PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 47, 20 November 1918, Page 7

PARLIAMENT

ANOTHER ADJOURNMENT

THE WORK OF THE SESSION

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

' The Legislative, Council met at 2.30' p.m. yesterday. The Hon. J. G. \V. Aitken moved the third reading of. the John Donald Mucl'arlane Estnte Administration .Umpoweriu2 Bill. The purport of this proposed measure is to enable effect to be. given to the ■will made by Joint . Donald ilncfurlaiic in 1593, when lie ivas. in sound mental health and strength. . The estate is .valued at about i.'S7,OflO, and it is dov Fired to distribute it. among tJie s children of the testator. When the.Bill was first brought down it was explained that its provisions set up a precedent, but in: order that the position might. Mie Ihoroughly considered it was referred to n'solect committee, which reported in its iavour. . The Bill was read a third time and .passed... The Hon. Q; Samuel was elected Chairman, of Committees. .'AP -MO/p.m. the. Council adjourned until 2.3Q'.p.ni. on.Tuesday next. . THE HOUSE ANOTHER ADJOURNMENT. , The House of Representatives met at : XJI:i p.m. » The I'KIJIU; MINISTER =aid he was , going to move that the House should adjourn until 11 a.m. on Tuesday next. It was practically impossible lor tlie .House to . proceed . with business uiulor the prc-sent .conditions. Many members 1 .were ill and others were necessarily aSyay .from Wellington. A';further point for consideration was that : the general! 'prohibition; against the.' holding' of public, gatherings during the coursD of. the epidemic ought to'apply to Parliament.

SJK- JOSEPH'WAiID '(the' Minister of Finance) said that under ordiunrv circumstances he would hot feel timi-Par-liament was justified in adjourning at the present juncture. ■ But eighteen' members had been stricken by the influenza, and other members had sickness in their families. It Would be"unfair to' proceed with tho important business of the session without these members. -' ■ - :

Vu M f''i- v^' B EOWN ;(Napicr)'suggested that the;. House should adjourn for a fortnight, .instead of aAveek" 'as proposed by the Primo Afinister.' The session was being hurried in .order that Air. Afassey •nmll Sir Joseph :Ward might get av.ay to the Peace Conference, but it appeared ■" .-sy. could hot get ,away in am- case, since tho ■sailors-and firemen 'voro refusing to put to sea. with passengers -during the influenza epidemic. The men on the Niagara .had done that. ■ ■-.. .-.hir. Joseph AVaxd:. The'sailors will not show?,funk under any conditions. -Air. Brown said that no from New Zealand had. been allowed' aboard the Niagara. , : . "-.' ■ '' Work of the Session. ~ Alr..W. H.nELD.(Otaki) asked what the position, would be if ;a .week henco there were still 'insufficient nierabers present to carry on tho work of the House.' -Jf embers; felly be-was sure,'that if Air. Alassey and Sir. Joseph Ward-were going to the Peace Conference they should leave at tlfe. earliest possible moment . What business did.tho Government propose to take? There was a. highly contentions-■Lill-or rather a Bill that would be highly contentious.if members did not reach agreement upon it—to be considered during the session. If. that Bill, were, going to be handled in the-ordinarv way the conference would be half over before New Zealand's representatives arrived. . The 'PRIJIJ3. MINISTER said.it was impossible to make, a definite statement regarding tho work of the session. ': A further adjournment. was being forced upon the House by the influenza. There was a lot of,important work to be dealt v> ith. He would not say .that. uono ,of it could; bo"held over,, but some of it must proceed. Financial proposals'must be considered, Estimates must be passed,': and-. Supply, must be voted for the recess. He could not express any opinion as to how long the recess would last. ThaJ Liquor'Bill was- now being printed,-and would be referred hack to Cabinet in its printed form. After being dealt with by. Cabinet..and possibly amended the Bill would be presented to the House, and he hoped it would then be dealt with without waste of,t'iiue. He would like,to get' it through in a day or two. Bills of that' kind often had a tedious passage through Parliament, but he hoped tho present Bill would bo an exception. ' ' The Peace Conference, . It,would be a'misfortune*,'and a serious one at that, if New.Zealand wero licit represented at the Peace Conference, added Air. Afassey. , New' Zealand had done splendidly in the war, and the Peace ■Conference would.be the most important gathering, the world had ever seen. (Hear, hear.) He did not know how long it .would, .last.i Tho arrangements were now being 'made. He hoped New Zealand would be represented, and he believed it would be. :'•' "'■ '■ '' Air. J. V. Brown (Napier): ''Represented by .whom?"

"Mr. Massev'. "By the proper individuals." ■ Air. Massey added that lie would inquire regarding the rumour that the sailors, were refusing to tako passengers from New Zealand. His own experience, hud been that the sailors and firemen.on Hie Niagara were more than anxious to do their duty. Ho had not the least doubt that New Zealand would bo. able to get its representatives away-to the Peace' Conference, and that ' they would represent the Dominion as worthily as the'v had done on other occasions. Mr. 'Jfassev said that lie did not think it would bo ». proper thins to extend the adjournment to a fortnight. -Members as weir as Ministers were anxious to proceed with (he work of the session as soon as .possible. The number ot members present that day would have been larger had he not sent word to members; awav from Wellington that a iiirther adjournment would be proposed. Ho hoped that when the House met on i'uesdav morning, next the position would be much better ihan it was that day.