POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1924, Page 3

POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

] ROUTE HILHWAY.M I.n. Unless motion.- to introduce Bills are disposed of during the a.lternoon sitting of the House ol Representatives they must he adjourned till next altcrnoon, a.s orders of the day mtixt he 1 taken at 7.20. This rule lias enabled _ some extensive obstruction to he prneR tised during the session, and has lim--1 teriallv lessened the aetinil output of j I’arliament during afternoons. The see- ( olid motion to-day was the introduetion by Mr Holland of the Nationalisation oj Coalmines Bill, which lie discussed at lull length, other Igthoup nieinlx.>r,s pnrticij at-ing till silently before o.AO. s when the Bill was read a first time. Then Mr Eraser had the opportunity i to move the first reading of th« Uncm- . ployed Workers’ Bill. He took the unusual course of explaining it at this stage, and was interrupted by the dinner adjournment. It. might have been merely coincidence that this also prevented the Minister of Internal Affairs completing the debate on the in- ' traduction of the (laming Act Anicnil. ■ ment Bill or the Premier's Bill dealing witJi electoral ref»rm. ' Parfinment, recognising that a waste of time is involved in discussing Bills on their introduction. before their character i.- known to members generally. referred this anomaly to the Standing Orders Committee, whieli is ready to report on the remedy, hut this proposal to deal with the “interrupted debate" method of holding tip parliamentary business was talked out till • i.Dll. and it is in the position of being itself an interrupted debate. lIO\V MONEY IS WASTED. "Probably more money lias been wasted in this country than in any olliei through incompetent engineers," declared the lion. ('. .1. Farr ’when speaking on the Engineers' Degistration Bill. “In regard to harbour hoards." be continued, "it is no exaggeration to say tliat liundiwds of thou- . sands ol pound- have been thrown into the sfa, metaphorically speaking, through incompetent engineers.” Uelerrtug to read hoards, the .Ministei said that a foreman might !»• competent enough for real's, but in connection with bridge building he made mistakes. ELECTRICAL wire-men. A reply by the Minister of Public Winks to a suggestion IT mil Mr Sullivan that elect rii a I wircnieii .should have their qualifications siijx'rvised, showed that a Bill dealing with this matter will lie ini reduce-,! this session. The Minuter stated that legislation eon- , trolling wireinen would not. he included in the Engineers' Degistration Bill, but it would come later. LEHMAN DENTAL (MODS. The I’rime Minister lias been asked by tile member for Hamilton whether he is aware that Lernian-ninde g 0,,!:, are being purchased by the Lovernuieut and used in tbe Dental Hygiene Division, whether be will take steps in assure that British-made goods of the 1 >;im«* n.it miv. and \\ 1 1 i•* 1 1 in ninny re.sjvcts an* of .superior (juality and may be procured 1111<>11lt 1 1 rej iifcihh* local * lirnis. ;m* piirrh.scd in preference to « n:, ds nl cheap (Jpniiiiii manufacture. ;md "bethel* In* will give in.Mructions that tin* declared policy of tin- GovernnieiiL ot IJriti.sli trade tor MriiiMi j | r«k| l«*s must lie derived and acted j- ( upon.

AH ISJ K LOANS KOI* A DVANCKS. lellouinc; nn the Prime relerein-es at Levin to money wliirli wotdd he availalilc for State advntiees .Mr de la IVrrelle :i>ke*l .Mr on 'l’lie.-day if lie wonld inform the ||oii>« "hat amount o| capital i" t«. he provnle.l lor the Advame.- O.'fiee n. tlleet t'je liudollhted deiuaud> from tile fanner-. Ihe Prime Mmi-ii’i ,in-"e»-cd i li.it lie "ill make a •> ta I eiecll t to t lie floiisi within a day or two. lie was the neee.ssary arr-a linementhm the\ "ere not ijtiite i-omplete. It max he added that memhers ex pert that a loan lid! will he introduced this se-Mun, not on aeeuitnt of tla (ioternnnnt having exhausted its l»ar to" ini*- authorilv in respeet of public works, hni lor the lea-on that tin* Prime Minister and hi- lia.v* collie to tlie com lil.-iou that the dbli cullies -a iron ml ine tie* moratorium can only he overcome hv having a supply of capital in the Stat«* Advance.- Department when the moratorium mines to nu end. 'l’li** loan Pill will, therefore, he solely lor this purpose. SPKKDINd IT MPSINKSS. The Prime .Minister indic;«ed to the House that there would reijitire to l.e sollle speed iII.LT-llp ill the hllsine--. Il would he necessary, he -aid to utilise Wednesday Afternoon for (Jovwnment l.nsiness, hut helore that change was made two inon* Wedne-day s would l»« a v;i ila hie lor private inemher-* Pills. .Mr .Massey alluded next to the diHieidti*-- experienced with <<*rtain motions lor leave to introduce pills, includin'* the LeoiMaturc Art Amendment Mill, standing in his own name. *‘Mut. lie continued. ”1 am not jfoimj; to have the business held up lor tin* sake oi any Mill, and I propo-e to have the Legislature Ameudinetit Mill struck out and then I shall him*' down hv. Covernor’s message another Mill, a different measure, hut with the same title, >o that it will he atleaded to. 1 do not know if members understand tin* diflerenre of

lilt* procedure.’’ Mr Witold : They soon will if they

Ml* Sidey expressed sown* anxiety over the Slimmer Time Bill and Mr Massey remarked that as far as hr* could judge there was going lo he another deadlock over that measure. lIKAYY (oM.WITTKK WORK. Select ( ommitteo work has been extremelv heavy '.hi. session and takes most ol members’ morning*. A pi.ntie- has also grown up owing to the pressure of work ot asking permission for -elect i ommit lees to sit during the time the House is doing business. When this permission was asked in respect to a committee which is investigating the claim of the AYoolstmi lanneries Company against the Loverumeii: lor it nipensatinn the Prime .Minister made a protest, although lie did not bar the particular application which was agreed to. However, he remarked that on a recent afteru lie noted that the business of Parliament was being done by twenty to twentifive* tnctiil't , r>. uwin.ii tu coin mil tee* meet ing at the .-nine time. "I’ersonally,” le added. "I would like to see the business of Parliament well done and would prefer to see the Iloiwe adjourn rather than have it< hu-iness broken into tlii' way. KKM.MKR TIM K. Tile Daylight Saving Bill which Mr Sidey has introduced many times into the House came up this session under tile title of Summer Tittle Bill, and was referred to a special conduce. -Ridging by the author’s anxiety to get this committee to report he anticipated the unusual result of a favourable verdict. lie asked the Prime Minister ns a matter of grace just Ik*fore the dinner adjournment on Tuesday ii ho would permit- the committee's report to he tabled, but Mr Massey briefly showed that lie would make no such fpneneslon (<t (hi? CSIKTimoiIL