Parliamentary.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 27 September 1901, Page 3

Parliamentary.

(per press association.)

Wellington, September 26.

The House met at 2.30.

The Acting-Speaker said the vacancy on the Hansard Staff would not be permanently filled this session. A bill to make provision for re-inburse-of certain expenses incurred by the Government in connection with the Royal visit was introduced and read a first time.

Mr Seddon said the money (£2,250) had been expended by the Governor on behalf of the colony, and to prevent any acrimonious discussion on the estimates the Government had decided to bring down a bill for payment of the money, and strike the item off the estimates. The bill would be reserved for the Koyal assent. The House then went into Committee of Supply for further consideration of the estimates. The item “granted to the Governor in re-irabursement of expenses incurred“by him in connection with the Royal visit, £2,260” was struck out. The items of expenses connected with the Royal Visit were further discussed and a motion to omit the item “Grant to Ministers and Secretaries in re-inburse-ment of expenses £350” was lost by 36 to 19.

At the item of £20,000 for massing of troops for the Christchurch review Mr Pirani moved for its reduction by £5 as indicating the disapproval of the House at the arrangements made by the Government in connection with the review and massing of troops and non-payment of troops.

The motion was lost by 38 to 18. Proposals to reduce other items were rejected by large majorities. After the Telegraph Office closed, the remaining items of the vote of £50,000 in connection with the Royal visit were passed unaltered. On the item £B,BOO for expenses of the Federation Commission, Mr Seddon promised that another opportunity would be afforded the House of discussing the Federation question. The remaining items were passed unaltered, and the whole vote of £183,188 for the Colonial Secretary’s Department agreed to. The House rose at 2 45 a.m.

(ode parliamentary reports e.) A Barmaids Petition. Wellington, This Day,

Petitions from barmaids in different parts of the colony are being presented to the House protesting against the passing of any bill whereby their employment will be interfered with. They state that they are perfectly satisfied with the hours and conditions of their employment. That any attempt to alter such hours and conditions which have been arrived at as the result of long experience for the mutual benefit and convenience of employers and employees would tend to serious inconvenience all round and that any such alterations as is proposed in the Shop and Offices Bill would probably result in the loss of their employment and their means of existence.

“Idling Time Away.”

A vigorous protest was raised in the Legislative Council yesterday by the Hon. Mr Shrimski when the Minister of Education moved its adjournment at the early hour of 315 pm. “We do not come here to idle our time away like this,” he said, and he mentioned several similar instances recently of short sittings. There was, the Hon gentleman saw, plenty of business on the Order Paper to go on with and lie protested against important matters being left to the dying hours of the session and then hurried through in a slip-shod fashion. The protest, however, availed not.