POLITICAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1919, Page 5

POLITICAL NEWS.

LAST NIGHT'S BUSINESS. MR. MALCOLM HAS A BAD SPIN. (By Wire.—Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. Some questions were put to the Ministers regarding housing when the House met- this evening for the first Monday sitting. The answers did not obtain much information. The Prime Minister said that the Housing Bill would he introduced next week, and that advances to local bodies for the erection of homes was one of the matters under considertion by the Government. Mr. Massey had announced that the evening would be given to privato members' Bills, of which there are about thirty on the Order Paper. They deal with proportional representation, the abolition of toll gates, Maori War medals, State banking, daylight saving, popular initiative and referendum, and many matters. Most of the members who had hoped that their littl* Bills would get consideration were disappointed The list was headed by Mr. Malcolm's Honpital and Charitable Institutions Amendment Bill, which proposes to cut, the counties of Bruce and Clutha out of the Otago hospital district, and constitute them a South Otago Hospital District. Othe.r Otago members, inspired by the Otago Hospital Board, were opposed to the Bill. Then Mr. Malcolm, as chairman of committees, Uas used the strong hand on occasions, and co there were other members ready to aiuoblige him. It happened also that the next Bill on the Order Paper was Mr. Veitch's Proportional Representation and Effective Voting Bill, on which the Labor members were sure to talk, and which Bomo other members arc not keen to vote upon. Mr. Malcolm, in these circumstances, got a bad run. Tjhe House played with his Bill, and reported progress shortly before midnight. That is the end of private member's Bills for the present session. The House put through the title clause of Mr. Veitch's Bill as a matter of courtesy, and then adjourned. *