Mr. Speaker . . . Session Queries and Asides

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1075, 12 September 1930, Page 10

Mr. Speaker . . . Session Queries and Asides

WELLINGTON, Thursday. Members of the House of Representatives spent the afternoon in discussion of the reports of various committees on petitions and Bills and each representative had a chance of airing his views upon the affairs of his -petitioning constituents or on those of other member's constituents. Then reports and amendments to Bills gave rise to plenty of talk. The evening was devoted to consideration of the Nurses’ and Mid wives’ Registration Amendment Bill, for which considerable lobbying has been done in the last few days. When the A to L Petitions Committee. through its chairman. Mr. J. A. Macpherson (United —Oamaru), recommended upon that hardy annual, the Dalziell petition, seeking a new order of things in the world, it surprised the House by stating that the Government should give favourable consideration to the petition and that the proposals in the petition should be considered by a Royal Commission named by petitioner, which was to cost the State nothing. The report of the committee gave rise to considerable levity and members pressed Mr. Macpherson for an explanation of the petition. which they confessed they had never been able to understand. Mr. Macpherson, after considerable discussion. gave the explanation—but said that, although he - could understand the petition, as could the committee, he could not put its meaning into the King’s English! Mr. P. Fraser (Labour —Wellington Central) led the agitation for an explanation. and gravely claimed that the committee apparently had achieved the impossible. Other members joined in, the Minister of Native Affairs, the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata, claiming that the commission should be strengthened by the addition of such practical men as Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Reform — Gisborne and Mr. H. G. B. Mason (Labour —Auckland Suburbs). The latter, he said, should be interested in philosophy, as was evidenced by his propensity for introducing legislation. After Mr. T. TV. McDonald (United — Wairarapa) had protested against waste of time, the report was tabled. On the motion of the Acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, the Statutory Land Charges Registration Amendment Bill was read a first time.

Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Independent—'Grey Lynn) gave notice to ask the Minister of Railways, the Hon. TV. A. Veitch, if 40 trucks of coal were dispatched this week from the Glen Afton Collieries to the Government Railways: if those supplies were part of those contracted for by the Government with the Taupiri Coal Company: if there were a clause in the contract which enabled Glen Afton to supply any deficiencies from the Taupiri supplies: if this were not so. why was the Government buying from Glen Afton. and at what price? The Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, gave notice to ask the Acting-Prime Minister if Government-owned motor-vehicles would continue to be exempt from motor-vehicle taxation. Seven days’ leave of absence was granted Mr. T. Henare (Reform — Northern Maori) because of urgent public business.