PARLIAMENTARY JOTTINGS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2147, 3 July 1920, Page 4

PARLIAMENTARY JOTTINGS.

The Address-in-Reply debate was t opened in the House of Representa- t fives on Wednesday night, the spe- i a leers being confined to the mover, Mr E. E. Hockley (Rotorua), and t the seconder, Mr David Jones (Kai- 1 apoi). The former, in a speed) of I three-quarters of an hour, dealt briefly with each item mentioned in the Speech, and enlarged on topics of interest to the farming community. Mi’ Jones spoke for a similar < time, and, in particular, defended i the Government’s land policy. < I BILLS. i Of the nineteen measures brought 3 in qu Wednesday, four were Govern- i mcnt Bills in the name of the Min- 1 ister for Internal Affairs (Hon. 0. i J. Anderson), and eight Labour j members stood sponsor for eight of i the remaining fifteen. The complete < list was as follows: Shops and Olfi- 1 ccs Act Amendment (Mr M’Combs), i Hotel and Restaurant and Private I Hotel and Boardinghouse Employ- i ces Six Days a Week (Mr P. Eras- s er), Mining Act Amendment (Mr 1 Parry), Temporary Employees (Dr. } Newman), Industrial Conciliation i and Arbitration Act Amendment (Mr Savage), Ocean Beach Public Domain Act Amendment (Mr Sidey), Dominion Stale Bank (Mr Vcitch), Workers’ Compensation Act Amend- ■ nient (Mr Howard), Master and Ap- i prentices Act Amendment (Mr Bar- < tram), Coal Mines Amendment (Mr i Holland), Factories Act Amend- i ment (Mr Sullivan), Thames Har- i hour Board Loan and Empowering j (Mr T. W. Rhodes), New Zealand ; Time, Marriage Act Amendment, Re- i vocation of Naturalisation Act Amendment, Registration of Aliens Act Amendment (Hon. G. J. Anderson), Legislature Amendment (Mr M’Callum), Destitute Persons Amendment (Mr Harris), Christchurch Tramways (Mrlsilt). INDEPENDENCE AND A LABOUR INTERJECTION. ‘‘lf you emfld see the Prime Minister’s file you would wonder if; he was a wholesale grocer, a coal .and limber merchant, or a manure agent.” said Mr D. Jones (Kaiapoi) on Wednesday night, in urging that people should rely more upon themselves and less upon the Government. Dependence on the Government, he considered, was the worst problem left by the war. They all knew that a sick child had to he humoured until it was well. Humouring - got the child well, but. it was spoilt for six months so far as its manners were concerned. New Zealand had to he treated in the same way during the war. Mhat they wanted for Prime Minister was not a man —(laughter)—but a god. Mr Holland: “You know what the Chinese do with their gods when they don’t get what they want'?”. Mr Junes: “Well, my friend, yon look after the Chinese. lam dealing with Englishmen." They expected to have a god as Prime Minister who would give them all they wished if they believed they would get it. It was necessary to encourage a spirit of greater independence among the community. With this done (lie country could carry its great responsibilities so long as every man did his part. VOTES OK .INDEPENDENTS. There lias been much discussion during the last lew days as to how the Independents will vote on the no-confidcnce motion brought down by the Leader of the Opposition. Indications at present are that some of the Independents will be found in (he Government lobby when the vote is taken; in fact, a fair indication is given by what happened on Tuesday, when Labour’s no-confidence "motion was disposed 01, Messrs Mitchell, Craigie, and Lysnar ail being found on that occasion with Mr Massey. One prominent Independent, talking of the coming vote, said (hat lie would vote against the Loader of Opposition. What was wanted, he said, was to get things done, and to worry about no-contidoncc votes at the moment was a waste of time, Mr Stutlmm’s amendment is generally regarded as being - on a different plane. In that case there is a definite principle involved, and when the vote is taken at least one Independent will desert Mr Massey s lobby and vote for the elective executive. THE BEST IMMIGRANT. “Tiic host immigrant we can get, if 1 may call him an immigrant/’ said iMr E. F, Hockley (Rotorua), in the course of his speech in moving the Address-in-Reply, “is the baby.” Following up his line of thought, the member said nowadays it was wellnigh impossible for the average man and woman to afford to have children, and to his mind the Government should extend all the assistance in its power. Members endorsed his remarks cordially. BOARD OF TRADE ACTIVITIES. I Several members addressed questions to the President of the Board of Trade on Wednesday. Mr J, R. Hamilton (Awarua) said the price of wool had been fixed for the past four years, and yet the cost of manufactured woollen goods had increased by 300 per cent. AVould the Board of Trade be directed to inquire into the question / It would be much better so employed than in instituting proceedings concerning the sale of a pot of vaseline or of alarm-clocks. The Minister (Hon. E. P. Lee) said the Board of Trade was already conducting an inquiry into the matter referred to, but there were other questions which could not be altogether neglected, though the horn member might not regard them as of importance.

Mr S. G. Smith (Taranaki) asked if the Minister would make a clear statement as to the sugar contract, and his reasons for agreeing to the increased price. Mr Lee said he. was not at present able to make this statement, but he would do so at the earliest opportunity. LABOUR DISPUTES AND THE PREMIER. Unstinted admiration of the work done by the Prime Minister in connection with labour troubles was expressed by Mr E. E. Hockley (Rotorua). “There is one thing certain,” be said, “and that is that there is a better spirit between employers and employees in New Zealand than, we can see anywhere else. 1 think a great deal of the credit for* the present position, and tor the settling of the many disputes that have arisen in the last few months is duo to the tact and ability of the Prime Minister, and the confidence which the people have in him. . . . As

long as he remains in his position I am quite certain that disputes and labour unrest will have very much greater chance of being settled than if lie were elsewhere.”