POLITICAL NEWS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3123, 29 June 1917, Page 5

POLITICAL NEWS

THE OPENING DAY

HOUSE NOT TO SIT ON TUESDAY

1 Even far an opening day the business of tho Houso was unimportant yesterday. Only questions and natives of motion were taken. To-day tlio customary references will be madoin both Houses to the members and ex-meinbers who luvo died during tho recess. It hap- '< lions that this year tho number is large, and it is improbable that any other business will be taken during tho afternoon. It is usual to adjourn tho House for the day as a mark of respect for tho memory of deceased members, but this cannot be done to-day for two reasons. One is that it is a rule of practice in the House to adjourn for a full day in honour of a Minister, and one of tho men ■ to whom references will be niado is the tho late Hon. j>. M'Nab, lately Minister of Marino in tlie National Oabinet. The other reason is that an .Imprest Supply Bill must bo passed this week, and as the first Imprest Bill gives members their first chance of attacking the Goternment or of stating their grievances, the money is never voted without ft good deal of talk. Parliament will, therefore, close for Tuesday.out of respect ior the memory of tbe late Dr. JJANab, the Hon. George MacLenn, and other cxmembers who havo Jately died. At its rising to-day the House will adjourn until 2.30 p.m. on Wedneday next. SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING. A. formidable show of force was made V the early closing party in the House yesterday by the .presentation of petitions by a number of members. The signatories to these petitions were upwards of 45,000 in number. In effect the ■prayer of the petitions, which are uniform, is that note! bare be open only behveon the houia of 8 a m. and 6 p.m., and there is the alternative request that if the Government is not prepared to introduce legislation to provide for this it should submit tho question to an effective referendum. It is reported that the Trade is anxious to compromise on the question, and tnat it would 1» willing to accept eight o'clock closing. The six o'clock people, however, are confident this year that thoy can carry their point, and most of them are strongly ■opposed to any modification of the demand. The strongest plea in favour of some such compromise as eight o clock closing will be that tho closing of hotels at six o'clock will enforce -prohibition (against soldiers on. evening leave, and , that therefore tho soldiers will have (fewer privileges tbnn civilians. The suggestion has been made that the establishment of wet canteens in the camps would get over this difficulty, but lSr .Tames Allen lias eaid most emphatically that he will not agree to anything ot the sorh _

NO DEARTH OFTOPICS, 1 There was a perfect avalanche of questions in tho House yesterday. The Minister of Defence had to endure the bouiJbarduient to which he must now have tecotno accustomed. Mr. 3. Vigor Brow" asked the Prime Minister to remove bir iJanies Allen, from the office of Minister of Defence, and appoint in his stead a Minister more in sympathy with the soldiers, and possessing to a fuller extent the confidence of the people. Dr. Thacker asked another unpleasant question, suggesting that there were numbers of undisclosed suicides occurring m the camps. Other questions indicated that ■members will have no dearth of topics Jor discussion during tho session. THE BUTTER-FAT LEVY. ! Two references to the butter-fat tax yere made by country members in the House yesterday atfernoon. -Mr. H. J. H. Ukey (Turanaki) gave notice ot tho following motion:—That there Lβ laid before this House a return showing the amount of butter-fat 'tax that has been collected to date, and the estimated amount due to June 30, 1917; the .total iiniount that has been paid and liabilities entered' into to June 30, 1917; the siames of different persons, firms, and companies to whom payments have been made from this fund, showing the amount paid in each case; and amounts that may be owing to the above-named persons firms, companies, and others on June 30, 1917. The other reference was by.Mr. J. A. Young (Wailtato), who gave notice of tho following question to the Prime Minister:—Whether, when the Government decided to levy the butter-fat tax, Cabinet considered the constitutional phase of the question before it resolved to enforce payment to the.State without Parliament having specially considored or consented to the same; and whether, if itlie Government had considered the constitutional phase of the question, he will ■ state fully to the House tho statutory authority under which the tax was levied?

A SECRET SESSION? An interesting suggestion was made by Dr. A. IC. Newman in a question yesterday. His proposal is that a secret session be held in order that Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward may show the actual state of the Allies "in the war, giving the members data upon, which to act during tho session. DAYLIGHT SAVING AGAIN. Several private members' Bills were announced this session. There was quite a loud ironical laughter from tho TaraJiaki benches when Mr. T. K. Sidey gave notice ouce more of his Definition of Time Bill, called always the Daylight Saving Bill. Tho Bill will have less chance than ever of becoming law this session, because things have been coming tho way of the opponents of the scheme since last session. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Tho following motion was given, notice of by Mr. H. .T. H. Okoy in the House yesterday:—"That there be laid beforo / this House a return showing the promise . made to the Homo authorities in connection witli providing men, for tho present war, the return to show: (1) What number of battalions were promised; (2) what reinforcements were promised to keep up the strength of those battalions; (3) what has been the wastage to March 31,- 1917, by deaths, wounded not fit for further service, and any other way making them unfit for service; ;4) tho number of surplus men that has been sent for reinforcement purposes now formed into a further brigade; (5) whether these men should not be used for the purpose they were sent-viz., making up the ' wastage; and (G) the total number of nt men in tho Old Country on March 31, U17."