A Parliamentary’ Note-Book

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 170, 8 October 1927, Page 9

A Parliamentary’ Note-Book

A Profitable Day (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Friday. The House of Representatives spent a profitable day on the Estimates and passed the remaining classes on the main list. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates indicated the legislation forthcoming, and enlightening information was given to the House on the position of the State Advances Department. The House rose at 11.40. The House will sit again on Monday night, when the Committee stage of the Customs Amendment Bill will be resumed. Stringent Rulings The chairman of committee, Mr. F. F. Hockly, was stringent in his ruling on members discussing policy questions on the Estimates to-night, and Mr. W. J. Jordan, Manukau, fell several times for the severity of the chairman’s closure. He struggled lamely on after being pulled up several times, and finally sank back into his seat with the rueful comment, “I am not getting on too well.” Much Still To Do Although the legislative programme for the current session, as mapped out by the Prime Minister to-day, does not appear very formidable, it is likely to be of sufficient length to keep our legislators busy till after the running of the New Zealand Cup meeting in the South, and probably till the middle of next month. The few legislative snags which ■will call for attention will be of such a contentious nature that the more or less desultory discussions which characterise the passage of minor Bills will be given a fillip to carry the session into November. Deserted Wives

The Minister of Pensions, the Hon. G. J. Anderson, considers that if the cases of wives of deserting husbands are brought in under the Family Allowances Act there will be more disappearing husbands. He said in the House of Representatives to-night that every child in the Dominion was provided for in the existing law. If wives of deserting husbands were to be provided for it would have to be under some scheme of pensions. He promised investigation. Estimates Passed The following classes of Estimates were passed by the House of Representatives today: Customs, £176,899; Stamp Duties Department, £93,013; Land and Income Tax, £55,218; State Advances, £66,923; Marine, £118,650; Pensions, £165,946; Education, £3,003,474; Public Service Commissioner's Office, £6,886; Public Trustee’s Account, £213,529; Electoral Department, £9,708; Cook Islands, £45,215; Audit, £29,527; Nauru and Ocean Island, £6OO.