PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 July 1917, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

(From Our Special Correspondent,!)' : 4 Wellington, July, llV; Members of the House of Represea&W tives are to have their Hansards after all. The joint 'Printing Committee recommende(|,the other day that the nmn- - ber of copies of Hansard supplied free to members of the House should be reduced ' '> from 7*5 to *25. The chairman' of that. committee assured the House that the ■ ■ reduction in the number of copies was essential, in view of the short supply ' and high price of pa/per. The Minister , for Internal Affairs stated that if the ' t quantity of paper absorbed by Hansard ' was not reduced, economy would have to be effected at the exjpenso of the School Journal or in some ot'her direction. But it appears (if members are to be believed) that the electorates simply insist upon having a full supply of Hansards. The Minister of Internal Affairs ,-v;s has now informed the members iby circular letter that they will he furnished : ',i with their usual 75 copies each, and ihe j earnest electors who were threatened • with the deprivation, of light reaitfpg '• may breathe again. How the Minister is going to effect his saving in papej re- ■ ■' mains to be seen. i • A little argument arose in the House this afternoon regarding the price of '1 butter. The Prime (Minister had stated j in reply to a question that the retail- . price of butter in Wellington was le ficl \:- f per .pound. Dr. Newman arose to txj, that he had looked into the matter pw- ■> sonally and discovered that the retail price was Is Bd. Mr. Massey said JM« information had eome from the ißoaird of Trade. The doctor said the (Board was in error—again. The truth of the matter was that Mr. Massey and the mem- t ~ ber were both right. (Butter can to® \ bought in Wellington $£ the present £ ■ time at Is sd, Is 6d, Is 7d, or 1« 34 ft pound 'at the discretion of the purchaser. The big stores have held up the price at } Is Bd. Some of the smaller stores have compromised at the smaller •figures. • A - very few shops, situated/in the quarter. usually patronised by thrifty hotuwwives, have reduced the price to Is ; « The quality varies, but not necessarily in ratio to price. Some viry poor srai« ter, withdrawn from the freezing stores, is being sold at is 9d, and some of Is 5d 'butter is excellent.

The Address-in-Keply debate is not likely to close for some days yet. It will "be resumed on Tuesday next, and may' easily occupy the House until the 1 end of the week, with the breaks made necessary by other tbusiness. The Government ih the meantime is not produc- -., itig any of its important business. Mintcrs pro!)a/bly are not sorry for the de- ■ > lay.!* Mr. Massey has had to confess to ■' ignorance once or twice when questioned ' about his Departments, and it is obvious J that lie and Sir Joseph Ward require . time to ipiolc up all the strings after * ' 1 their long absence, from the country. . <; A question in the House of Represent l ,-S atives yesterday regarding the reports of , the National Efficiency Board dre* a . \ .ji rather surprising reply from the Minis.ter of Finance, Sir Joseph Ward. ' "I ■ -h am not going to take any recommenda-' Vs tions of the Efficiency Board' unloas I '•/,$

agree with them," said the Minister, "The Efficiency Board is not going to take the place of the Government of the• '\s country. The reports of the (Board will be considered and the decisions of the r ' Government will be given effect to. It is r ', : just as well to. understand that the 1 j Government is going to rule. If valuable ~ "< advice, comes to the Government from , ;'.j the Efficiency Board, then the House ,i'f will 'be informed of it." 1 "'".(ill The Efficiency Board, which was ', established during the aibsenoe of Mr; •=; MaSsey and Sir Joseph Ward, is purely jj^ advisory in its functions, and nobody , ever expected that its recommendations would have the weight of Cabinet d»i .i v; cisions. But the tone of the Ministarts . m statement seems less than fair to the ' ll business men who have consented, at it&a ",i request of the Government and without * salary, to study the problems of imhis« : y trial organisation arising from the war. . , ;'i It is no secret 'that the Board has prepared and submitted to the Government V several reports dealing with very fen- 11 portaiit subjects and that these reports ''' have been buried, temporarily at least, V in Ministerial pigeon-holes. There have ' t/ : been definite rumors that the members 1 ,7' of the Board were dissatisfied with she . Ctreatmeut accorded their reconunendai . • ifions.