POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 304, 19 September 1919, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES

WORK OF SESSION A LIST OF BILLS The Prime Minister gave- to the House of Representatives yesterday a list of the Bills likelv to come before Parliament this session. As will appear, the list is a formidable one:— . Bills ready for Cabinet decision: Stone ' Quarries Amendment (introduced and re- ' ferred to Mines Committee), Mining < Amendment. Coal Mines Amendment, Prisons .Amendment, Police Offences *. Amendment. Justices of the Peace Amendment, Magistrate's Court Aniend- \ ment. State Forests Amendment, Dis- , ' charged Soldiers' Settlement Amendment ; Primurv' Industries' 'Promotion, Post and Telegraph Amendment, Poliqe Force ' Amendment. Statutes Repeal and Expiring Laws Continuance. Public' Trust < Office Amendment, Electric Power Works .'■ loan. ■ ■ i i Bills ready for 1 introduction.—Education -Amendment, Educational Purposes Loany New Zealand University Amend- . ment. Auckland University College Site (already introduced). ■ ' Bills in preparation.—Undesirable Immigrants Exclusion, Public Service Superannuation, Land . Laws . Amendment, Railways Authorisation, Seeds, Arms, Reserves and Other Jjjnds Disposal (Wash-ing-up Bill), Expeditionary Forces Votimr: Divorce Amendment, Public Health Amendment. Housing, Municipal Corpor- ' ations Amendment, Rol-orua .Township Tenures. Dairy Industries Amendment,' Marriage Amendment,: (British Subjects Marriage Facilities. Act,'lmperial), National Provident Fund Amendment, Public.. Works Amendment; Hauraki Plains •, Amendment. Public. Revenues .Amendment. 'Cook 'Islands Amendment, Shops and Offices Amendment, . Clauses for Wasking-Up Bill, Apnropriaiion Bill, and Native' Washing-Up Bill, Samoan i Constitution Bill.. ! ; -Tn addition'to all these there'are.one of two Bills already on the order paper, the most interesting of them being the Women's Parliamentary Rights Bill.,

telegraph; supplies. The delav in the completion of telephone and telegraph works was mentioned in the House of Eepresentatives by Mr. C. J.. Parr (Eden), who asked the Postmaster-General (Hon. J. G. Coates) to explain the position. •Mr. Coates said there was'a great shortaxe of telegraph material in New Zealand at the present-time. The material available was sufficient merely, for maintenance; works, and a little of the -new work. He' could •not giveexnct figures, but_ hoped to be able to do so later. The various works'Tvould proceed as soon as the reauisite material was available. RAILWAY. HOUSES. % suggestion'that the Eailwny Department should help to solve the housing problem by erecting homes for its own workers on railway laud, in the vicinity of stations was'made in : the House of representatives by Air. H. G. Ell (Christchurch South). • The Primo Minister replied that the matter had already been taken- in hand by the Department. Tho engineers were preparing plans and specifications, and expected to proceed •; with the erection of twenty houses 'at once. These houses would be followed by others. V RECIPROCITY PENSIONS ACT.

Tho Keciprocijty Pensions Act, passed by'the jNew Zealand Legislature to make residence in JNew, Zealand quality perBons for Australian pension benefits, and vice versa, was yesterday referred to in tho Legislative Council by'the ;Hou. Sir. Francis.'Bell. The Leader of''tho Council said that since the Act was passed ,iu 1913 it .had been the practice of successive Minister to bring tne subject of reciprocity under'the notice of the Prime Minister of the Commonivealth,. but so'-, .far no definite action had.been' taken : iu Australia. Delay in the matter had been partly due to'the outbreak of war. The latest communication.- -.sent.. to;, Australia :on- the subject- was tinted November, 1915.

THE BUTTER PETITIONS. -Y A very large number of petitions have been received from butter producers,! praying tor payment by the Government of the moneys they have themselves had to pay .under the equitable fund scheme. Some of these, petitions wero referred l>y. the House direct to the Government; and others went before a comm.ttee. This committee repdrted to the House yesterday. The recommendation was that' the petitions be referred to.the Government tor "favourable consideration" in order, that they might be considered along with those other petitions referred direct, to the.Government by the: House. . VOTERS' QUALIFICATIONS. 'The Legislature Amendment Bill introduced by,'ilr. Wright this session is intended to restoro the requirements as to residence to qualify as an elector.to thosa existing prior- to the 1914 aiueiuiinent; A person otherwise qualified may yuie m.a uistrict if he has resided there lor one month. Mr/ Wright proposes that the term be three months. The month residence clause ■■ is capable' of abuse,-and it is believed that it has been abused in city electorates, especially at by-election-times.' There are cer- . tain people who have no settled place of. abode, and they. may ' easily transfer from one city electorate to another merely by changing their lodgings. WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT. The Women's Parliamentary Ei"hb •Extension Bill, introduced bv Mr. MasBey, .has 4wen circulated, liie Bill has . one operative clause, which is us loilowsA woman' shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from-.being', appointed or elected as a member of the Legislative Council, or of'the-'House if'liepresentatives, or from sitting or voting as a lnomber of cither House of Parliament, ■ cnytiiing to the contrary in the Legislature Act', 1908, or in any other Act noti .withstanding, UNSYMPATHETIC MEMBERS.

