POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 July 1924, Page 4

POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

ELECTORAL” REFORM

•■This bill has no more chance of becoming law than a. man has of gathering snowballs in the hot place,” remarked Mr F. Langstone tWaimarino), amid laughter, in the House of Bepresentativos in the course of the debate on the introduction stage of the Electoral Reform Bilk

It was, he declared, a •‘shandy-gaff, liriiulle-bretl bill” ; and ho urged the Reform Party to drop it and revert to the Bill proposal—proportional representation.

•THIMBLE-RIGGING.'' The Government's Electoral Reform Bill, declared Mr A. I* Moiiteith (Wellington Hast) in the House of Reprc- - litntives, meant ••political thimblerigging;” or, to use another simile, it meant the ‘•Reform politicians playing two-up with a double-headed penny.”

THE UNJUST JUDGE. .Mr 1). 0. Sullivan (Avon) declared in the House of Representatives that the position ill regard to the Government'- Electoral Reloriu Bill was ns if a rich man and a pour man, each of which held some property belonging to the other, were to go to law. and the judge directed that the poor mail should restore to the rich man the latter's property, but did not requite Ihe i ieb mall ai-o to make restitution.

RENT RESTRICTION BILL. When could the House expect either the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill to be brought, down, or some similar renewing the rent rostri**i i;)ji hr,vs, which would expire that day week, unless the matter was dealt with in ihe interim, asked Mr P. I'raser (Wellington Central) in the House of RepresUitiitivos. Tin* lion. G. .1. Anderson (Minister for Labour): I gave notice of the introduction ot the bill last sitting day. and it is mi tin* older paper. * Laugh-

ter.) MOULDING C ANGLES. "It is just as possible to expect tlii- Government to mould just legislation in tin* interests of the people of this country as it is to expect a .-ail-age machine to mould candles, remarked Mr W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) in the course of the debate on the motion for leave to introduce the Electnrnl Reform Bill. ‘•The Bill, I.l* added, “is a sort of lieads-l-wiii-tails-yoii-lose bill. Under il the dice are loaded absolutely against the people - loaded against the Labour part c from both sides ol tin* House.

DOMINION MUSEUM. Mr C. P. Skerret l, K.C., pointed out*, in the morse ol the deputation to tin* Prime Minister that a section in Science and Arts Act distinctly gave iiatulory recognition to the principle that it was the duty of the Government itself to provide for the establishment and maintenance of a Dominion Museum: but the war intervened and prevented tin* proj-eel being proceeded v* il b.

The Piimc Mini-trr: Did you draft the section. Mr Skerrelt “ (Laughter.) Mr Skerrett: No sir. I did not.

GROWING EAT. •■ln my opinion the banks are jetting mi fat i-i this country they have a ;,-eat (•*>• to smuggle away their ,a; m-y.” remarked the lion W. Karil--ha„x in till* l.egi-lative Council. • Still.' - he added, ‘ they keep Up their POPULAR CLAMOUR. • •y,-i don i sav we should not *1 * anything because someone has not stirred i* no.” said I lie Hon So- l-ran-,-is Hull to lire lion G. -I. Garland. • •You don't say we should yield to popular iJnmii'ir Von don't suggest that i- the limit **t legislative function." -PIEBALD HOE-E. ' Til,* Leader oi l lie Opposition had tailed the Electoral Reform Bill "t» piebald lior-e.” staled Mr *l* A. Fee Auckland Last), in llm House of Re- |., ,-eiit at it **s : Inn it w:i- not a horse a> all. It was a mole, declared Mr Lee. amid laughter. It had a 'good il-.-al ~| the ass in ii : there was no doubt about that. (Laughter.'- Eirst the Leader ol the Oppo-ition had ofTero.l tie* Go*.eminent a suit of clothe*. 11-.. thought Mr W.lford should have a elothe.-hoi-e. then lie could keep the suit in his own backyard, i Laughter.) “A hears**," suggested another Labour member.

XOT DAYI.IOHT ROHRKRS. “They say landlords are daylight r,,l> 1 11 • rs. hut I think there is another side." said Mr W. 11. Field. when speaking to the Rent Restriction Hill. “A man told me he did lint not 2 per cent, on Id's rented houses/’ Mr I*. I'Taser: Will lie give ns the figures Ml- |‘*iidil : III! told me he would. Mr !■'laser : Delighted to got them !

AIM)IT A LETTK.K. Some little time ago there was troiihle respeeting the alleged late arrival of a letter to tin- secretary of the Wellington Education Hoard containing a nomination for a seat at a recent hoard election. Ihe quest ion was mentioned in the House and an inquiry was suggested. r l he Roslmiister-Dell-eral announced that he was prepared to authorise an inquiry, and proposed to as)-, the I’rime Minister touigree to it.

THE HOAR I) OK TRADE. The opinion was expressed in the House when the Rent Restriction Hill was under dis"u-sion that the .Hoard ol Trade needed strengthening. Mr W. 11. Field, who agreed with thi- i tiiiiton. said tl'.at the hoard might pay more attention than it did to the qutsiiou of the prii e ol timher. I here v.e o i hinge produced within our -Imres that tvcie far dearer than they wight to I g II ■ thought the Hoard of Trade might di mini) more if strengthened liv commercial men who could ascertain if too high prices were living charged.

WE1.1.1 XGTOX TO (iREVMOUTH. .Air O’lirieit ( Westland) proposes to ask the I’ostaster-Oeneral, whether lie will take steps to have a daily mail service established between Wellington and the West Coast of the (south Island? Mr O’Hrien says that with a slight alteration of the present C'hrist-t'lmreli-Creymotith train service the daily mail service could he easily installed.

SOI.DIKIIS' HATES. Mr Han-an (I‘ahiatna) intends to n.-k tlie Minister for I.anils, whether the Government will so amend the hi tv in relation to unpaid rates of soldier settlements that they shall h? a charge upon tin- v, hole i minty council concerned. rather than upon the p.irth iihir riding of tie. eoiinty in which the settlement i' situated, as applies at present DENTAL ATTENTION. The lion Mr llu'ddb i Kaiapni) intends to a-k the Minister for Education. whether as there is a great necessity for dental attention to children in primray school-, especially outside the large centres of population, he will favour extending assistance to other centres and have dental clinic classes established in large* schools =o that assistance can he extended to rural schools ?