PARLIAMENT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 153, 1 July 1916, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

WELLINGTON, .June 30. The Legislative Council met at 2-ai) p.m. ■. , '.-„ , : .

The New Zealand; Insurance Company trust Bill was-road a third time ana i..,ssed.

Tht don. Sir ¥. D. Bell moved the third reading oi the Military Service Bill. :ie said he believed the measure had been considerably improved in its passage through the Council. The Hon. Barr endorsed this view, and expressed the opinion that an undesiraule precedent had been created by allowing an open door tor conscientious objectors, mainly at the instance of three small religious bodies. His idea was that a religion worth having was worth fighting for. The Hon. McUiobon expressed the opinion that the conscientious objector clause should have been eliminated. )i The Hon. Paul said Labour stood to lose most by the coming into operation of the Act. He advised the i>tniost care would be necessary in the administration of the Act. The Hon Beehan also condemned the conscience clause. The Hon. Buchanan defended tho v farming interest from the charge of I indifference, maintaining that in the supply of wheat and meat they had been doing most vajuable work. The. Hon. Earnshaw regretted theretention of the conscientious objectors' clause. The effect would lie Ike putting a match to heather. The Council adjourned at 4.-50 unt: 8 o'clock.

The Council resumed at 8 p.m. The Military bervice Bill was read a third time and passed. The Discharged Soldiers Settlement Bill was considered in committee.

In Clause 5, Sir Walter Buchanan moved a new sub-clause to the effect that the Minister of Lauds shall supply in his annual report full particulars of lands acquired under the section during the year to which the report relates. The Bill was reported from Committee with the amendment, read a third time and passed. The Council rose at 9.20. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. INTERNED JEWS AND ARMENIA JS. The House of Representatives met at 2-30 p.m. Mr McCallum asked the Minister for Defence if he could see his way to subsidise the work of relieving Jews and Armenians interned in Egypt. The Minister replied that this was a matter for the Cabl.net to deal with. DEFENCE ESTIMATES. The House then went into Committee of Supply to consider the Deiance Estimates—£494,923. Replying to a criticism,of the Base Records Department, the Minister eulogised the work of this department, particularly of Major Francis, whose services he valued greatly. Replying to Dr Newman, the Minister said, he would lay on the table details of the expenditure of the war loan, but so far as he could saj& at present we had expended £8,015,000 over and above this there were certain adjustments connected with the British Government, amounting to almost five millions. Most of this loan monye, amounting to ten millions sterling, had been obtained from London.

Mr Payne protested against certain prominent members or the Civil Service parading about the city in colonel's uniforms, purchased by the money of the taxpayers. The Minister denied that these uniforms were supplied by the department. They were purchased by the officers themselves. Dr Thacker said that the last contingent of Canterbury recruits was 49 over its strength, and these men, who had given up their employment, were asked to hang about for a month until they could be taken into camp. The remedy for this state of things was local camps, yet the Minister's staff officers had truculently opposed local camps. The Minister, in reply to Dr Newman, said, there Avas no deposit of £IOO to pay to join the aviation school. The fact that a man was m the aviation school in no way enabled him to escape service. Regarding Territorial officers, he had no power to compel them to join the expeditionary forces. Mr Veitch denounced the extravagance practised in fitting up transports, contending that the work could be. done better on the co-operative principle than by giving the work to a particular set of contractors. On resuming at 7-30. the Hon. J. Allen, replying to assertions made during the debate, said the amount pain to the Union Company was 32 per cent on refitting transports and on other ships not owned by the company 7| per cent on labour.. The Limerick had been done at London and a gross waste of money would have been occasioned, had tho vessel been brought back to New Zealand to have the work done. Referring to the contention that the Estimates were excessive, Mr Allen explained that many of the officers scheduled for salaries were at the front, and were not a charge on the department. He could not see how the Estimates could be reduced. Mr Poland moved as an amendment that the vote of £185,10S for the Adjutant-General's branch be reduced £1 nc an indication tha separation allowance to wives and children of men a. the front shou'd be increased. He urged that the amount given was altogether inadequate. Mr Wilford said he would support the proposal. The amount of allowance was wholly inadequate, and was unfair. Mr Allen, in reply, said that higher separation allowances would bring about a condition of things which tha department did not want to create. It would encourage married men with children to enlist. What they wanted was to not the single men first. Mr Wilford replied that if the Minister did his duty he would se' that the single men went first; but tho real point was—what was to be done for the wives and children of men who are already at the front? Dr Newman said he would support the amendment without going to the length of "ragging" the Minister, as was evidently being done. He urged the Minister to refer the matter for consideration by the. Cabinet.. The Minister, in r'Jbly. -aid the matter had been carefulb' considered hy tho Cabinet, but he wna prepared to bring it up again for review. Mr Sykes said it was important that married men with children should 1>? discouraged from goimr to the front. Patriotic societies should come to the.

rescue where an insufficient al'owance was given. At. 11.00 the vote was passed. The committee proc-eded to discuss clause 14 (Department m Agriculture, Industries and Commerce, £224,023). The Minister, in a further reply, said he had already promised to refer th-o matter of a largeij allowance to Cabinet. The allowance paid in New Zealand was the highest in the world. He was not afraid of the cost, but he was bound to tell the House that Lt was costing the country at the present time £49,000 per annum for children alone. He would remind the House that a widowed mother whose son at the front was her sole support had been placed on the same footing as a wife a.nd was allowed a shilling a day. The amendment was lost by 27 to 17. At 1.0 a.m. the discussion was still proceeding on the vote. The Premier, speaking on the agricultural vote, said the Board of Trade was doing good work. He had received a letter from Auckland which stated that as a result of the Board's visit the price of coal had been reduced there by 2s. per ton. As a result of the Board's visit to another town the price of bread had been reduced. So far as sugar was concerned, he did not like to make a premature statement, but lie could inform the House that the existing arrangement had been renewed with the sugar company, which was estimated to save the people of the Dominion £300,000. The Board was settling down to work, and he had no doubt it would fulfil the expectations of those who were responsible for it. The Premier also intimated that the Finance Bill would be circulated -today (Saturday.) The vote passed at, 1-35. The House rose at 1-40.