JOTTINGS FROM THE LOBBY

Hokitika Guardian, 6 August 1920, Page 2

JOTTINGS FROM THE LOBBY

|Our Parliamentary Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, Aug 5 REPLIES TO QUESTIONS.

Many questions were answered by , Ministers in the House to-day : j. The Government does not intend to pay compensation to gold-miners for j the loss they incurred through the pro- | hibition of the export of gold during the war. j The Government is watching the operation of meat trust firms in the 1 Dominion closely, hut does not intend i to publish its information at present, j There is no prospect of week-end I cablegrams being resumed, as the cables . are working to the maximum capacity, j Correspondence between British and j Dominion Governments regarding in- i dentured Chinese in Samoa is to he pre- I Rented to Parliament. Mr Massey stated that the new scale .of railway charges will probably he ready next week. The percentage of increase would vary. Some commodities had for a long tune been carried on the railways-at low rates, which would he considerably increased, but smaller increases would suffice in other cases.THE MASSEURS BILL. The Masseurs Registration Bill which "■ave rise to some discussion earlier in the session has been returned tp the House from the Public Health Committee in an amended form. Mr Newman (Chairman of Committee) stated to-day that the Bill had been made quite harmless. It would simply enable the public to distinguish between masseurs who were qualified and those who were not qualified. It did not interfere now with chiropractors, faith healers, hypnotists or other practitioners of the kind. Clause 10 of the BUI which prohibited the treatment of disease by massage px medical electricity, remedial exercises etc., without sanction of a doctor, has been deleted from the Bill. NOT WANTED. The House devoted the greater part of to-day’s sitting to a discussion of various phases of the liquor question which was raised by Mr McCallum’s State Control of Licenses Bill. Mr McCallum wants the Statp to exercise more djrect superyisipn pver the liquor Irade, and has some novel proposals for the promotion of sobriety such as rewards to bjirmen for temperance efforts. His Bill has not the slightest chance pf receiving the serious consideration of Government or thp House, but it provided an opportunity for a. general debate and the prohibitionists and their opponents joined issue in familiar fashion, they belabouring one another with statistics and opinions, and succeeded only in continuing to differ. It was noticeable that most of the speakers were in agreement demanding increased license fees on a graduated scale, according to the turnover arid valuation. The Bill was given a sepopd reading a? usual with a private members hill, but is not likely to appear again. If it does ft will bp ruled out of order as containing appropriation clauses.