ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 17 October 1912, Page 5

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

BY MINISTERS OF THE -CROWN. (By Telegraph — cress association.) Wellington; Last Night. ■ . .In answer to questions in the House of Representatives this afternoon, Ministers stated that %he Military Pensions Bill .now before, the House proposes to grant military pensions to all ivvho- are able to produce New Zealand war medals; Parliament will be given an opportunity prior to the next general election of reconsidering and amending the Electoral Act; the Government will next session introduce legislation regulating, the use oil public highways, not only of .motor cars, but of all vehicles propelled by motive power, and meanwhile a revision of the regulations under the existing Act is being considered; it is not considered avis'able that the scop© of the State Guaranteed Advances Act should be widened in the direction of advancing money to workers for the purpose of. paying oft* existing mortgages; the granting or declining of advances to any individual or in any particular locality or district, is a. matter entirely for the Advances Board, and one with which the Minister cannot interfere. During the discussion on the "iiswers to questions, Mr Veitch said the Premier had stated tluvfc he had delayed bringing in labour legislatioiroa account of the industrial unrest. He (Mr Veitch) considered this was just the reason why Parh'a'.vient should consider the matter, which was of grave national importance. The Premier 'said in reply that, when the session opened he had a Bill prepared in wliich it was intended to alter the constitution of the Arbitration Court. When the crisis became acute, he came to the conclusion that the time was not opportune to proceed with the proposed change, find ho did not propose asking Parliament to alter it till things looked a great deal bettor. The trouble at Waihi was due to the fart that a large number of men refused to- take advantage of the present industrial legislation. Tt would he the business of the Government to make industrial legislation far more attractive to the employers and workers of the country. i ■ i