PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 164, 11 July 1914, Page 11

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

jTOTES FROM THE GALLERY. mj Telegraph.— Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON", Friday. PIDNT HAVE THE PLUCK. The member for Avon, whose ready tongue indicts many a, wounding blow on jij opponents, had the laugh turned •atler against him this evening. In the surse of criticising the proposed perjonnel of the Public Accounts Committee j j[r Russell proceeded to discuss certain ispeets of tlui Publii- Service accounts in {-luetic vein. The threatened general engagement not being palatable to the (iovynment- the Hon. Mr. Fisher raised a point of order, which Mr. Russell was Julcd down upon. The Finance Minister (hen rose, and, after declaring that never j»d any Government afforded such opportunities of discussing public accounts as had the present one. bantered Avon's member for not having seized his chance of criticising the accounts when the Ad-4ress-in-Reply debate was in progress. "4qi'' responded the chesty Toice of Jlr. Russell. ""I was waiting for your prime Minister, but he did not have the pluck to get up." (Roars of laughter, in ffhieh the whole House joined.) -Then I hope the lion, gentleman will ■wait ajittlc longer, when his temper may lave improved." replied Mr. Allen. a.mid merriment from the Government benches. THE EDUCATION BILL. In reply to Mr. Sidey. the Minister of Education said lie hoped to lie able to brin" down the Education Rill at the end of next week. lie also ex-plained that he intended to refer it to the Education Committee. STATE I.EXDIXCi. The State Advances Department loaned f<17.1005 to 2.008 settlers last year, and in the workers - branch loaned' £.!.m2OO to 1-200 applicants. Local authorities received £2.in.-i:SO from the office during thevear. but lfifi applications for £166.103 wore provisionally approved. In the settlers' branch the office has £TT:!O..")6S on loan, and the gross protits on last Tear's operations were £03.48:?. It was iecessary to write ofT £H25 in respect to losses and unpaid instalments. The department realised two freehold securities and one leasehold security in the workers' branch, writing off £232 in Icsses.

• THE COST OF LOAN'S. < A return prepared by the Treasury on '- Jlr. Russell's motion shows that between the IstJanuary and Ist June- 1913. Xew Zealand floated' i per cent inscribed stock on the London market totalling £:U'i.i.----000 Three millions sterling of this .mount was placed at !«. 050.000 at !W{. £100.000 at 1001 and f 15.000 at S9- The annual cost, including redemption, ranpes from £4 2/2 in the rase of loans placed at % premium while the three million flotation cost? £4 5/4 P? 1 " <* nt - Tnp cost Of similar issues by other States are estimated as follows: Tasmania, £4 4/3. Queensland £4 4 f<. New South Wales £4 10/6. West Australia f4 4/7. TAXATION" ON PLAYEXG GBOUMJS. T ■ D;«ra=sinz the opinion expressed by t the Hon. >Lr. Alien tbat it would not 1 be we to exempt ■private recreation 1 grounds like bowling greena and tennie - ~conrts- iiova. taxatigu. Mr. Myers this c "afternoon pointed out that bowling p-eens were, to all intents and purposes J ' public recreation jrround-. He knew. 1 for instance, that the Auckland Bowling t Club, of ■whkli he 'Had been ■pre.-jdent, « never Tefused anyone who demanded 1 membership pr->-idin? he -wa* a reputable 1 ritizen. iLr. Myers -added the aliment f that ahe heavr increase of taxation. T-eur 1 by year maAo it almrst nirpofisible for J a club to continue in -any portion of a ' city. The consequence wa- t'.iat clubs ' Wuld all he driven out to tbe suburbs. ! 'HAMILTON POST OFIC-FE. ! Alterations and :uldition-? of an exten- ; eve na-ture -are a-bout to be carried out \ to the. Bsum&an po-<t oBU-e. The pro- , sk»al to morn tho ollice bap been aban- , tloned, as it is considered that a:be sub- j itrbin area? are well ■provrded for by the , JLunflton Bast. Oaudelands aad Fmnk- , ton .offices. : IMPORT.'JsT IX^LTLVSCE SUGGt^TION-. The member for Waikato wishes to see an alteration of t.lip la.\v waioh aUows an insurance ivnrjany t" repudiate a claim if not within throe monlt'liTi of .the fire. With that object Mr. Young »sks the ifdnister in tdiar-je of the State insurance Dt?p.irt.ment whether he will iwnsidsrr i'he <if bnnirinjr in legislation iprov.idinji: (a.) Tliat no conditions emlorw»d on any inwirnnw policy J*sUP4by any camTjiinv doinff bußinfeß in Kew Zeal-ajid. and requiring proceeding ftereon t-o be cuimncnwi within any psriod less t'inn the prrio<l allowed by iheStatiitp<if Liroitationa. shoulil o>p<rra,to to defeat any claim delay beyond the period allrwod by ihe <\whey -were ehtnvn by .the r-ampany to have prejudicially affected the eoimpiny in some materia] dejrree: Rnd (b) thru no conditioir in 'any insurance poHey sjoulj have any ■validity inlfl=s approvtvi by tlio G'orern-or-jn-Ooiuicil. PETROL CARS 1 . Mr. dp.-ire.s the Minister of Raiifay s to My whether thp recent experiments with the petrol railway car justify tlifi extenfiicTi of thirt scheme, to .the suburban Vmx-: of the larger <U>wiib oi the Dominion. CHAIRMEN S HfiX(kKARIA. Mr. s-trpjrfi.- to the Minister of Education tiar h<l .vbjuld make provision in the Education Bili for Boairds of (Education in have pcr.v< r 11> pay an bonorariwn to tihn chairman r>f ;be Board. RAJLWAY RATES FOR FISH. Ilr. T. W. Rhodes intemls to ask the Minister of Railu-ayb whetier he will, vhen rerising the (railway ra-k\s, make provision for the carriage of fish at reaeonabie cost, an 1 for expedition* transport. The mmnbfr point? out the rato for carrying n-sli is as irnieh as eiprht tiniPK a<: lar?p as tliu cwt of transporting fniw oTPr a ilinanoe. and fifth. win? a nee(K(i arv ; IT t.cln < f f dirt 'for Hwi People. Min-uM c-nrriod at a rainimaiim rate. FTIEEHOLD rv M!Vl\r; DISTRICTS. Mt. Poland wiint- to •=<•!- the Minister of Land*. ; n 11114 yenr'e Lun.l Bill, 'imikc provi-lfin for ihr irr.-intinir »f U'e '1'" ,,, - ---hnld t, offuii.PiM i»f bud under the Mining r)if.:m:« 1..in,l < >.-<-uparivn A;t.