PARLIAMENTARY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10429, 21 September 1911, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

By Telegraph — Press Association

WELLINGTON, Last Night. • The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. WELCOME HOME.

The Attorney-General welcomed back Mr Speaker Bowen, who has just returned from a visit to England. GUARDIAN TRUST BILL. The Hon. Mr Callan moved the second reading of tho Guardian Trust and Executors Company Amendment Bill, whiclh had been passed by the House and is intended to remove certain doubts as to whether a company is empowered to act as trustee under any deed or will, and also certain other doubts in connection with the operation of property Law Act, 1908. The Bill was read a second time, after a brief discussion, in which the Hon. 0. Samuel and others pointed out the necessity of the Government taking steps to ensure the solvency of such oampanies.

WORKS OF FICTION. t The Hon. J. Rigg moved to disagree with tho Library Committee's report, forbidding the issue of any works of fiction to hon. members during the Parliamentary recess. The motion was lost by 14 to 9. ' SECOND READINGS. Tho Friendly Societies Amendment Bill and Stone Quarries Amendment Bill were read a second time, and the Council rose.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House met at 2.30 p.m

PURGING THE ROLLS

Replying to Mr Massey, the Prime Minister said he had ordered the purging of the rolls to cease, to give sufficient time to ascertain if legislation was necessary to deal with the matter. It was beyond all doubt that the rolls would be all right before the elections. If necessary, he would later on ask Parliament to sanction a measture enabling him to put on a sufficient number of officers to ensure that all persons under 21 who .had been twelve months in the country and one month in the district are on the rolls.

FAMILY HOME PROTECTION. The Family Homes Protection Bill (Mr Massey) was read a first time. IMPREST SUPPLY. An Imprest Supply Bill was introduced by Governor's message, and consideration deferred until the evening sitting. VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE.

/Sir Vloseph Ward gave notice to move a motion authorising the Government to join with Canada in establishing a mail service between Auckland and Vancouver, the contract to be for five years, and tho payment by New Zealand not to exceed £20,000 per annum; the vessels to be of not less than 6000 tons, with firstclass passenger accommodation, and fitted with refrigerating machinery; and the journey between the two ports not to exceed nineteen days.

. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Ministers in reply to questions stated that steps had been taken, and other steps were being taken, to. prevent persons from suffering from disease from immigration to New Zeaand from England; all youths who were desirous of proving their claims to exemption under clause 92 of the Defence Act, 1909, are afforded the fullest opportunity of doing so through the non-commissioned officer of the permanent staff in charge of the area in which, they reside; of a sum of £2OO voted last year for the renovation of military graveyards and headstones, only £lO had been expended; no applications had been received by the Defence Department from local bodies in this connection. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m.

TOWN-PLANNING BILL

In the evening, Mr Massey enquired whether the Government intended to proceed with town-planning Bill. Sir Joseph Ward replied that it was not intended.to. go on with the Bill, which took away the power of control of the Governor-in-Council.

IMPREST SUPPLY. On the motion to go into committee of supply on the Imprest Bill, Mr Massey referred to the neglect of the Government to lay on the table returns ordered, some as far back as last session. This, he characterised, as little short of contempt of Parliament. Mr Hemes asked for information regarding the five million loan. There was, he said, no information in the Budget, and very little of the loan had been converted, as far as he could see.

Mr Buick expressed pleasure that the Government had decided upon the pasteurisation of milk and were pushing on the policy of experimental farms. He complained that the Prime Minister had promised to erect a dairy school at Palmerston North, and it had not been fulfilled. Mr Allen referred to the unrest at Tonga, and said that the Tongans were looking to New Zealand to set things right. They had asked to be placed under the control of New Zealand, and if New Zealand did not move in the matter Australia would.

Mr Buchanan pointed out that the railways freight charges for sheep were dearer in New Zealand than in Victoria. Mr Wright, in re-introducing the Chief Justice's report on the Cook Islands, maintained that the charges levelled against the Government had been proved. Eeplying to an interruption by Mr Glover, he stated that Mr Glover knew more about bookmakers than the matter under discussion.

Mr Glover pleaded guilty to having once been a bookmaker, and challenged Mr Wright's ability to rise from the base to the apex as he had done. Sir Joseph Ward, in replying on the subject of Tonga, said that nothing that had occurred had to do with New Zealand, and New Zealand could not interfere. He declared that the financial affairs of the Dominion comparted {favourably with other countries. As to the five million loan he held that even the port or London loan of two million had not done as well as ours.

The House went into committee on the Bill.