PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8515, 21 August 1907, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

(By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, August 20. The Legislative Council, to-day, rejected the Legislative Council Election Bill, received from the House of Representatives, on th 3 voices.. On the motion for the first reading not a single aye was heard in favour of the measure. In the House of Representatives, this afternoon, the Premier moved that for the remainder of the session the Government business take precedence on Wednesdays. Mr W. F. Massey stated that he did not intend to oppose the motion, as he would like to see the Government briig down their important policy Bills at an early date. Mi G. Laurenson thought this an unusually early date to commence excluding private members' Bills. He did not, however, oppose the motion. Other members spoke in the same strain.

In reply, Sir J. G. Ward said tha session was an exceptional one in icgard to the number of important measures to be brought forward. He outlined what had already been done, and directed attention 'to the fact that room was wanted for the consideration of the taxation and tariff proposals, and for the Land Bills. Work on Government days had been particularly well carried out, and he congratulated members on what had already been done. A voice: "You've had no snags yet." The Premier: "We're quite prepared to meet snags and remove them." In reply to Mr J. G. W. Aitken, the Premier stated that if the Estimates were cleared out of the road he was quite prepared to submit the tariff proposals on Friday next. Further, he stated that they ought to be able to get hnmj certainly by Christmas. The motion was carried without discussion.

EVENING} SITTING. The Committee of Supply in the evening passed the Marine vote. In regard to the Labour Department vote, Mr VV. Symes asked, in connection with the recent action of members of the Arbitration Board agitating for unions for farm labourers, whether members of the Arbitration Boards were paid for or allowed to become ordinary public agitators and organisers. The Minister of Labour replied that the Government had nothingto do with the appointments to the Board, which were statutory, beyond the fact that members were paid a guinea per day by the State while sitting on tne Board. As to the members of the Board organising unions, he declined to express an opinion. However, he hoped in the amending Bill to be introduced shortly, many of the troubles which had arisen would be overcome. The vote was passed unaltered. The Estimates for the Industries and Commerce Department are now being considered.