POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 September 1924, Page 4

POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

•• C ALM REFORM STORM.” The I Inn. A. Hunan (Invercargill), cniniuenling in the House of Representatives on the work of the present session, declared that he had never known so slow and uninteresting a session of Parliament. ‘'l believe,” he said. " that this may he the calm before the storm, and that the next cleetion wo may have a big political upheaval. (Loud Reform laughter.) I notice that interest is manifested in lion, members when one sjieaks of the next general election.” i ‘Hear, hear and laughter.)

HOSPITAL'S EXPLANATION. A reply was given in the Legislative Council tu the lfon. K. 11. Clark’s question respecting the man who died a couple of hours after being informed that he was not ill enough to lie admitted to Wellington Hospital. The Leader of the Council, the ITon. Sir Francis Bell, said that inrpiiry had been made with the result that the superintendent of the Wellington Hospital said that the man made no application for treatment as an in-patient, but as an out-patient for chronic bronchitis from which he was suffering. A post-mortem examination revealed a clot of blood on the heart, and that was what caused death. There was no reason for advising the man to become an in-patient at the hospital. It was a pure coincidence that after making application to bo treated for bronchitis,

the man was seized with this disease. There was no reason for saying there was anything alarming in his condition when he asked to he treated as an out-patient.

NO GOYKItXMFXT IXTKTtKKI! ENC'E. “ I fear there is neither authority nor inclination to interfere with the digestive arrangements,” said tlie lion. Sir Francis liell in the Legislative Connell in reply to a question as to whether the Government will take steps to prevent the over-refining of flour, and encourage the use of wholemeal flour.

“ YOU OLD ItASCAL.” Deferring to the need for amending the Standing Ortlers >o as to save the lime of the House, .Mr J. Kdie (Chitlin), speaking of the close of the tiehale the previous evening said:—“l saw a smile gradually rising up from the Prime .Minister's mouth, and I said to myself menially, "You old rascal." (Loud laughter, in which the remainder of the sentence was drowned.) The Prime .Minister, lie added, after the House had keen deflating the kill for some six hours, got tip and relinked it for wading time, declaring that all the points raised in the debate were provitli d for in the hill. And the leader of the Opposition at once asked : "Then, why didn’t you say so when introducing the hills'" Yet the Prime .Minister had coolly relinked lion, members lor wasting the time of the House. (Laughter.)

SUNDAY POLITICS. The nieiuher for Oislu rne, .Mr \Y. D. I.ysnar, suggested in the House recently that political meetings on Sundays should he prohibited, and he hoped the Government would introduce legislation to that elleet. Ihe extreme Labour people made polities their calling and business; they had no other calling, and they were agitators. The Siimlav political meetings should be Stopped, lie knew of a member who occupied the pulpit one Suinlay morning and belli a political meeting in the evening. lie described the Labour members as disbelievers of religion, who were prepared to desecrate the Mr 11. T. Armstrong (C’lirislclm<i*<li Past remarked, that il would he all right, perhaps, if Labour spent Sunday night preaching the doctrine ol Mr l.vsiiar, hut he would he ashamed to do that even till a .Monday. .Mr \Y. d. .lordan i.Mnnukau) objected to Labour members being referred to as of no religion, because the reference was not correct.