PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 165, 12 July 1907, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tirarsday, SOME LOCAL INDUSTRIES. In the Legislative "Council the debate on the Address-in-Reply was continued by the Hon. C. M. Luke, 1 who said he was sorry to. notice that the Premier had already announced that no committee would be set up to deal with the tariff revision proposals. A great deal of information had been collected by people interested, information /which could not possibly be yet in the hands of the Government. He also held that it was time that those interested in industries should be' heard on their grievances and requirements. The col-, ony was undoubtedly prosperous on the whole, and such prosperity wis largely attributable to the Government of the day,- but many of the industries which were vital to the well-being of the country had not participated in that prosperity. The boot trade and the woollen industry Were in a bad wav, and he never knew of ; the engineering* trade being in a. worse state than it is today. This state of affairs was due to the importations of, articles which could be manufactured in the country. Referring to the slaughtermen's strike, he said the Act should be so amended that strikes would be out of the question. Mr. Rigg said no, free man should be bound by an award, that he had no part in making; in other words, that he could "strike," but - the ■ employer was. fined and rightly so. In the provisions to be. embodied in the Wage 3 Boards Bill, he -hoped a clause "would be introduced for differentiating between the capacity of employees. All men should not be placed on a dead level. DEFENCE. Hon. G. J. Smith, who followed Mr. Luke, dealt.at length with "defence, and speaking as a volunteer of some years standing, said that there was some doubt as to who would be the strong man in the Council. of Defence ? There appeared to be a likelihood of divided control, but if the Minister for Defence was going to preside and take part in the Council's deliberations, then all would be well. More encouragement should be given to volunteere. At present the interest they took in their" work, having regard to the lack of encouragement given' them, was simply amazing. Trained instructors were required, and the Government -should also cause it to be known throughout the Civil service that men who took up volunteering -would he encouraged in such work. It was questionable whether the country was getting fair value. for its expenditure on defence at present. Corps in certain country districts might be formed into rifle- clubs. Annual training camps should ba held alternatively in both islands each year, when the whole of the volunteers could be concentrated in' a particular locality. Shooting, he further urged, should be subsidised. It would be well, he thought, for the Government to purchase rifles as the Boers did, and deliberately sell them to the people at half price, to a limited extent, of course. It should be the pride of every man in the colony to-be able to say that he had served three years training as a volunteer. PROFIT SHARING. The Hon. H. F.. Wigram, in the course of his speech, ■ condemned. ' the action' of the slaughtermen, cad said no better' illustration of . the - fallacy of the demand for profit sharing could be had than the two great freezing companies in Canterbury. One had just kept running, while the other had made large profits. • . . ■ ACCLIMATISATION .SOCIETY'S PETI- , . TION.

Mr Massey, when the A to L petittions committee was appointed last night, made a protest against the manner in which its recommendation regarding the Auckland Acclimatisation Society's petition had been disregarded last session. The Society against an alteration of its boundary, by the constitution of the Rotorua Acclimatisation Society, and the committee recommended favourable consideration, but the Government took no notice. If this was to go on, it was a waste of time and a farce to make the reeommenations.

The Premier replied that the Government came to a decision that, as the acclimatisation work had grown enormously, it was desirable to create a Society at Rotorua. Had the committee's recommendation been carried out, it v.ould have meant over-riding the decision of the Government—quite an unconstitutional proceeding. TRADE WITH SOUTH AFRICA. In riew of the introduction of the New Zealand and South African Customs Tieaty Ratification Bill, which it is proposed to put through at. an early date, the Minister for Customs last night laid before members a return showing the amount of duty collected on British and South African goods affected by the Reciprocity Act passed last year, ancl the amount of duty remitted on the same from Ist January to 31st May this year. The items were: Tobacco, manufactured, 2/6 per lb.; collected, £158 17/4, remitted, £63 11/; wine, 2/ per gallon, collected 22/, remitted, £12/; feathers, ornamental, 15 per cent, collected 18/, remitted, 12/; total collected £160 7/4, remitted, £05 5/. The details oi exports of goods mentioned in the treaty fron. Ist January to 31st March of the present year are as follows:—Butter, 1200ewt., Cape Colony, value, SG2OI; Natal, 1736cwt., value £9100-' cheese, Natal, 210cwt., value £586; potted and preserved meats, Cape Colony, 21ewt., value £110; Natal, 64c\rt., value' £30; other items, £413. '

CIVIL SERVICE REPRESENTATION,

The member-for Courtenay has suggested, in a question to the Government, that they should consider the propriety of taking steps to create railway employees, school teachers, and-public.ser-vants generally into a separate constituency, so that members of the House may be able to. consider questions concerning public servants an independent rather than from a partisan standpoint. FRANKLIN AND MANUKAU. The Acting-Minister for Public Works (Hon. J. McGowan).was waited upon by Messrs Lang and Massey in connection with certain public works in the Manukau and Franklin electorates. The Minister promised Mr Lang to obtain a survey and soundings of the site of the Mangere bridge, the. member having asked for this information, with a view to the erection of a new bridge. The pro.posal to erect a new bridge over the Waikato River at Huntly -was brought forward by Mr Massey, in addition to other local - matters. The -Minister said that until the. Public Works ■ Estimates were arranged, h.e could, make no definite promise on the various matters mentioned, but would do his best to allocate the funds at his disposal as fairly as posi sfble. , . ■' '■ ■ '■■ . ■". •.: