PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 October 1922, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S SITTING. THE COUNCIL. POLICY OF THE RAILWAYS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met to-day at 2.30 p.m. The State Advances Amendment Bill was put through its final stages and passed without amendment. Replying to criticism of the Government’s railway policy, Sir William Fraser stated the railways had not been built for profit, but to assist the settlement of the country, and in this direction the policy was justified by results. The Council rose at 5 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. In reply to the Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill), Mr. Massey said he was proceeding with the proposed Public Debt Extinction Fund scheme. The necessary legislation was now being prepared, and if it was ready before the end of the month it would be introduced this session. He. did not'care to give any preliminary explanation of the scheme, which was somewhat complicated. In reply to Mr. W. T. Jennings (Waitomo), the Hon. J. G. Coates said he did not anticipate any difficulty in notifying distant country places of urgent war nows through the post office. THE COOK ISLANDS. REVIEW OF CONDITIONS. The Hon. Sir Mauie Pomare laid the Cook Islands report on the table, and it was spoken to by members, who asked for information on various points. The Hon. Sir M. Pomare, in reply, said on the whole the criticism of the administration had been very mild and fair. It had been suggested there should be some form of higher education given to the children in the Islands, but the Government was not aiming at that. Teaching girls embroidery would not help to solve the domestic problem, and teaching boys chipcarving would not help to solve the labor problem. What they aimed at was to give the children education which would be of practical value to them in the work of their lives. They had a number of scholars in New Zealand who were receiving some form of higher education, with the view that they should go back to the Islands and become teachers themselves, the department considering this method cheaper than sending European teachers to the Islands. The health of the islanders was excellent. They had just completed another hospital and they had four doctors amongst 12,000 people, which he considered a fair proportion. As to the fruit problem, the whole question was one of freight. The Island steamers had not paid the Union Company and they could not be expected to go on doing that to an unlimited extent. After the fruit arrived in New Zealand, the Government had arranged to carry Island fruit on the railways at the same rates as home-grown fruit, which was an important concession. Fruit was arriving in New Zealand in bad condition, the result of operations of the fly, which only developed after the fruit had been shipped. The remedy, was to hold the fruit long enough to enable the larvae to develop, and to that end the Government was erecting packing-sheds where the fruit could be kept and selected before being shipped. The relations between the natives and the white traders had improved, and he hoped they would go on improving; but it was too much to expect the friction, to disappear so long as trade rivalry existed. The Islands’ finance for the year showed the revenue to be £25,659 and the expenditure £23,528, leaving a credit balance of £2131, which, however, did not represent the whole of the assets. Returned sol diers from the Islands had now all gone back to their homes and were engaged in their national industries. A few days ago, he received a telegram from Rarotonga from young men there, offering to form a contingent for the front if required, which was ample proof of their continued loyalty. PROGRESS OF BILLS. An amendment to the Coal-mines Act was introduced by Governor’s message. The Hon. G. J. Anderson explained that the amendment dealt with the question of enhanced royalty when coal leases were sold. The House went into committee on the State Fire Insurance Amendment Bill, which was reported without amendment. The Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill passed the committee stage with an amendment moved by the Minister altering the constitution of the promotion board by substituting first and second assistant secretaries for chief inspector and superintendent of staff. The Minister explained that the Post and Telegraph Association had not been consulted with respect to the proposed change, but in response to an appeal by Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui), he promised to do so before the Bill became law. Subsequently all Bills which had passed the committee stage were read a third time and passed. Several amendments to the Shipping and Seamen’s Bill were introduced by Governor’s message. The House rose at 11.25 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.