PARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 187, 9 August 1922, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

■ ■ » — ■■ HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. THE NAVAL RESERVE. The House went into Committee this afternoon on the Naval Defence Amendment Bill. In clause 3 the Minister moved to strike out sub-clause A. nnd j substitute a new sub-section. "That no I prescribed period shall exceed a term of 12 years from the date of enlistment, or from the age of IS years, if enlistment takes place before that age." : The Hon. •!. A. Hanan ilnvereargill) [asked if thp Covernment could not give I the House some idea of what this hill | was going to cost the country. Tt was j establishing a naval reserve, and that i was certainly going to cost something. He wanted to know what that cost was going to be. I Mr. \V. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) said one of the greatest merits of the British Navy in the past was that its men were enlisted for long service. He therefore approved of the 12-year period, and lie hoped it would not be shortened. Tlie amendment moved by the Minister was apreed to. and the bill passed the Committee stage without further amendment. LAND DRAINAGE BILL. The Land Drainage Amendment Bill was in Committee. At clause 7 : Mr. H. E. Hollund raised an objection to tbe system of voting prescribed, which lie said was on purely a property ha-is. and left out the human element altogether. The Minister, in reply, said they were simply putting the system of plural voting ns applied to county councils on a more equitable basis so far as land drainage districts were concerned. Mr. Holland admitted the system in the bill was an improvement on the old system, but it did not satisfy him. Ho moved an amendment which would have the effect of establishing the one man one vote principle. The amendment was rejected on the voices. Mr. Wilford said he proposed to challenge clause 22 because it proposed to enlarge the practice of doing things by Order-in-C'ouncil to such an extent as to practically supersede Parliament. The Hon." W. Downie Stewart contended that the clause only gave effect to what was already law and had been so far many years. Mr. R. McCallum (Wairaul suggested that if the clause provided that the o_cler-i_-Council must he gazetted it would not be objectionable. Local bodies must have nower such as that asked for in the clause. The Minister agreed to do as suggested. Mr. Wilford said' that would grently improve the clause, which was then agreed to on the voices. The hill was then. reported from the committee with the amendment and agreed to.