PARLIAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 3 July 1920, Page 3

PARLIAMENT

I [PEK I’ItESS ASSOCIATION.- -COPYRIGHT. j I WELLINGTON, July 2. THE HOUSE. . Thu House met at 2.30 p.m, Wanganui Borough Council Vesting Empowering Bill was read a first time The Addross-in-Reply debate was resumed by Air. Lysnar and was carried j on by Dr Thacker,’ ** Messrs Horn, Holj land. Dr. Newman and Bertram. The j debate was adjourned on the motion ' of Mr Edie. j The House rose at 10.50 p.m. till 2.30 l p.m. on Tuesday. I ■JOTTINGS FROM THE LOBBY (Our Parliamentary Correspondent.) DULL POLITICS. WELLINGTON, July 2. Hon W .D. S. MacDonald’s no-eon-fidenco motion is making for dull days in Parliament. It is an unwritten rule that tbo Government must not proceed with general business until a no-confi-dence motion is disposed of, and Hon. W. F. Massey is observing this rule. The speeches that are being delivered are not generally interesting. , ’ A NEW MEMBER. Mr Lysnar, the new member for Gisborne ,was the first speaker to-day. He wants a speedy, and if necessary compulsory acquisition of Maori lands for settlement. He had much to say of the four million acres of virgin land north of Gisborne. AGIN THE GOVERNMENT. Then Dr Thacker (Christchurch East) occupied ah hour, without saying much of general interest. He seems to disapprove on. principle of ever.vthisg the Government has done, is doing and will do.

ANOTHER NEW MEMBER. Mr Horn who succeeded Sir William Eraser in Wakatipu seat, was the *- hir j speaker. He interested the House by making an appeal for more sympathetic consideration of the hardships of coal miners. The debate was continued during the evening. A DRASTIC MEASURE. The Arms Bill, which has been introduced by Government, is a drastic measure intended apparently to check, the possession of arms by undesirable persons. The possession of automatic pistols, without a permit, is prohibited. Tho carrying of arms without reasonable cause is also prohibited,, and addi_ tional restrictions are placed upon the purchase, importation and possession of rifles, revolvers and ammunition. CHAMPION OF THE MINERS.

I have great sympathy for <ll6 coal miner, said Mr Horn, the new member . for Wakatipu m the House. “I know j what sort of a man he is, and what j sort of a life he lives.” Mr Horn des- j cribod as exceedingly bad, the housing j conditions of the mining townships on i the West Coast, and said that the people who spoke against the miners would have more sympathy, if they were better acquainted with the facts. It was , natural that the miners should feel j aggrieved when they saw the difteieucc between the price paid for the coal at th e pit and the price charged to the consumers. A co-operative party had opened a mine at Seddonville. Six minors formed the party, and they enir ployed four. The men so made a group of tell. Five of these men went into an old mine, and cut coal, while the remaining five prepared the approaches of a new mine. They expected to get some money for immediate expenses from the coal they were cutting, but when they tried to soil it, the best offer they could get from a mining company was 4s a ton on trucks, and the coal had to be dumped into a creek. Now the men were getting coal from the non mine and they were being paid 16s a ton on the trucks. The cost of transit added to that 16s did not explain the price charged for coal in the cities. MR HOLLAND’S STRICTURES. The Labour Party entered the debate during the evening. Mr Holland said tin- Labour Party would support the 1 want of confidence motion. It would ; not follow the example of those Liberals who bad run away from the Labour ! Party’s no-confidence motion. Labour ! was opposed to the Government, but it ! was equally opposed to the. Liberals. Mr McDonald’s attitude bad been weak and fruitless. He. seemed to be a dead voice representing a party without a policy or principle. It was a bill crying in the night, crying for the fight | with no language but a cry. The Lib- ! orals at the election bad joined hands ! with Reform. They had shown that i their interests were the same, and the 1 position had not changed. Labour stood i amiinst both the old parties. Mr Hol- ! bifid proceeded to denounce the Gov--1 eminent and all its ways. PROGRESS OF DEBATE. J The debate was adjourned until Tues- : day. It appears that a division on Mi- McDonald’s motion will not be ! reached before Wednesday, as several . members still wish to speak. | Mr Stathani’s amendment on the elec, tive executive issue has to come later. • and apparently thy Address-in-Reply • will not be fiimil.V disposed of before j the end of next week at the earliest.

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