WELLINGTON NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES

TIIF GAMING BILL. AN ALL-NIGHT SITTING. [Special To Tin; Guardian.] AA'F.I, LING TON. Aug. ID As everyone expected, the all-night wrangle in the House of Representatives over the Gaming Amendment Bill brought members no nearer to an agreement on the various matters set out in the measure. The feature of the debate was the display of a disposition on the part of many of ‘the members to extend some sort of recognition to the bookmakers. The presentation of a petition towards tins end, alleged to bear So.ooo signatures, evidently had made an impression upon the House. Not only the Labour members, who always have refused to see any dilferc-nee, from the moral point of view, between betting with the totalisalor and betting with the bookmakers, but also staid Reformers and Liberals, who previously had drawn nice distinctions between the machine and the professional gambler, were prepared io give serious consideration to the prayer of the petition. Pm the uncompromising opposition to the bill by Air Isilt and his friends prevented any real progress being made with the measure, and though it still remains on the Order Paper for consideration in Committee, it is lint likely the Government will resume its efforts to get. it through this session. THE DAIRY POOL. The Dairy Export. Control Rill. =<■ far, lots land much better than did the Gaming Amendment Bill in its preliminai'v stages. The up|>onoiii.s of the measure have taken the “sporting" view that- with the great iiiicre.sl« at slake it should have a “fair run'’ nil iis merits wit hind any forms of tlie House being wanton]v employed for its destruction. The members opposed to the Bill easily might have “talked out" the Committee’s report when it was presenled on AVednesday. and this, in all probability, would have prevented it making any further progress during ibis year. But A’ Masters, the leader of the opposition to the measure, and hi- associates in the light, having what they took to he a promise from the Prime Minister to refer the Bill to a vole of factory suppliers before i( was brought into operation. refused to take advantage of their opportunity and actually curtailed their speeches in order to enable the chairman of the Com mi lice to get the report upon (lie table. The measure has now reached the Committee stage, and is being debated in detail ai the time of writing, but unless the Prime Minister gives effect to bin implied promise there will be grave difficulties ahead. I'TRTH I'll! AAI KND.AI ENT’S. The Opposition, in addition to the suppliers’ reteivndum, wants changes in the constitution of the controlling hodv and a guarantee lluit the local prices will not exceed the London parity, while the Labour Party, on its own account, is demanding representation on the Board for factory workers. The Bill, of course, is in charge of Ihe Hon \V. Nosworthy. the .Minister of Agriculture, who is scarcely so tactful and conciliatory as his chief can he w hen he likes ; and on one or two occasions Mr Alussoy has had to intervene in the cause of peace and in the interest;s of the Bill. Air Nosworthy made a very bad break in replying to Mr Masters on the motion for tin' presentation of the report. He described the speech of the member for Stratford, which really was a very

eai>alilo exposition oi the pu-ition, a' a '■dirty" attack upon the Cnvernincut, and, though he promptly uithdrevv the offensive epithet when called to order by the Speaker, he continued ! i impart a good deal of unnecessary tcinnt.li to his remarks, (t was shortly after this interlude that the Prime -Minister announced his own readiness to make the provisions to the Hill subjeci to the approval of the factory suppliers. PARTY JXnFRFXRFXCF. A feature of the second reading dehate ycslordin win tlie frank 'independence" displayed on hot It -ides of the House. .Mr U. A. AA'right, it ro is regarded in a general sort of way as lilt; ol the most subservient ot M: .Massey’s follower--. was out -poked to the length of brutal random 1 in idcriticism, not only of the Hill, hut also o' the (I'overnment that had had the "audacity’’ to bring it down, 'i he | number tor Wellington Suburbs had . not known almre he nutv stood in (■ - j yard to partic:—an annoum-oment , v. I,ieli brought derisive Inuglilei li'om ihe l.ahour heiiehe- - hut he ua- -'lie- , Mr Mass.-v ami Ids supporters it - • ] embarking upon a very hazardous ex- , p • ri lll ei l l tthieli might he fraught with , -cemus eoli-ei|tii‘liees to th'la it. H e

near future. The lion A. T. Xgaia. one of the Liberal front beneners. on the other hand, detaelied himself fr mi the .great majority of his party in the natter, and spoke strongly in supp'io o 11;.■ whole Kill and mi! lung hut. the Pi.l There are numbers otln-r Mile;, m ••■nts who will cross the I'onr u t!ie House when Ihe crucial dtvisi i.i comes on. and upp.iremly ilie deciding (actor will he the final determination of the l.ahour Party, which is out lo extract as much as it can from the Cnvernnieiit.