PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 155, 1 July 1913, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter! WELLINGTON, this day. COUXOIULORS' HOLIDAYS. The opening period of a session is always n quiet affair for Upper House representatives. -who have usually nothing to do until the House of Representatives concludes its Address-in-Reply debate and starts working. Tbe Council will not take long over this debate, as an adjournment is promised immediately it is over. Whatever Government legislation is to be initiated there — and it is just possible after all that the modified Council Reform Bill, now ready, will start there first—will be introduced after the adjournment.

ARBITRATION ACT ASIENDMENTS. A special bill to remedy a flaw in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act will l>e introduced early in the session. Under clause 2 of the present j Act a recommendation automatically becomes an award after seven days if no notice of disagreement is tiled by either party within one month. .ludgeSim recently announced, as the result of a difference of opinion between the Canterbury Timber Yards, Sawmills, and Coal Yards' Employees' Union and the employers, that a recomimendation was not binding on the parties in an 3' way. and that it was therefore useless to ask the Court to interpret its provisions. The bill in question is to obviate such difficulties in the future, and in order to avoid a delay of several weeks, which would result if an amending clause were inserted in the Genera! Arbitration Act Amending Bill to be brought down in the session, a special measure is to he introduced. SIR JAMES CARROLL. Sir James Carroll will only be able to take a very measured interest in active politics this session, although he has sufficiently regained his health to leave the private hospital, where he has been for two months. He intends to take a rest in Wellington for a fortnight before proceeding to Gisborne for a recuperative spell. Later on he will probably return to Wellington, but is not likely to take much part in session work. The Liberals will miss his telling speech and welding personality considerably.