PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8266, 20 October 1906, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGSILATIVE COUNCIL.

By Telegraph—Press Association.

; WELLINGTON, October 19. The Legislative Council met at 2.30: p.m. The Hon. G. Jones moved for a return showing the number of petitions and the number of persons who have signed petitions presented to Parliament this session praying that betting by means of the totalisator may be made illegal. The Hon. W. Beehan suggested that another phase of the question was the number of persons who had not signed suoh potltions. . The Hon. T. Thompson, while not opposing the motion, said the number of signatures was a very Bmall minority of the whole community. The motion was lost, on division, by 12 votes to 13. The Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Government Advances to Workers bill. The Bill wbs read a second time. The Unclassified Societies Registration Aot Amendment Bill was reported from committee with slight amendment. The Agricultural Implement Manufacture, Importation and Sale Aot Extension Bill and the Kensington Park Rate Exemption Bill were put through their final stages. The Council rose at 5 p.m.

HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES

The House met at 2.30 p.m. Thw Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill was returned from the Labour Bills Committee. It came with one amendment, plaoing the Secretary of the Court nnder the oontrol of the President instead of the Court as the Bill originally provided. The House went into Committee of Supply. State forests, v £30,642: A long discussion arose on the rapid depletion of the colonial forests, the undue preference shown the South Island in the matter of State nurseries, the necessity for ordering Land Boards to use discretion in compelling the State tenants to clear, and the need of spending more than £SOO iu State planting. The vote passed unaltered. State coal mines, £135,655: Considerable discussion took place on this vote.

EVENING SITTING

The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. The item State coal mines, £135,655, was passed;

The Public Works Estimates were received by Governor's Message. Tuesday next was fixed for the disoussion.

The votes scenery preservation (£7,750), land for settlements (£7,500), Maori land settlement (£2,000), Public Trust Office (£27,423), Government Insurance Department i£57,488), Government Accident Insurance (£8,500), State Fire Insurance (£10,411), and Govemment Advances to Settlers (£113,845) were passed The ordinary Estimates were finished and reported.