Mr, M'Coinbs had no sympathy from tho House yesterday when lie asked a question about :the- Lyttelton train services Ho said that he had had a communication from the secretary of the Canterbury Progress League to tho effect that he had sent a telegram to Mr. ilasBey. and had not yet received a Teply. r'Tha telegram from the Progiess League had been to, the.effect that-tho railway restrictions between Lyttelton and Christchurch were causing delay and.- inconvenience, and an early reply was asked as ri to the- removal of the restrictions. Mr. Climie, the secretary of tho league, also stated in Ws telegram to Mr. M'Combs that there was-now'plenty of coal in tho yards, and that it was scan- ; dalous that Christchurch should be handicapped in a way that no other city in tho country had to suffer.

Mr. Massey: Regarding the delay the explanation is simple. When the telegram arrived I sent it to the Railway Department tor explanation, and it camo Back to me to-day, lam informed that there are nine passenger trains per day between Christohuvch and Lyttelton. Voices: Oh, and laughter. An honourable member:' They are suffering there all right. I. am sorry for thorn! (More laughter.) Mr. Massey: And goods traffic'is cartied without restrictions of any kind. Mr. M'Combs: But Lyttelton-is in a peculiar position. Hon members: "Yes, it 13," and "It must be. 1 ' (Laughter.)

Mr. Massey eaid fliat he did not thinlr that the people of Lyttelton would have long to wait for the removal of all tho refltriciTons on train services.

TWO POINTS OF VIEW. There was a long discussion and .much, ,' explanation in the House yesterday about an item in a return asked for by Mr. Russell. It showed that iirconiic-r;- »■ tion with the flotation expenses of loans raised by New Zealand in England, New Zealand had hed to pay a sum to <:tie Imperial Government of some JMOO.WKI for discounts. The explanation was' Hint in the early clays of the war Kew Zealand had .borrowed, some nine millions from the Imperial Government at 3.J per cent. To obtain" this money tho" Imperial Treasury had had to issue' Exchequer Bonds, but when the time came for the raising of the money on some permanent basis, the loan had. had to be issued at a discount of 5 m>r cent. This discount the New Zealand" Govern-

ment had hnd to. pay. This was explained by Sir James Allan, the present Treasurer, and the Treasurer at the time tho v moneys .were borrowed in tho first instance, 'and by ftio late Treasurer, Sir Joseph Ward. Mr. Russell expressed the opinion most emphatically that to a country which hwl sent out of a population of less than a quarter of a million a hundred thousand fighting men tho Imperial Government, ought lo have furnished thesp loans without deduction for such a .charge as this discount. This contention was not supported bv either Sir Jam* Allen or Sir Joseph Ward. WHY HE STAYED. Tho member for Avon (Jlr. Russell) was saying something in the House yesterday which indicated that lie had not approved of everything thnt the National Government ;had done when he was a member of it. An lion, member asked: Why didn't you get out sooner? Mr. Russell:' I didn't get out sooner because I went in to help for the period of the war. Although there may have been times when if I had followed my own inclinations I might have wished to leave' the Government, still I tried to remember that in comparison with the hardship;; and suffering )f the men fighting at the front,' any little unpleasantnesses that I had. to put up with were as nothing. A HARBOUR BOARD'S FINANCES. - Greymonth Harbour Bonrd has been in a bad way financially for some time. Mr. Holland asked in tho House yesterday whether the Government would introduce legislation this session with tospect to the financial position of the board. The Minister of Marine (Mr. Hprries) said that tho question was before Cabinet at the present time. The Greymouth Board was taking action against, the Government, and until that matter was settled it was difficult to know what action could be taken. ■• ABOUT A BONUS. A question regarding tho bonuses payable to employees of the Post and Telegraph Department was asked in the House yesterday by Sir Joseph Ward, Postmaster-General in the Coalition Government. He said that'it' had been, broneht to bis notice by the secretary of the Post and Telegraph officers' Association that the bonus which had been arranged for .them on his recommendation had been paid for only six months, while he had arranged and given authority for the ■ payment of the bonus for twelve months..''He was concerned in the matter because it appeared as if a breach of faith had been committed by him, but this was not so. He hnd given authority for the payment of tho bonus for twelve months. ;

The Postmaster-General (Major Coates) saidthat he would be glad to make inquiries. He was. not conversant with the facts, but any undertaking made would be carried out. In reply to another question from Mr. Eraser, he promised to make inquiries into the conditions and ■wages of casual employees.

MANAWATU GORGE. The,Manawatu Gorge Pond and Bridge Bill, introduced by the Miiiister of Public Works (Sir William Fraser) in the House of Eepresentatives yesterday, was prepared by' Mr. G..H. Smith (Pahiatna), in conjunction with the Mayor of Palmerston North and the 'chairmen of the Pahiatna; Kairnnga, and Oroiia County Councils. It has been taken up as a Government.measure. The Bill provides for the constitution of, a board of control, consisting of six members, to be appointed in terms of the Act by the Palnierston North Borough Council, the Kairanga "County Council, tho Pahiatna Comity' Council and Borough Council, th» AVoodville Borough Council and Countv Council, the Dannevirke County Council and Borough Council, and the Wainawa County' Council, the Rangitikei Countv Council, the Oroua County Council, and the Fcilding Borough' Council. This board will have the powers' of a couiitv council in dealing with the Mnnawntu Gorge Eoad and bridge, and its expenses will be provided by the contributing local authorities in the following proportions,: ns recommended by the commission:— -. i;;, ..v'- : ;,-".';: ::'';" .■' '• ; P er ' . ' cent. Dannevirke Borough Council ....... 8 ■Feilding •Borough Council 5 Pahintua Borough Council 8 Palmer?ton North Borough Council l\ Woodville Borough Council 8 ■ ■Dannevirke County Council 3 lvairariara County Council 10 Oroua County Council ;.... 8 Pahiatna County Council -.' 10 Rangitikei County Council ,3 - Waimwa County Council 3 - Woudville County Council - 10