PARLIAMENTARY.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4484, 4 November 1909, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

NEWS AND NOTES.

—The Beer Duty— Mr Laurenson in his Beer Duty Act Amendment seeks to have the number of brewers in New Zealand de* termined, and the licenses held, and says that no brewer’s license shall hereafter be granted or renewed in No-license area. No new brewer’s license shall be granted until the Minister of Customs approve, but no increase in the number of licenses is to be allowed ; the minimum quantity to be removed is 36 gallons, and in the depots no change can be made in the original package. No brewer can store liquor within ten miles of a No* license area.

—Mr Hogg and Flour. — # Mr Hogg’s Flour Duty Abolition Bill is short and sweet. The whole measure consists of ten lines. Here is the vital clause “On and after the coming into operation of this Act the duty levied upon flour imported into New Zealand, under the Customs Duties Act, 1908, and the several Acts incorporated therewith is hereby abolished, and from and after that date shall whoilv cease to be levied and collected.” —Mr E. H. Taylor— The illness which attacked Mr E. H. Taylor will incapacitate him from his Parliamentary labours for some time, and the member for Thames will therefore be unable to keep the wants of the district to the fore as he would like to have done. Mr Taylor was getting into the run of the rapes, and his indisposition is therefore to be doubly regretted.

—Licensing Amendment.— It will be interesting to note the division lists on Mr Laurenson’s Bill to amend the Licensing Act. It provides for an absolute majority on the question of Dominion No-license, and the voting would then be I vote that no licenses be granted. • I vote that licenses be restored. I vote that licenses be not restored. —Land Agitators.— lam satisfied there would be no difficulty if it were not for these people outside the workers, who would not do a day’s work themselves but who live by the mischief they create. —Hon. Mr Anstey.

—Sarcastic. — With regard to the composition of committees the Government had been generous enough to put five members of the Opposition on it. He, however, did not like to take advantage of that generosity, and thought it desirable that a gentlel- - on the Ministerial side of the House should take his place.—Mr Malcolm (Opposition), who will now probably growl at the fact that Opposition members are not placed on committees!