PARLIAMENT SITS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENT SITS.

RESTRICTED LIGHT AVAILABLE. GOVERNMENT WATCHING EVENTS. Wellington, Last Night. It was thought that no light would be nvailable for Parliament to-night, but Mr. Masßcy announced, as the chamber gradually became enveloped in gloom at :">.30 p.m., that the City Council had arranged to supply light, so tlw House wpuhl be able to sit till 10.30 p.m. Duping the,afternoon, the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, Leader of the Opposition, asked the Prime Minister what was.the position on the Wellington water-front, and what steps the Government proposed to take to secure a settlement of the dispute. Mr. Massey replied that he had not received any official information regarding the water-front dispute. He and the Minister of Labor intended to look closely into the whole question. So far as the House was concerned, if the ordinary lighting service wa.s. not available a special apparatus would be tried. If this was ineffective, he proposed tt» ask the House not to sit~ln the evening, but to meet from 11 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. daily during the trouble, and committee work could be dealt with in the smaller rooms in the evenings. Sir William Herries, as Minister" of Labor, added that the Labor Department I was taking hold of the water-front dis- i put(v, and one of the Conciliation Commissioners was inquiring into the vftole matter. " ; Mr. Veitch asked if coal could be provided for Wanganui, which was in a critical state. Mr. Massey said that several towns were similarly situated, and any coal available would have to be equitably dividad anuutAMiMiteua jriacu.