PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1923, Page 1

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

TRAIN MAKK-l'l\ (In tho subject. til' train make-up, the Mini ter of Railways replied to a quoslion on the Order Vapor. lie said: It is lho m‘iioral practice on railways. liorli in .Vow /eiiland and elsewhere, to adhere as far as practicable to a uniform composition of the principal trains, and it* is tound that this arrangement atfords considerable convcnicin e to the users of the railways, while at the saute time considerably facilitating the working of the trains. On the .Main Trunk trains the general rule is for the second-class cars to be placed towards the front of the train, and the first-class cars and sleeping cars constitute the rear portion. It is not at all certain that any departure from inis arrangement would have the etiect of mere fairly dividing the risk between the two closes than is notv the case. In this connexion it will be noted the postal car on the train which was involved in the recent accident near Onetime was practically undamaged, although it was in front of the secondclass cars.

A MEN IMMIGRANTS. A highly satisfactory statement on the Government measures for restricting the influx of race-aliens was made by' the Minister for Customs (the Hon. AV. Downie Stewart) when the Immigration Best fiction Amendment Hill was under review. Replying to a query about the effect of the Immigration Host riot ion Amendment Act of 1920. the Minister said that it had greatly reduced the number of Chinese, Hindus, and other racealiens entering the Dominion. In the periods of eighteen months respectively before and after the operation of the Act. the folowing rtue-aliens entered tiH.» country:

In the second period 57 race-aliens were returned as having permanently left the country, Imt no corresponding return was available for the first period. Before the passage of the Act the Government lutd relied on the poll-tax and the language test to restrict the entrance of race-aliens, hut both had proved ineffective. Ihe Act, which provided that race-aliens must obtain permission from the New Zealand Government before leaving their own country, was working very satisfactorily. Chinese numbered, lie believed less than one-half per cent, of the population. and there were probably fewer aliens proportionally in New Zealand than in any other country. The Goternment was watching, and if necessary uio proportion of aliens entering would be still further reduced.

Before. After Chino*c . ... 1-31 1G0 Hindus* ... 381 11 Otllt'is 111 18 J 720 225