THE HOUSE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2514, 15 July 1915, Page 7

THE HOUSE

1h& House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. Mr.' R. M'CALLUM (Wairau) gave ■ notice to introduce the Food Protection Bill. • TRENTHAM COMMISSION. SIR JOSEPH WARD asked the (Prime Minister .to arrange that all per- ; sons to give evidence/before the'lloyal Commission to investigate affairs v at Trentham shall have their expenses paid.: :' 1 ■ ; ■ , The: RIGHT. HON.' W. F. "MASSEY • i said that to give unlimited authority . for, this would ,be a large order, because . ' it would moan that all t.ho men in camp; 7000 of them, might como to give evi- : 'donee. Ho would suggest that people wishing to give" evidence should apply jto the President of . the . Commission, i and thoy would to called-in the ordinary" way, in which case.thero would ho .no trouble about evidence. Mr. Mas- , j soy stated that Mr. C. P. Skerrett, : i 'K. 0., ,had been retained-to represent I-the mon in camp and their relatives at • 'the. Commission Mr. (Hutt) suggested that witnesses should bo given an op- , portunity of communicating with \counsel instead pi with tho Commission. 1 The Hon,. 'A'.' L. HERDMAN said the ' member for Hutt could be assured that every* possible opportunity should be given to people to communicate with Mr. Skerrett. 'i- !' RANK OF DETECTIVES. Mr. J. A'. IT AX AN (InvercaTgill) gave notice:to ask .tho Minister of Justice: (1) "Whether it be true as reported that tho Minister gave a written promise'. to detectives: of full rank that : they'shouM''have "the status of a sergeant in the uniform branch'. If so, has such promise been given effect to? ;; (2).'Hasra;iiew\systefa : i aealinff .with de■tectives been decided upon? If so, r what , :■ is tho nature thereof? ; ■ * ' FIRST READINGS. Tho Wyndham Recreation Reserve 'Amendment Bill (Mr.-G. J. Anderson), thd Lyttelton Harbour Board Elections . Bill (Dr. Thacker) * The Harbours Act '•1908 Amendment Bill (Dr. Thacker), iThe Tauranga' Borough Council v. Tau- . ranga Harbour Board\Empowering Bill (theHonW. H. Herries); andthe Christ-'- : church Electrioal Supply.: Empowering 'Amendment Bill (Mr. L. M. Isitt) were introduced and read a first time.

.DAYLIGHT SAVINC BILL. ' MR. SIDEY'S "ANNUAL." Mr. T. K. SIDEY (Dunedin South); moved the second reading of tlio Definition of Timo Bill, or as it is better •known, "The Daylight Saving Bill," and explained that, the Jill voiced a national need. For, this reason; lie apologised for bringing the Bill on when only war matters were being dealt with, • but. said that if ho did .Hot bring it on ,:thjs.session he might lose tho only, opI portunity -of 1 tho present, . Parliament. |The Bill provided for moving the clocks of ■ tlio country on for ono hour from, the" iinst/Sunday in November till' the first Sunday in February, thus providing ior a greator utilisation of,daylight •'in ; tlie summer months. /Mr., Sidey said he was quite prepared to put in a, clause making the-Bill inoperative-after half the 'time, if tho experiment was Hot found satisfactory. ' He also agreed I to postpone its operation, till next eum'mer. if it was passed this session. . Mr. G. V. PEAROE (Patea) said that 83 a country member ho had to voice a protest against tlio measure. • Ho felt it woulddo a grave' injustice to tile farmers if it.was passed... , .... . ''Visionary Objections." Mr. A. HARRIS (Waitemata) sup- ; ported the Bill, and said that once it was put into operation he believed many of the visionary objections to* it would disappear. . : Mr. T. AY H. FIELD , (Nelson) expressed his hearty approval of the. proposal, which he Ma would take them, "out of tho rut" of tlieir present methods. _ The principles of tlio Bill : were tried in two parts of his electorate, and great satisfaction, was felt at 'tlio result.

Mr. J. B. HINE (Stratford) moved, as an amendment, that the Bill should be read a second 1 time six months hence... . .. . :

SIR. JOSEPH WARD (Awarua) thought tlie Bill should be fairly discussed and a second reading granted.' It had to bo remembered that there had been a movement in this direction all over, the world. Ho could not ■understand why tho people in this country should not havo the opportunity of knocking off work an hour earlier if they wanted.

Dr. THAOKER (Christcliurch East) thought tho Bill was only being opposed by the farmers, "a lazy, inert mob," who wont to sleep at 10 a.m. and did not .wake -up again till 4 p.m. (Laughter.) He knew what he was talking about, for he was brought up in tho ! country. He got no sick of it that he : moved to the city, 'whfere he was now iproud to represent the "busy bees of industry." (Renewed laughter.) ' Mr. 0. A. WILKINSON (Eginont) took .exception to the : member for Christ-

church East (Dr. Thacker) saying that the country peoplo were "a lazy, inert mob." He hoped tho Bill would have short shrift. This was no time to be dealing with slich unimportant matters. Mr. J. A. HANAN (Invercargill) said that the reform would come, for it provided for a more natural form of living. There was too much night work done in New Zealand, and this Bill would mako for physical development oh tho part of young people.

"The Political Limit." ' Mr. \V. NOSWORTHY (Asliburton) said-he.-could not see his way to support the Bill, for it would be a tax on the farming community. Ho contended that Dr. Thacker's iemarks about tho farmers were "practically the political limit." He expressed his intention of colling for a division on tho .Bill, so that the House could see how it stood' on the question. ■>'... Mr.-J; ANSTEY (Waitaki) deprecated the contemptuous maimer in which tho member for Christchurch East had referred td itlie. farmors as "hayseeds." Ho was doing ,himself 110 good by voicing sudh expressions. . - Dr. Thacker (Christchurch East): I think I should mako a personal explanation. -. . Mr. SPEAKER: The honourable member must state where he has been misrepresented; Dr. Thacker: I have been misrepresented since I have been in the Houso. (Laughter:) He went on to say that in a serious voice he had referred to the. farmers, as'--"a lazy, inert mob." -If tho honourablo members oil tho other side of tho House

The member was not allowed to proceed further.'

Mr. .T, M. WILFORD (Hutt) said that the members who had treated tho remarks of the meniher for Christchurch East as- serious did so -for .the; purpose of putting him in a false position. He

(Mr. Wiiford) had seeii tho "twinklo in the member's, eye" when ho made the remark. (Laughter.) --.. • 1 The, debate, was interrupted by , the supper adjournment. Mr.. G. J. ANDERSON (Mataura) said that' the honourable member for Hutt, had tried ,to dig his friend, out of the hole .he had got into. The member' - for Christchurcli East had been looking for advertising ever since; he liad been here, and now he had got it. The news would go through the colony that the houourable member's opinion of the farming chss was that they wero "a lazy, inert mob." Dr. ..Thacker,' again rising to make a personal explanation, unreservedly withdrew the remarks which had given offence. .. Mr. Sidey, speaking to the amendment, said that ho did not desire a sympathy vote on the second reading. First Division of the Session. ~- 'After further debate, the first division of the session was called for by Mr. Nosivorthy on- the amendment.. The voting was .41: for the Bill and 26 for: the amendment;

The Bill was read a second time. ■The House rose at 10.48 p.m. till 2.30 p.m: to-morrow.