PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 191, 12 August 1911, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY. P'.j Telegraph.— Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Friday. Ul'lt'KM AND THE CIVIL SERVICE. :'■ li.Liiunt set out hot foot this afterij..,i i in ihe second stage of its journey • ;,,.;; | t ontroversies of Mr. Herd- .; i - Civil Service Reform Bill, which, 1.. : - .!.,■ second day in succession, upset l;.i- ' akulaliiitis of mole or les.s interested .•■i-uii.i.T- by reason of its lengthy piei-niiiary ranter, as it were, round t! , Item-he* "f honourable members. The I'ivil Service may need reform, or it m.,\ not i I reform, but the unhappy u.J ;l. M-nteneed to hear all the talk and arg inii nt .luring the past, two afterii... i-. would •»urely fare badly were lie c , ■„;., ili>d, mi pain of dire penalty, to declar- his calm opinion on the evidence „,• ~.r , .,| |,v !:i- senses. This member tii t ••■ Left" declared the Civil Service to 4„. i liotlicd for the raising of political C'.n ui'tioli. and that member of the Rig it gave him the retort firm but cnii-lenus. wrcstlin" valiantly with his bni>hers benighted and twisted notion'. Xrii". it was hardly six of one and half a C'l/i-ti of another, for the present sv-.m had about two defenders against e\e;\ assailant, hut when the iiitl finally f' niggled to its birth none could rightly f.iv that the wisdom expended on the <| ij utatious air of the benches had pro-dnr-1 an\ marked effect on the conviction-; or opinions of any lion, member. Mr. Ilerdmaii wniiffht hard in his last. t\o: I- to prove the merits of his bill,

i.. 'i.nv Mint it" ndoption by the House TvmiM transfer the mil control of the Civil Service from the members nf the Ministry to Parliament itself, and to demonstrate generally that it was the nin-1 excellent way nf sol vine; a troublous qtie-tion. At ton minutes past live the (hill was rend a first time, and duly ordered to be printed. THREATENED REVELATIONS. The Hon. T. Mackenzie has no use for the man who threatens to disclose oiJh e secrets if his demands sire not ii. led to. "I know that sort of < iv 1 Servant," lie said, with biting sarcasm. "One Civil Servant threatened th:r if T did not accede to some request of his he would disclose all the trickeries going on in my office. He said he would 20 to Mr. Herdman, and tell him .-ill iboiit it. (Cries of oh! and laughter.' Yes, and 1 told him to go to Mr. Herdman." said the Minister. UNOCCUPIED LAND, Air. Myers lias given notice to move, "That there lie laid before the House a re: urn showing the total area of unoccupied land in each provincial district of New Zealand: (a) belonging to the Crown, and (b) belonging to the natives, and also showing whether the land is fir-: or second class. AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES. Mr. Buxton asks the acting-Prime Minister whether be will take the necessary steps to safeguard the agricultural industries of the Dominion by endenvouring to equalise the tariffs between Australia and New Zealand on agricultural produce? The member says that farmers and farm -workers are not at present having a fair deal in competition with the cheap land and sweated labour of Australia, seeing that nearly the whole of the people of the South Tslnnd. both town and country, are dependent upon agricultural industries. Tin matter is therefore of vital importance.

HIGH SCHOOL PURPOSES. Mr. Stall worthy asks the Minister of Education il" ho will, by regulation or otherwise, prevent the establishment of BeV'-nth standard classes in all schools within easy access of district high peh.Mjl.-i. in order that these latter schools ma/ iii-ore effectually serve the purposes fur which they have been established? RXCOITUGE TOWN BOARDS. Mr. Reed wishes to know if the Government, in order to encourage the formation of town boards, so that the pro-Ti-inn nf the Town Planning Bill may be taken advantage of by small communities, will take the first opportunity t" reduce the minimum, of a town board district from 500 to 300. and remove the fame from the influence of the county in which it is situated. EDUCATIONAL RESERVES. Th" Education Reserves Amendment Pii!. introduced by (Governor's message, provides that the trustees of a high school may prant leases of any lands vested in them: that such leases being subject to the provisions of the Public Bo lies' Leases Act, all rents derived from any snr-h base shall, from time to time, be paid into the proper fund, and appropriated throughout for the purposes to which the annual income of the trustees is for the time being properly applicable. (m thereeommendation of the Land Board of the district the 'rovernor may set apart sites for public schools, secondary schools, or technicalscJiools. parts ..f education reserves and endowments, Transfers, subleases, and mortgages of the same, however, require the consent of the Land Board. Expenses incurred by the Board for the maintenance and upkeep of the reserves and endowments administered by it shall •be deducted from the revenues by the reviver of land revenue, and shall be paid by him into the public account. The Minister, in explaining the bill upon its introduction, said that it was spccial1v designed to meet the case of the Thames High School. ABILITY AND SENIORITY. "Tt must be recognised that if we are to keep iihrea.it in agriculture with other parts of the world we must call to our aid the best scientific knowledge which is at the disposal of our means," said ths Hon. T. Mackenzie, in emphasising the necessity of a broad point of view with regard to the appointments of experience! and important officers of the Civil Service. "So far as my Department is oonrerned. we shall po outside the country, ■uli.-n the time arrives, to obtain the best possible advice towards advancing agriculture in the Dominion. I certainly think." he went on. "that our Civil Serve i! is an honourable and capable service, "■•' I -hniild throw out a warning rtM '< line the levelling down proposals. If *•• ip-'t right down to this system cf ?*"' average, it is likely that when ..firI''* 1 ''* !lr " nec,, «""-y to secure men Mrfffi aU ~nt 3 the money i„ 10 t g Eih ,H vpry proper '' ,la seniority for c« Bother in promotion by Ci vil Be'rvi* V* are S oin S to have our it „ of thc timcß a »d wjine a |k "T taSlun w ow .„t m and

ONE-EIGHTH OP THE POPULATION. "There are 30,300 people in the various branches of the Civil Service in the Dominion, and, if we include school teachers, 40,300. This means, with dependants, that 130.000 people, or oneeighth of the whole population of New Zealand, are dependent on the Civil Service," said Mr. J. C. Thomson, of Wallace. "The Public Service of New Zealand will never be a success until those within it are encouraged to use their brains." "They are not permitted to use their brains,"' remarked the member for Duoedin North. "Well, we should impress on the Government the necessity of removing the band and of encouraging our Civil Servants to use their brains." returned the member for Wallace seriously. SOMETHING IMPORTANT. A member of the Opposition benches inquired of the Hon. Mr. Fowlds if he would set apart a time for discussion of the defence regulations upon the Minister tabling them this afternoon, and the Leader of the Opposition followed it up by remarking that these regulations were a matter of intense interest to the whole countrv. as were defence matters generally. '

"Well," replied the Minister. "I will not set apart a day. but members "ill have plenty of ccensinns on which to discuss the«e "regulations during the session. Mr. Massev. however, evidenced a persistent attitude, and wound up with a remark about the Ilousp having been m irking time and the desirableness of getting on to more important business. "Mr. Speaker." returned Mr. Fowlds warmly. "I resent, very strongly the remarks made by the hon. gentleman nbout marking time.' His inference is evidently concerning the Mental Defectives Bill ami the Town Planning Bill. But this sort of thins i« "direr talking to the electorates. I protest against such a charge as thif. about marking time. If there has been marking time, it has been during the last, two davs. It has been a mo*t unusual debate." added the Minister, ir. reference to the discussion started on lhmotion to introduce the Civil Service Be form Bill. A chorus of agreement went up from members on the Government ben dies, while the hon. gentlemen against the Government smiled sardonically.