POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 293, 6 September 1919, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES

| ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE LIBERALS DECIDE NOT TO SPEAK The Address-in-Roply debate proved less important than tho Houso of 80pre- .... EMtatives had expected. The Leader of £-\ • '"" Opposition (Sir Joseph Ward) stated ' X " n -Thursday that ho intended to follow "< the mover and seconder of tho Address. But when tho House met yesterday afternoon the Hon. W. D. S. MaeDoiwld stated-. that Sir Joseph Ward was slightly indisposed and would not be. able to take part in tho debate. The Prime' Minis- ' '<><' expressed regret and offered to postpone tho debate, after other business had been dealt with, until the evening. Later in the afternoon, when the Orders of the Day were reached,. Mr. Mac Donald, who was acting as Leader'of the Opposisition in the; absence of Sir Joseph Ward, said that the liberals did not intend to discuss the Address-in-Eep]y at all. He indicated that they agreed With Mr. Massey that time.'could be better.occupied in dealing with tho business of tho session. This announcement appeared to mean that the Labour Party, and perhaps tho Independents, would have to conduct the debatß unaided, if they wished to take the opportunity to talk, and Mr. 11. Holland, Leader of. the Labour Partv, asked that tho reopening of tho discussion should bo postponed until tho evening. Ho had not expected to speak until after Sir Joseph Ward, he explained, and ho; had not got his note 3 with him. Air. J. -M'Combs- (Lyttelton), who supported this request, suggested that the Reformers and Liberals were conspiring to stifle debate, and charged Mr. Massey . with a breach of faith. The Prime Minister replied that he had suggested a' postponement for the Leader of the Opposition, but had since learned that Sir Joseph Ward would not speak at all.: He.asked, therefore, that the debate should proceed in the ordinary course. _ There was some irregular argument about procedure. Mr. Holland thought the Labour < Leader was entitled to as much consideration as the Liberal; Leader. Mr. M'Convbs moved that - tho Jlouso should adjourn, aiid there was l argument on this point before the Speaker definitely moved the motion out of order, i'inally the debate was called on, and the Leader of the Labour Party, who did not disguise his annoyance, opened his speech. He appeared to have found some notes. LOANS FOR THIS YEAR. With the £10,900,900- War Loan authorised last year, the i! 12,500,009. authorised by clause 3 of the Soldiers' Settlement Loan Act, jdsfc put through all its stages, and the .£3,000,000 authorised by clause 4 of. the. same measure, the treasury how stands empowered to borrow a total sum |of .£24,500,000 this financial year, if .it ..is so desired. The actual intention, however, is to proceed immediately with only the =£10,000,000 War Loan, for which the.prospectus has ]>een issued, A'one of the soldiers' settlement loan will be issued Jor the time being. The purposes to which the War Loan is to be applied are.outstanding 'war expenses, tb» payment of soldiers' gratuities, ■ and the . provision of medical. treatment for side and wounded soldiers".' A portion of the raised under the Soldiers' Settlement Loans Act Will be applied to the repayment of the moneys recently raised by the Treasury for similar purposes on tho London securities and out or unauthorised expenditure. LIBERAL DYE.' .}* ■ amongst, the ■-Eskimos." or tribes of the Eskimos," said Mr. Holland in the House of Representatives "a superstition that irV child, is ill it will get well if its mother retrains from changing her socks. Sir Joseph Ward and the: Liberals seem to think that the Liberal Partv, which is very sick, will get well,, not if they do not change their political socks, but if ■ they dye them a.different colour." Then i Mr. Holland went to talk of changes in ■ <lye 3. He snid that before tho war tho • Liberals <Iyed their socks blue. In the j wartime they dyed.them red, : whitei and < blue, in order to join tho Reformers, { ' 0 . nolv . they had dyed them a pale ] sickly pink,' and were trying to palm l this .off as good/Labour Red. "But tho < blue still shows through," said Labour l member Mr. P. Eraser. f RAILWAYS, GOAL, AND THE COMMISSION; liDolving to a question in the House ofßenrcsentatiyes. yesterday, the Prinm i Minister. who is also Minister of l'ail- 1 wars and Afinister in Charge of Coal Bis- ■ t.ribution. said_ that tne position with re- 1 irard to suDnlies of coal. was improving. Mr. Myers Jiad made a reference to tho i industries of the country in a question i lis had asked concerning coal supplies. "May l efiv." said Mr. Massey, "that : \ tho-rail war service is the most important .' industry in tho country, and it- has the - first claim on coal" j Mr. Mvers: After freezing companies. i Air. Massey: Yes. after freezing companies. f Mr. Fraser asked the Prime Minister when he'proposed to set up tho Royal Commission io_ inquire into the condition of the -railways,. the coal supplies, and matters- ■' . Mr. Massev said that ho had been mak- ' in'/ inniiii'ips about suitablo men for ap- , riointment to the Commission, and he' ( honed io be in a position to announce the names of tho members of tho Commis- ( sion within :i day or two. . Mr. rTolbind asked whether a railway ' Fprvaiif: would bo appointed to Iho Coni- ! mission. . ■ ' Mr. Massev: That."may be a difficult j thimr (o arrange. I cannot promise it nt (ho moment: but,; of-course, the cvi- { dence of railway men will be called by tho Commission.' 1 • - • ■ • \ THE WOOL-SURPLUS,. J Mr. E. Newman has given notice.in tho I House of Representatives- to-ask-, tho . Prime Minister whether he will give an )' indication of the aiilount of this Domiii- * .ion's share of the surplus profits that f have been made by the Imperial Govern- 1 t ment on wool sold for other than militarv pur'noses (&) from the 1916-17 greasy: : clip, and fb)' from the 1017-18 greasy clii): and when' a proportion of same ■ ' will be available for distribution to -wool- j crowm's? In a note to his question he ' savs: A larire number of ' wool-growers 0 have donated their shares in tho surplus fl profits oii wool to a fund for tho benefit >' ' of, 1 hrs denendants of' the sailors of tho "Royal Nayv and mercantile marine who ■' - lost, their'lives during the war, and it -is 1 desirable that the fund should be estab- f lished without delay, so that this important work may be-started as soon as is n possible. a THE MAORI WAR MEDAL. a The desire for a variation of the rule j' conferring the Maori War Medal upon ' those veterans' only who were actually *-' under fire has founirexpression in a Bill introduced by Mr. R. A. Wright (Weilinglon Suburbs). Tho purpose of the ; Hill is to assure that "notwithstanding s < anything contained-in Part 3of the Pen- a ' sions Act, 1913, or'ill any regulations roado (.hereunder, any person 'or. tho heir-at-law 11 of aiiy deceased person who served under f £ the Crown in any of the Maori-wars in ti such a manner and form as would have 6t entitled liim to. receive the. Maori War tt pension, if ho had also been under tire, shall bo entitled to Toccivo tho Maori tl War Medal without any pension." "I