QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 215, 9 September 1914, Page 6

QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT.

CABLE FACILITIES. (By Telegraph.—l'arliamcnlary iieportcr.) W'F.I jLI N( TON, Tueeilay. The I'ostiiiiu-tcf-Gcnenil declined, for State reasons, to give information -ar3ke.il ifor by Mr. Willy to-night regarding the cable routes available lu-twccii New Zealand and Kngland. now that flic I'acWlc Island. Mr. Witty suggested that if the remaining emble* were congested, wireless might be utilised, especially for Press new.-. KSLAiXiDEKS SHORT OF FOOD. The straits f> which Torr<ran Tcsidenti are red-uced t.hrniigh i-ihortivgc of food, eonsfiqiion.t on disloca-tion iff st&a.mcr carranniTiica-tioii, \v;is the subject «f sympathetic reference in the lions,- to-night and the Irovernmient is considering practical stejiw to relieve the .situation. Mr. G. W. Kus.cll, will) raised the question. mentioned that the lirst steamer leaving was mrt until Septeimibe.r 17th. Jle hopi'd the ("!o\( rnincnt would arrange an earlier sailing. Jt would nlrio be a good thing if the (loverninents of New Zealand, Great Britain, and Tonga could arrange for wireless <-oninnnvi.-atk>ii with the Friendly Islands. The Prime Ministor stated tliat the Government was <lcting pven'fhing possible to meet the diffioußy. The brigantine Ysaibel was loading in .Vucklaml. ami there wa> more .t'haii a possibility of a steamer being disp-atched ;it an early date. iWAR i The question of umfaJr discrimination in selecting 'I'nvs reprcsentative-i to acompany the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces was raifod in the House tonight by {Sir .lot-rph Ward, the Leader of the Opposition, referring more particularly U> the im.-c of the advance guard to Samoa. 'He the subject by asking the Prime .Mininter }\nvr the Government >Ui(»l in connection with the Pres.s representative who had proceeded to Samoa. There wafc. he said, a feeling that then , has been something in the slrape of a party selection. The Preaiiier a*sured tiic Leader of the Opposition that the arr.inircm-ent in question was not made by the Government. The arrangement v.is made with fietiera.l Godley. and was not made until after the departure of the transports from Clyde Quay, and after the steamers passed under the .control of the Imperial Government. The representative who went was arked by himself yesterday to supply a report for the whole of the newspaper* of New Zealand. He agreed, and the repjrt was duly prepared and ha-nded to the Pres> Association. Sir Ward pointed out that one news=p:iper applied for the correspondent's report, hut could not set it. and was offered a very condensed summary. Evidently there had been discrimination. Tlic Prime Minister: "-Not by the Government." He adde,! that to far as he ami the Minister of Defence kne-w. no reporter of the Prus.s wa« anxious to go with the J'xpe-.1-itkinuTy Force. sir -10-epli Ward assured the Premier that applications to accompany tho advance guard had been made by other journ.iJi.sts. and hail beon refused. Tlio Minister of Defence knew it. Mr. Allen: Thtro may have been, hut I cannot recollect it. merrirjionti. At Uie conclusion of the incident in the House your correspondent waited upon General Sir A. -1. Godley. anil tusked if In- could explain the position, a« the I'ri-mr Minister had thrown the blame on him? "It is not f.tir to s.iv that Imm wholly reeponsibli , ." Slid tin- (ienenl. "The corresponrient \\;is ropreeented mc as having -,v great knowledge of .Samoa; in fact, he r-houcd mc a number of photographs, and on the strength of the recommendations 1 received 1 jumped-.it the chance of having a man wit.h the expedition as a sort of guide.'' General GcAiley said if he had had anything to do with the matter both sections of the Press would have been represented, but the arrangements were all .hurriedly made. It was on the recommendation of the Press correspondent's supposed knowledge of Samoa that ho was allowed to accompany the force. It was unfortunate, he agreed, that he had been allowed t-o do any Press work a.t all.