PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 271, 13 November 1909, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Friday. TOBACCO-GROWING. This afternoon Mr Lawry asked the Minister for Agriculture whether, in view of the great potentialities of tobacco leaf-growing, the Government will take into its consideration the propriety of investigating the possibilities of encouraging the development of that important product in the Dominion. Tobacco, Mr Lawry says, has proved a success in Australia, and is giving employment to thousands of people in the Commonwealth. There is every reason to believe that the leaf could be cultivated with equal success in the northern portions of the Auckland district, and could thus be made the means of giving employment to large numbers of people. MANTJKAU HARBOUR CONTROL. Mr W. J. Napier was this week in Wellington as a delegate from the Auckland Harbour Board in reference to the Manukau Harbour Control Bill, which is to be introduced into Parliament next week. Mr Napier was engaged with Mr Bonayne, General Manager of the New Zealand Railways, discussing all phases of the matter with a view to getting rid of certain departmental objections, owing to which a similar bill had to be dropped last session. There are questions of revenue, ownership of wharf structures, management of railways on the wharves, and avoidance of dual contr6l involved, as well as the vesting of foreshore endowments. Mr Napier says he is not at. liberty to state the results tentatively arrived at during the conference with Mr Ronayne, But that he has every confidence that, the bill will pass into law without opposition from the department. Mr Napier has had to return to Auckland on private business, hut will return here in two weeks' time, when he will meet the Minister for Railways and the Local Bills Committee of the House of Representatives. Mr Napier says Sir Konayne discussed the matter in a very friendly spirit, and that gentleman cannot be regarded as a foe to Auckland's aspirations to control the Manukau harbour. MAGISTRATE'S COURT BILL. The Magistrate's Court Amendment Bill, introduced by the Attorney-Gen-eral, provides that- if the defendant in an action in a magistrate's court desires to defend the action he must file in the court a notice of intention within three days after the service of the summons upon himself. If he fails to do po, he will not be allowed to defend without the special leave of' the court, and the action will be disposed of as undefended, exoept in the special cases referred to in clause 5 (which substantially re-enacts the existing law). It is not necessary in such notice to state the nature of the intended defence. To give time for the filing of the notice sub-clause c providesfor the service of the summons in all cases seven days before the day of hearing. The requirement of a notice of intention to defend already exists in the case of action for penalties under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment j Act, 1908- The provisions of that Act which deals with this matter are therefore repealed as being superseded by general provisions of this bill. The bill also' provides a short form of statement of claim in actions for goods sold and delivered. The present practice requires a full statement of all dates and particulars, even though accounts have already been' duly rendered by the plain- | tiff ' to the - defendant. In the case of current necotrats, this involves a considerable: amount of unneoensaxy trouble.' The procedure proposed by! the Mil i« ia accordance with' English law*