PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 192, 15 August 1925, Page 10

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY. MOTOR SERVICE RECORDS. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The Prime Minister caused considerable interest among members of the House of Representatives, when, during the Post and Telegraph estimates discussion, he mentioned that the Department was keeping very careful records of the service given by cars in use by Government departments. This included mileage, repair cost, and expenditure on tyres and petrol. All departments had been keeping records in different ways, and the whole system had been standardised.

Mr. J. A. Lee remarked that this record would be well worth publishing.

The Premier agreed that when a year's records were available they would be well worth publishing.

Answering a question, the Minister said that a majority of the motor trucks used were English, except for some of the lighter classes.

Advertising the Savings Bank. The Post Officrs Savings Bank is such a valuable institution that Mr. G. W. Forbes (Hurunui) suggested to the Prime Miniser that there sohuld be a definite policy adopted of advertising its utility among the people. The leader of the Opposition promptly secured a satisfactory reply, Mr. Coates assuring him that in addition to the usual publicity the Department, this year, would spend £1000 on advertising its savings bank branch, recognising that so valuable a bank should be kept prominently before the public. Telephone Rates. Utilising the apparently good financial position of the Telephone Branch as his main argument, Mr. Forbes tried to induce the Prime Minister to promise some reduction of telephone charges to country settlers. Ho urged that, if the prices of New Zealand products came down the high telephone rates would press heavily on farmers. Mr. Coates replied that it was not proposed to reduce telephone rates this year. The service should pay interest and sinking fund, as it was a revenue branch, and it should be run as a commercial concern so long as the charges were not excessive. Tongariro National Park. Mr. Nash is to ask the Minister in charge of the Tongariro National Park whether he will state what is being done by the board in respect to granting leases to certain people for building. Already, said the member for Palmerston North, numerous protests have been made by the New Zealand Institute and certain sections of the Press of New Zealand. It was contended that it was never the intention of Parliament to grant people of wealth the right to build in the National Park area, and that Parliament should take steps to annul any proposed leases and instruct the board accordingly. Sheepowners' Fund Tax. Mr- Linklater (Manawatu) presented to the House a petition praying for the refund of £35,000 deducted by the Land and Income Tax Department from the money of the New Zealand Sheepowners' Acknowledgement" to British .SeAmen Fund. It was also asked that the Act be amended."so as this great (Charity and Empire settlement scheme" may be exempted from taxation. Bible in Schools. There are indications of widespread opposition to Mr. Isitt's Religious Exercises in Schools Bill in the form of petitions to Parliament. The latest, presented to the House of Representatives to-day by Mr. Young, comes from Hamilton. It is signed by Dr. E. T. Rogers and others.