PARLIAMENTARY JOTTINGS

Hokitika Guardian, 7 October 1921, Page 1

PARLIAMENTARY JOTTINGS

(Our Parliamentary Correspondent.) ADDRESS COMPLETED. WELLINGTON. This Day. The Address-iu-Reply debate was com. plcted in both Houses to-day. Iho Council adjourned early, and will not work again until next. week. MR HOLLAND. I a Dir members had the floor in the House ol Representatives most, of the dm. Mi Holland moved his want, of confidence motion and devoted limst ol hi, time to a. diwumskm of the ' ' : question, lie complained that the Government. was paying £(i to IN per ton for imported coal while New Zealand mines and miners were idle. A PERTINENT RETORT. Mr Potter (Hoskfll) retorted, in the course of the speech, that the miners had brought their troubles on their own heads, liy the go-slow policy, and strikes thev had forced the Government, I i import i oal in order to protect the community.

The amendment, eventually was defeated l,y forty votes to nine. Messrs Atniore. Horn, Poland and M ittv vot-j C.l with the live Labour members. MR STATHAM. After the division. Mr Statham (leader of the new Party) made his appearance and explained that he had not voted on lullin' want of confidence motion, because lie did not approve ol either Liberals or l.ahorites. lie proceeded to tell the House about the Progressive liberal and Moderate Labour Party, which intended to became the official opposition. It. was out. to els'- j feat revolutionary Labor and kill tin* j Liberal Party. MR V Kn’CH’S COMPLAINT. I Mr Yeiich (M'anganiii) followed mid complained that Mr Statham had stolen ]ijs title of Moderate Labor. Mr Statlitim had never been a member of a union and had no right to the name. Mr Witch also complained that Statham sifter being associated with other inde_ pendents had left them, without consul- 1 talion and formed the new party. Mr Statham retorted that at the end of the short, session in March, the Independents met and agreed to go separate ways. The two members argued the point to the amusement of the House. REPLIES TO HEESTBtNS. \V I'I.LI NOTON, Oct; 7. Sonic interesting’quest ions were asked and answered in the House this afternoon before the rc.umption of the .Vddress-in-Rcplv debate. SHEARERS \MARIh The Minister for Labour rite: ring to the shearers award said there was not the least doubt that the awaid applied to all districts, except- Nelson and 1 Westland. There was an award lor each district in the same teinis, ami he held copies of all of them. RE-TERNS OF PRODUCE. .Mr Nosworthy undertook to inquire if it would lie possible to issue monthly rut urns of heel', mutton and lamb in stores, as was done du ing toe commandeer period. He said this Did been easy wluui meat was ow lie ! by the Imperial Government, tun he was not sure lie could lake the same course now that private individuals owned the meat.

LABOR AND THE ('ONHi M’t’TION. Early ill the session in, I.cadet ol the Labour Party asked ('.over: iimnl to reprove the High (nuuui sinner for suggesting in an article thill the l.nbonr Party in New Zealand Parliament did no l stand for const it ill ional methods. To-day Mr Holland renewed his question. lie asked if the Pi line Minister would instruct the High Gomll:issiiiiier to retrain w-mg ins office lor partisan propng indn. Mi Massey replied that he had not mad the article, lie wits not prepared !.- tidiiiit the present paragraphs were misleading.

Mr 11nll:iml Hr sins \vr do mil np- |(: ow oi enlist il ill i«*si:i l met Imds. M :i s' e v - -11 I lie I ton Mendier will , Ms assn i ;i 111*<‘ tliill hr :IH<l ihi' 11 : !>]>]>■ with whom In' is workiUK approve 'llf rniistiilit ioiml methods on rv' i'v possible oerasion. I nil! hi' o|ud to r'ivc his s!nU.'iiM.'iil all t h.r publicity possihlr. 1 1 .a nph t 'w). Mi- Holland That is not the point. Thr fan that wo air here, proves that wr approve of constitutional methods. The Minister said the question had Pet ter' K<> Oil the older paper. IiIC.'KXSINd I.KtiISI.ATION. The Prime Minister stated last session that he would provide an upper-

tunity this year for the examination of the licensing question by a committee of the House with the object of laying down lines for an amendment of the licensing law in the event of prohibition not being carried next year. M’hen this matter was mentioned to-day, Mr Massey said members would have an opportunity of going before the committee and making suggestions on licensing matters. The financial side of the licensing-question required attention, and some other aspects were even more urgent, lie could not predict what would happen at the next licensing poll, tint there was no harm in saying that if prohibition was not carried in 1922, it would he the duty of Government to make some very important amendment in the licensing law.

REGARDING LOANS. Replving to a question regarding loans. Mr Massey said there was a provision in one of the Statutes that if Government was nuthniised to borrow a certain sum in London and had to issue debentures as discount, it might raise an additional loan in order to bring the amount of money actually received up to the lull total ol the authority. The discounts and other costs in connection with lie- C 0.000.000 loan had union ted to about £.Mt,l)ot). A supplementary loan lot this amount had now been raised. The money had been secured at L’99 os. '1 hat was a highly satisfactory transaction. Alii the amount was only a small one it proved again that toe credit ol the Dominion was particularly govern-

PUIILLO MURKS. A statement of his principle in regard to public works in the Dominion was made hv Hon Coates to-day, in replying to an Otago deputation touching first on electric power. The Minister said the first thing to ho considered was the cost to the consumer. Electric schemes would not give much relief to unemployed. Expenditure on them was three-quarters foi material and only one-quarter for labour. Ihe deputation had said in legat'd to railways that Otago should have a air share. He did not subscribe to the lair share principle. Such works must ho taken in the order of urgency, that had not been done in New Zealand m the past. Members wore rcs|Hitlsit)le to the whole Dominion and should take a wider view than their own districts. Possibly they might look lor a curtailment oil a good many works tor a little while, with tin- except ion ol work lor unemployed. When new lines were proposed he would hand the surveys to ill,. Railway Department to ascertain the host running grade, lie then p 1 "- no-cd to get some Department poi'ihly agricultural, to advise Cabinet as to the amount of goods and produce likely to he carried over the line. I bus a ,-lcar and definite statement could he made as to the earning power oi the lines that had never before been done in the Dominion, lie proposed to do that with all lines in future, lie wanted Cabinet to have all the data, just as a commercial man would have m a similar undertaking.