PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3008, 3 October 1908, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

(By Telegraph—Abridged from Press Association Report).

WELLINGTON, October 2. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 o'clock.

[ The Infants Amendment Bill from the House was read a hrst time. The amendments made by< the House to the Justices of Peace Amendment Bill and Harbours Act Amendment Bill were agreed to. The Defence Amendment Piil was read a secjnd time. The Bill proposes to vest the power of dismissing a volunteer f>r disobedience or misconduct in the hands of the Council of Defence, acting on the recommendation of the officer commanding the district after enquiry by him; the power to deviate a non-commissioned officer to remain as at present with the officer commanding the diHtrict. The Bill also proposes to admit equipments for officers of the defence forces free. The Bill was put through Committee, read a third time and passed.

The Government Advances to Settlers Bill and Immgration Restriction Amendment Bill, which had already passed the House, were a second time. They were put through Committee, read a third time #nd passed. The Council adjourned at 5 p rr. till 11 a.m. on Monday. HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 o'clock. The Public Petitions Committee reported that it had no recotnment'ation to make respecting several petitions of the veterans praying for tecognition. Several members urged that old soldiers should be orantM a further opportunity to establish their claims, many not having been aware of the last commission. It was pointed out that a very regrettmue feature of our national character was our disregard for those who in yeais gone by fought our battles. It was! urged that Magistrates should be instructed to investigate these claims as they do claims for old age pensions. The Premier, replying, said that everyone was desirous of doing what was right by old soldiers who fought for New Zealand. In the past 26 years no less than five commissions had been appointed to investigate the claims, and had travelled all over the country, and it was remarkable that in a very short time after each these commissions had reported a fresh batch of claim" came forward. The Government were quite prepared to deal in a proper way with all legitimate claims, but did not think the Magistrates should deal with them nor did he, think there should be another commissior. T l '° Government would consider settlement of these claims once for all during the recess... The House thsri went into Committee on the Public Wcrks Estimates. At class 28 ( railway s £1,250,000) a number of North Island members urged the construction of branch .lines. The ' Minister said that the Government were not justified on carrying on many of the snull lines and urged others would be pushed on in due course, r ~ -mittee of Supply was resumed Ufc 7-SQ o'eloefe/ ,"■"" "* I>J, C, tftoffisori iiii inS aihxi showed ih&t meffipers were playing the game of gra'fe fa! which In spite 6f professional on other occasions tney showed regard neither for the Minister of Finance nor for the welfare of the country. He then proceeded to enumerate the wants of his own constituency and concluded with a condemnation of what he called political hypocrisy.

The Hon. W. Hall-Jones said that no doubt at this time members were well advised in asking for all sorts of things for their constituencies, bat he had to do the best possible with the money at his command in the interests of the Dominion as a whole. The vote was passod unaltered. At the s public buildings vote (£292,450) the Minister, in replying to Mr W. Herries, said that the item £5,000 for old Parliament buildings was the amount payable fcr the cancellation of the contract for additions, together with materials taken over from the contractors as the result of the fire.

The vote was passed unaltered.