PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9156, 1 August 1908, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

(By Telegraph—Abridged from Press Association Report).

The House rftet at 2.30 p.m. The amendments made in the Incorporated Societies Bill by the Council, with the exception of a couple of clauses which, in the Premier's opinion, would tend to form a close guild, were agreed to. A conference has been arranged lo consider these. The Consolidated Statutes Enactment Bill was put through all its stages. The House went into Committee of Supply for the consideration of the estimates. Class 1,/Legislative Department, £30.074. Vote passed unaltered. Class 11., Department of Minister of Finance, £57,588. 'The vote was passed. Class HI., Post and Telegraph, j £796,638. Replying to Mr H,r- J ries, the Premier stated t'nat j the Government had done a great deal for the improvement of the mail services. Twenty thousand pounds had been offered for a service between Vancouver and New Zealand, but as steamers could not come here the Government had been thrown back on the Suez service, •■and had paid thn Union Company and Huddart Parker lines a subsidy for an improved service- connecting with the Suez service; but thia was unsatisfactory, owing to the extra time involved. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. Mr W. Fraser (Wakatipu) indicated that one of the difficulties of the All Red service was that New Zealand insisted upon a 21-knot service. The Premier said that it was a first suggestion and the Government would be prepared to give £IOO,OOO subsidy for the Pacific service, but when the other Governments felt that a 21-knot service was too expensive the Government had expressed its willingness to give £75,000 for an 18knot service. In answer to several members who wished for more telephone construction in the backblocks the Premier asked whether the expenditure of £155,000 and the erection of 2,307 miles of wire last year was rtot doing what was asked for. How much'did members expect the Government to spei:d? The Government had, he declared, done more for the backblocks telephone service in the past five years than any country in the world. The vote was passed unaltered.