PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 248, 19 October 1922, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY. (By Telegrnnb.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON", Wednesday. ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE. The Joint Committee on Bills has reported that St. John's College Trust Bill is a private bill. It will therefore have to >w introduced in accordance with the procedure prescribed for this class of legislation. FOLLOWING AUCKLAND. Mr. 11. Atniore (Nelson) has put on the order paper a question asking the Prime Minister whether the Government, will introduce legislation tlii' session to extend the power given to the Auckland City Council by section 4 of the Auckland City Empowering Act, l!l±2, to all local bodies, and thus prevent grave in- . justices occurring under the present law, which forbids payments out of a district fund to employees of city councils and other bodies wiio may be retired through infirmity arising out of sickness or old age. The clause in question authorises: payment of retiring allowances to the council's employees.

WOMEN" TK RESTAURANT?. Tlie Labour Rills Committee lias con-•"idi-red a petition from Flora l.'ooi-li and thirty-two others', wlio desire an extension of hours to 11 p.m.. during which female employees in restaurants may work. The committee lias no recommendation to make. RAILWAY AOEXTS- HEADQUARTERS. "It seems a funny idea to appoint a railway agent for the South Island and locate him in Wellington."' remarked Dr. Thacker, in the course of a question to the Minister of Railways regarding the headquarters of the new oflicers. In the speaker's opinion Ohristcliurch or Dunrdin would he more suitable. The Hon. D, H. CJuthrie replied that in makinp; new appointments it was difficult to cut tlw painter at once. Therefore the new officers had been temporarily placed in Wellington, and were working together .so as to secure some uniformity' in their operations, and to enahle them to jointly come in contact with tin , general public. Eventually he thought the Xurth Island agent would lie placed in Palmerston North, and the South Island ajfent would have headquarter* in C'hristcliureh. A REVENVE POIXT. Mr. L. jr. Isitt called the Premier"? attention to what he dvscrilied in ''a ■subtle misrepresentation" of the linancial position in <a pamphlet advocating continuance .by a certain arrangement of a quotation from a speech by the Premier followed by comment toy thu author. The suggestion w a = created'that Mr. Mawey liad informed Parliament that the revenue this year would be down by eight and a half millions. Mr. Isitt "wished the Premier to statu if this was correct. Mr. Massey referred to his speech on the Budget to show that he had mentioned the need for strict economy. lie had not, howvjver. said that the revenue would be down by eight and a half millions, as he expressed the hope that receipts and expenditure would, with cautious management, balance at the end of the financial yvar. PAY OX RELIEF WORKS. Mr. \V. T. Jennings (Waitomo) asked a quest ion of the Minister of Public Works regarding payments to settlers employed on relief works. He aa id settlers in his district so employed could only mak« 10/ or 11/ a day, aiid out of this heavy charges for explosives had to be met. Jll addition, Mr. Jennings said lie was informed that when payments were made .1 per cent was deducted, and he asked why this was done "Hie Minister replied that he had never heard of such a deduction. The only deduction he knew oi was a small chargu for remitting money to distant places in the case of men who came from other districts.