PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 68, 24 June 1916, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Peq Press Association . Wellington, June 23. The Council met at 2.30 p.m., when <( 10 report of the Statutes Revision Committee upon the Military Service Bill was received, and committal was made for it to be the order of the day for Tuesday next. Sir F. H. I). Bell said that members of the Council wore aware that their Speaker (Hon. C. J. Johnston), was absent, having been called away by the death of daughter, Mrs M. L. Bovin, who was the widow of a gallant gentleman who had recently died in the service of his King. He moved n motion of sympathy with the Speaker and bis family in their bereavement. This was seconded by Hon. G. McLean, and as a further mark of respect and sympathy the Council at once adjourned. house of REPRESENTATIVES. Mr Wilford gave notice of intention to ask the Minister of Finance if, when framing the Finance Bill, will he differentiate between earned and unearned incomes, . In reply to Mr Young, the Minister of Public Health stated that he ijhad received a memorial concerning tin discontent amongst patients at the Waikato consumptive sanatorium.. An enquiry has been made by Dr. Hope Lewis, and only to-day he had received ,tho report, which he had not yet had time to peruse. He hoped to shortly make a statement to the House on the . matter. I lu reply to Mr P. Webb, who asked it- in uew of the many accidents taking place in tunnels, the Government would take steps to bring such public works under the Mines Department, whose officers thoroughly understood this class of work, the Minister ot Public Works said that this request had been made to several of his pre- | decessors, all of whom turned it down, j and he had no intention of departing I from the practice of his Department. I Replying to Dr. Tine nor, the Premier stated that Surgeon-Geneial Hen- ' dersou had reported that the milk supplied at Featherstou Camp had been

tested on four different occasions, and had been found of excellent quality. When a shortage occurred, condensed milk of good quality was served to the I men. Sir Joseph Ward gave notice that on next sitting day ho would introduce the Land and Income Tax and Finance Bills, the latter of which would contain banking legislation, which the House would'be asked to consider.

The Minister of Defence read extracts from letters received by parents of soldiers on Transport 49, describing the food served on board the ship, and regarding which Mr Pooie had raised some question earlier in the week. The 'Minister deprecated the action of ihe member for Auckland West in raising Abe question in the way be had done. 'His statements had gone throughout

the length and breadth of the Dominion. They were without certification, and consequently created a good deal of feeling. He greatly regretted that the reports had been spread abroad.

Mr Poole defended his action, and he claimed, as a representative of the people, that he had a right to expose grievances in the House. THE ESTIMATES. The House went into Committee of Supply, and resumed consideration ot the Estimates. Class 4.—Public Buildings Domain, and Maintenance of Roads, £117,200. —After a somewhat lengthy discussion the vote was passed, and the committee proceeded to discuss Class 41, Native Department, £24,814. NATIVE LANDS. At 7.30, Mr Wilford continued the discussion by referring to purchases of ■native land in the South Island, contending ihat large areas had been tak,on by the Crown, and hail not been paid for. Hoil. W. H. Homes, in reply, said that he did not think it right that the terms of “robbery” and “spoliation” | should be applied to the transactions of previous Governments, nor did he like it to go abroad tiiat the Natives had been ruthlessly bled of their lands by past Administrations. As a matter of fact, all New Zealand Governments, whatever their faults might have been, had made endeavors to keep as closely as possible to the Treaty of Waitangi. The real question at issue was whether sufficient reserves had been set aside for the South Island, but that was too largo a question to be discussed in the Estimates.

The vote ivas passed. c GERMAN PATENTS. Class '?—Justice Department, £490,625 tvai/ ! taken. iMr Wilford asked whdt‘ was' Being done to cancel .German patents in the Dpiinion. The Minister replied thap nothing had been done up to the present,, and Mr Wilford moved that; the Vote be reduced' by ’ £l, as an indication'that Gferman patents should t be;wiped out of the Dominion altogether, and at once. Hon. A. L. Herdman said that his impression was that the legislation of 1913 gave power to cancel any German patents. There were no German patents of any value in force in New Zealand.

Dr. A. K. Newman asked whether the House would r get an assurance that if German patents did exist they would be wiped out. People were getting sick of the sentimental way in which this German question was being dealt with. Mr Massey said he knew that legislation had been passed to deal with German patents. If they had not been cancelled under that law he would recommend the Minister ol 3us Jog. so at once. The Minister read from a tal report to show that power was :, gi'C r > ,: en to individuals to apply for cancellation of patents, hut two applications had been received for cancellation oi trade marks. Mr Herdman said that if Germans had acted like blackguards there was no reason why we should. Mr Statham, while he sympathised with the spirit of the motion, did not support it. On a division, Mr Wilford’s amendment was defeated hy <>3 to 18,