PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 November 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS,

ajHB LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,, By Telegraph,—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 8 p.m. The Nurses Registration Amendment Bill and the Land and Drainage Amendment Bill were received from the House and read a first time. The Iron and Steel Industries Amendment Bill was received from the House, and was put through its final stages and passed. The Council adjourned at 10.55 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THE CUSTOMS TARIFF. The House of Representativas met at 2.30 p.m. The Hon. Sir William Herries gave notice to introduce the Industrial, Conciliation, and Arbitration Amendment Bill (No. 2). Mr. R. McCallum (Wairau) asked the Minister of Customs if, before preparing a Bill for revising the tariff next session, he would allow the advisory committee of the British Agents' Association to place its views before him. Mr. McCallum stated that the proposal would not involve a reduction in Customs duties. The Hon. Sir William Herries said he would be very pleased to place the suggestion before Cabinet, and would promise it consideration. PHOSPHATES FROM NAURU.

Replying to Mr. A. Hamilton (Wallace), the Hon. W. Nosworthy said that as fast aa it was possiblJß to get shipping to bring phosphate rock froiri Nauru Island the rock will be equitably divided amongst the crushing plants in New Zealand. The Government had no intention of erecting a crushing plant at Nauru. He declined to give any written guarantee of what quantity 'of rock would be delivered, or when it would be delivered. , All he would say was that the Government would do the besl it could with the shipping available.

TUBERCULAR SOLDIERS. Mr. W. S. Glenn, chairman of the defence committee, placed before the House the views of the Commissioner of Pensions and the heads of the Defence Department in regard to the treatment of tubercular cases.

The report of the committee stated that these men deserved every consideration and the best of treatment possible, because a cure was made more difficult if the patients .were subject to worry. Roth the Pensions and the Defence Department were doing all in their power and it was a striking testimony to what the patients thought when it was found they were perfectly terrified at the suggestion that they were to be handed over to civil authorities, and they requested they be kept under the care of the Defence Department Mr. A. S. Malcolm (Christchurch) expressed pleasure at the sympathetic tone of the report. It must not be forgotten, he said, that the welfare of tubercular soldiers was a matter that concerned the whole community, as well as the individual affected. One difficulty presenting itself was the fact that tubercular patients were not always amenable to discipline, but to show the sincerity of the tubercular patients they actually recommended that such patients should be placed in detention camps. Mr. VV. A. Veitch (Wanganui) contended that some men contracted disease while on service, but being unable to prove this, they were deprived of a pen6ion.

Dr. A. K. Newman (Wellington East) supported the suggestion that disease was often contracted on service, but the symptoms were not discernable lit the time of discharge, but when a soldier became run down in health the disease made its appearance in a virile form,

The Minister of Defence denied that Medical Boards were ever unsympathetic with T.B. cases, and that in consequence pensions were not granted in every case. Where there was any doubt a pension was always granted. He was , unable to say at the moment how many ! men had been discharged from the sanatorium cured, but he was confident the number was considerable. A RAILWAY DEVIATION The House also spent considerable time discussing the report of the committee on a petition asking for the deviation of the Main Trunk railway from a point near Levin to a point near Greatford. The committee recommended that the Government should give the matter consideration, and in view of the extensive alterations proposed at Palmerston North' the matter should be given early consideration. The discussion was proceeding at the 6.30 adjournment, when the motion was talked out. The evening sitting was devoted to the Rotorua Bill, and the House rose at 1.20 a.m.