A Parliamentry Notebook

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 103, 22 July 1927, Page 8

A Parliamentry Notebook

MORE STONEWALL (THE SUE S Parliamentary Ecpartrr.) ELLINGTON, Thursdav. The Religious Exercises Bill still rs. mams nothing more than a storm cloud on the political horizon. Stoned wall tactics on other measures haT rolled it away again. Mr w a Veitch's Agricultural Bank Bill kem the House occupied lor the greatef part of the afternoon. In the evenini Nlr. E. .1. Howard's Workers’ Compm sation Amendment Bill provided opnoi nents of the Religious Exercises Bui with material for discussion until 12.30 a.tu.. after which it was too l»t a to bring the other Bill forward Mr Howard s Bill passed the second read' ing. The Legislative Council sat for siv minutes to-day. The Justices of dm Peace Bill was read a second time pro forma, and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The second reading of the Samoa Amendment Bill will be taken in ih» House to-day. e Electioneering Funds Further amendments to the electoral laws are sought by Mr. H E Hoi land, Leader of the Opposition who has given notice to introduce to the House of Representatives the Leg*slature Amendment Bill No. 2. It is learned that this Bill will deal mainly with the control of party funds in assisting election campaigning and also deals with candidates' election expenses along the lines of Mr. Holland's views expressed upon the Legis' lature Amendment Bill in the House recently. _ The Price of Coal The raising of the wholesale price of State coal by Is 6d a ton was the subject of a question in the House to-day by Mr. P. Fraser, member for Wellington Central, who asked the Minister of Mines whether he was aware of the rise in spite of the Minister’s promise that the price would not be raised. Was this in collusion with the Westport Coal Company, and was this a reversal of the department’s policy of prevention of exploitation? The Minister of Mines, the Hon. G J. Anderson, said he had not pnv mised that the wholesale price of coal would not be raised, but had promised no alteration in the retail price from the State Depot. The wholesale price had gone up from yesterday Is 6d a ton ex-ship on sling. None So Blind The word “stonewall,” which is classified among the list of unparliamentary expressions, slipped from the lips of Mr. E. J. Howard, Christchurch South, to-night while he was speaking on his Workers’ Compensa* tion Bill. He suggested that the Government had put up a private member to raise a point of order and stonewall his Bill. He immediately corrected himself, however, and made the word “blockade.” The Hon. G. J. Anderson, Minister of Labour, in replying, called this inference “ungenerous.” He knew the poin£ was being raised, he said, but it was not at the instigation of the Government. Private members had the right to raise these points. He understood that there was another Bill on the order paper which Labour members were particularly anxious to avoid. (Laughter.) Mr. H. E. Holland: Now you are imputing motives. Mr. J. A. Lee: One ounce of practice is worth a ton of theory. Mr. Anderson: One can see what is before him, and I have good eyes. Mr. H. E. Holland: Well, if you make this Bill a Government measure we will get to the next one right away. Mr. Anderson: I daresay you would.