PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 230, 25 September 1908, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

i ' i (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.* i WELLINGTON, Thursday. ! FIRE BRIGADES. i When the Fire Brigade- Kill was com- : mitted in the Legislative Council this | afternoon the Attorney-General moved i an amendment to sub-clause 4 of clause (i ! giving a board the right to borrow up to £10.000, instead of -".1000, as proposed. This amendment was agreed to, and the bill was reported with a few technical alterations. AUCKLAND SUBURBAN RAILWAY SERVICE. Jome time ago the. Minister for Railways promised a deputation of Auckland members that he would extend the Auckland suburban railway service as far i as Drury. Evidently some uneasiness bad arisen in the minds of the people in- I terested, and, as the result nf rcpresenta- | tions made to him, Mr. F. W. Lang, mem- j ber for Mannkau, ha? interviewed the ! authorities and received the assuraneo that the new (Suburban service will come. into force on October 1. BILLS ADVANCED AND PASSED. In ihe Legislative Council this afternoon the Manawatu Railway Bill was read a third time and passed, the Public j Works Amendment Bill was committed, | and reported with slight amendments, I j the Justices of the Peace Amendment I was read a second time, and the Farriers j Bill passed its committee stage after the i word "farrier" had been struck out of | the first clause with a view to inserting j '"shoeing smiths." I REGISTERING ACCOUNTANTS. j Since the passing of tbe New Zealand I Society of Accounta.nts' Bill, the authoriI ties have been deluged with correspon- ! dence from accountants in all parts of the j Dominion, who are desirous of knowing ■ when they must take out their registra- ; tion under the provisions of the Act. Ln view of this fact, it is worth noting that no announcement calling upon accountants to register will be made before, the beginning of the year, and those eligible will have until March 31, 1900, to effect their registration. POLICE OFFENCES. In the Legislative Council this afternoon the Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Policp Offences Bill. ]He intimated that two important amendJ ment-s would be introduced. The first j would deal with habitual, drunkards, j making provision for their detention for a longer period than was possible at present. He wanted to see the law cxi tended to offences of drnnfcenness a.nd I those arising out of dnmkemness. The j Salvation Army was doing a noble work :in reforming drunkaTds. and it was pro- ' posed to introduce a clause providing | for the detention of drunkards in re- ,' formative agencies, surfi as the kind he ' had referred to. The second reading of 1 the bill was carried. FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL. Tn reply to a suggestion that, the House j should be (riven the opportunity of con- | sidermf* the Friendly Societies Rill, the \ Prime Minister stated that the Druids, i I numbering about 10.000. were opposed to ' 'clause 1.5 of the bill, and other fricndJy societies outside the Druids (not all of ; them) were in favour of it. The bill, he I thought, was a good one. but it would lie las well to let the matter stand over, and f-ee if a measure could -not lie evolved ! that wouid be satisfactory to all parties ' I after the whole subject had been consid- | I ered again in all its bearings. At present j two sections of the friendly societies wore/ ! antagonised, and if the bill were proceed- I led with, it would experience a ver/ I stormy passage. t AUCKLAND VETERINARY SURGEO - *. | Mr. Massey intends to ask the Mir/"!- \ ter for Agriculture why tbe position Of J Government Veterinary Surgeon in the Auckland district, rendered vacant some • months ago by the retirement of Mr. , Lyons, has not been filled? j SATISFIED MEMBERS. Generally speaking, the Public Work.?: Statement and Estimates have been well j received. Southern members complain than the North Island has received the lion's share. Northern members are exceedingly well ploased with the year's appropriations, and it is felt that there ia j no need to complain of the "neglected j North" on this occasion.