PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 May 1916, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

■ LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HON. W. F. CARNCROSS, CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In the Legislative Council, Sir F. H. D. Bell moved that Hon. W. C.' Carncross be elected Chairman of Committee. He referred in congratulatory terms to the selection of Mr. Carncross as one of the delegates to the meeting, of the Empire Parliamentary Association. The motion was carried without dissient. Hon W. F. Carncross warmly thanked tin Council for their expression of confidence. Cn the motion of Sir F. H. D. Bell, votes oi appreciation of the services rendered by tho late Hon*. H. J. Miller and John Duthie, members of the Council, and Messrs. E. G. Muss and W..F. Bucklain, 'memb-is of ihe House of Representatives, end sympathy with their fanrlios, was passed. The Council adjourned until May 17. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr. C. K. Suitham jfnve notice to a»k the Government to have wireless telegraphy '.RStaiiva on the training ship Ameiaira. rto o.'tcd the ease of the Antarctic ship Aurora just missing tha Amokuia, on account of the latter not having wireless. Motions of condolence with the relations of Hons. J. A. Millar and John Dill-Lie, M.L.C., and Messrs E. G. W. Moss, W. F. Blickland, and A. Dillon were carried. The House adjourned at 3.45 p.m. till Thursday, out of respect to the memory of the deceased parliamentarians.

GOSSIP FROM THE GAIPITAL. INTERESTING COMMENT (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, May 10. When the House of Representatives met yesterday there was a rush of notices of motion and of questions. Thirteen. private members' Bills, fourteen notices -of motion, and twelve questions to Ministers were placed upon the orderpaper, most of them containing material for debate, and some of them opening wide, fields of discussion. Mr. R. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs) and Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) each announced a Bill dealing with the tents problem. Mr. J. C. Thomson (Wallace) gave notice of a Soldiers' Voting Bill, designed to give the fighting-men a voice in the next general election in New Zealand. Mr. iPayne (Grey Lynn) indicated his intention to produce no fewer tiian seven Bills, including a War Exigencies and Empire Preservation Bill, a State Bank Bill, and a Von Zeydlitz Grant Restitution Bill. There was also a Rent Bill on 'his list. It does not always followthat the private member who gives notice of a Bill has in mind anything more than a title on which to hang j first reading speech, and the private member's chance of passing his Bill without the assistance of the Government is very slender indeed. But several of yesterday's Bills must, be taken seriously. A considerable number of t'he questions and notices of motion produced by members of the House of Representatives yesterday related to Defence administration. Their terms indicated that the discontent which caused a vast amount of discussion on Defence topics last session has not disappeared during the recess. Evidently the Minister for Defence is to be required again to give liiany explanations and to face some adverse criticism. Mr. J. Payne lost no time in giving notice of a motion dealing with the presence of "persons of alien enemy birtli or descent" in the Expeditionary Forces. Mr. G. Witty returned to the question of the Government's transactions in wheat, and Mr. Wilford indicated his intention to ask for information regarding sales of .var material, stores, equipment, etc., to the Government since the -outbreak of the war. • Mr. Wilford also gave notice jf a proposal that a week should be set apart during the session for a jomprehensive discussion of t'he cost of living problem. Anticipation? of a short session were not encouraged by the evident eagerness of members to discuss matters that did not fall within the scheme of work generally attributed to the Ministrv.

Motions relating to ox-members of the Legislature who have died since the last session will he moved in the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives this afternoon, and the chambers will then adjourn until to-morrow. The Address-in-Reply debate will he opened in the House of Representatives tomorrow evening, and there seems every probability that it will be continued over Friday at least. The Military Service Bill, which is expected to be the first of the Government's important measures to make its appearance f rwill not be laid before members until the Address-in-Reply debate has been completed. During last session the Speaker allowed members a great deal of latitude in asking questions without notice, and the result was a succession of informal debates relating mainly to Defence matters. Probably the ordinary practice of confining questions without notice to matters of urgency will be observed rather more closely in the present [session. The conditions last year were peculiar and the freedom allowed was I I unusual. The selection of two Reform members [and one Liberal member to attend the Empire Parliamentary Conference on belialf of the New Zealand House of Representatives is convincing evidence that, in the words of t'he Governor's speech, "all political parties have agreed to abstain from controversy of a political character." Prior to the formation of the National Government the Reform IP'arty could not possibly have spared the extra member, since he would have taken t'he Reform majority with him. The selected members must leave Xew Zealand quickly. since they have to be in London by .Tuly 1 in order to take part in the proceedings arranged by the Empire Parliamentary Association. The House of Representatives will then lack five of its members, three of them being in liondon and two in France, serving with the Expeditionary Force.