prime Minister and reported tlio result of its deliberations.; Mr. Massey agreed to accept Mr. Pere' as the official candidate of the Roform Party.

Mr. Pore is a son of Mr. Wi Pere, who was formerly a member of tho Lower House, and later of tho Legislative Council. He was born in Gisborrie, and U widely known and highly popular amongst Native residents in tho extensive district in which he will now seek election as a representative'of his people in Parliament- He is looked upon as a vary strong candidate, who will fifht tho election with good prospects of success. '

THE LICENSING BILL. A prominent No-License advocate in the House of Representatives stated yesterday that, the party was encouraged by the successful passage of the Liccus-, ing Bill throiigh its second reading, and was determined to leave no stone unturned with a view to getting it placed on ,the Statute Book. They had recognised all along, he said, that tho difficulty .before'them wa3 not so much the securing of Parliamentary support as the overcoming of the influence of the Trade. The party recognised that'there was still a danger of tho carrying of amendments in Committee which might securo tho rejection of the Bill on the third reading. It was also recognised that tli6 Bill embodied all that the present Parliament could be expected- to grant. .Indeed, to such an extent did this feeling exist that ■ some prominent Prohibitionist M.P.'s would even go the length of opposing an amendment providing for a bare majority vote. Tlie reason for this was that they know that if'bare majority were put into the Bill it would bo killed later on. Tlie Prohibitionist member referred to seemed sanguine of success, but the weight of opinion amongst his_ fellow' members scarcely bears out his optimistic .prediction. Certainly the Bill is not likely to become law during the course of tho wesoiit Parliament. Opinion in tlio lobbios leans to the view that opposition to tho Bill in Committee will take the form rather of an attempt to bring '.abmitpa. deadlock than of ordinary inartistic;obstruction,The a deadlock being reached is heightened by tho fact that-twc. or threo of the. members who voted for tho second read-, ing of .the Bill wish''to see the local option issue eliminated at the triennial licensing poll. . ,

HUTT PARK. The Local Bills Committee recommended to the' House of Representatives yesterday that the Hutt Park Amendment Bill (Mr. \Vilford) sliould be allowed to proceed ' The. Bill provides that,'notwithstanding'anything in the principal''Act, the Hutt Park Committee is empowered to permit horses to he trained ujjon any portion of tlie Hutt Park set. aside by the .committeo for that' purpose.

The Legislative Amendment Bill, introduced by Mr. M'Combs, is intended to repeal the clause in tho Legislature Act which debars a woman from being nominated as a Parliamentary candidate. . ...

The-Industrial Unions and .Trades Unions Bill' introduced by tlio same member proposes tliat unions should bo permitted to tiso their funds for political purposes. Another proposal in the Bill is to forbid tlie registration of a second union in tlio same industry, in the samo locality or industrial district.

;_A little passage in.tlio House: Mr. J. Vigor Brown: "1 shouldn't liko to bo in tlio Prime Minister's shoes Mr. Oakey: No liope. (Laughter.)