POLITICAL NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1918, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

"A GENUINE DOCUMENT." i ] (From Our Own Correspondent.\ \ Wellington, Dec. 4. "The petition presented bv the New Zealmd Alliance was a genuine document," said Mr. .1. McC'ombs (Lyttelton) in the House of Representatives this evening. "But anybody who cares to go to the Government Buildings and ex- 1 amine the liquor petition will see groups of names—five, seven and twelve—in . one handwriting. Whole sheets of the petition are in one handwriting. The liquor petition has many genuine signatures, and it is entitled to some consideration; but the Government must not give the same weight to that more or less fraudulent petition as it gives to the honest petition of the No'.v Zeau.nd Alliance." A RECORD. Tlie House of Representatives surely estalished a record to-day when it put through the Reformatory Institutions Hill in one minute. The Bill was called on for the second reading at 12.5U p.m., and the Minister for Justice announced that he wanted it passed by 1 o'clock. He assured the House that it merely .rave him power to establish institutions where first-olTending girl prisoners could be kept separate from the "old hags and hardened criminals and hay-bags." The Bill was read a second time in a few seconds and rushed into Committee. The member for Wairan made a protest there ajrainst this method of legislation, but the Minister threatened him with he loss of the Bill if there was a moment's delay. The member subsided unwillingly. and the Bill was put throush Committee, rend a third time, and pn«s"ti in time for the luncheon adioumment to he token. National Government ean ■ do strange things.