PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 181, 2 August 1929, Page 15

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

A BUSY AFTERNOON. PRIVATE MEMBERS' BILLS. BUDGET WELL ON TIME. 3y Telegraph.— Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON. Thursday. Despite much comment concerning waste of time in Parliament by overmuch talking, it is worthy of note that the Budget makes its appearance this session exactly a week earlier than it did last year, and a day earlier than it did in the Reform Government's longworking session of 1927. The afternoon in the House to-day was devoted to a discussion on private members' bills, Mr. Black's Police Offences Amendment and Mr. Fletcher's Education Amendment Bills were introduced and read a first time. Mr. Masou's Defencc Amendment Bill, dealing with the rights of conscientious objectors, was discussed 011 its second reading, but the dinner adjournment was reached before a vote was takeu. The same member's Marriage Amendment Bill, making it legal to marry a deceased wife's niece or a deceased husband's nephew was rea'd a second time without discussion. There were crowded galleries in the evening, when Sir Joseph delivered his Financial Statement. Claim By A. B. Donald, Ltd. This afternoon Mr. Parry (Auckland Central) presented a petition by A. B. Donald, Ltd., general merchants and Island traders, with headquarters in Auckland, asking that they be granted a further sum in respect of the destruction of their stores and goods at Papeete, in Tahiti, in 1914, by the gunfire of the German cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. When New Zealand's list of claims against Germany was finalised after the war the sum of £16,375 was passed as valid in respect of the claim of A. B. Donald, Ltd., although the firm state that the real loss suffered by it was approximately £<50,000. The sum of £3977 was paid to the petitioners in 1923, and a further sum of £534 in 1926, the explanation being given by the Secretary of the Treasury that it had been decided that only 30 per cent of the assessed value of claims was to be paid. Thus the firm received £4SII, out of a sum of £16.37.3 earlier passed as valid. In view of the fact that the New Zealand Government was understood to have received over £1,230,000 in repara--tion payments from Germany, the petitioners submitted that the sum of £11,563, representing the balance of the claim, should bo paid to them.

Another Auckland Bill. The Auckland City Sinking Funds and Empowering Bill, in charge of Mr. M. J. Savage, has been added to the Order Taper. Church Street Crossing. Mr. TV. J. Jordan (Manukau) has asked the Minister of Railways to provide a warning signal at the Church Street level crossing, Penrose, where a fatality occurred some time ago. Leave of Absence. Sir Maui Pomare (Western Maori) and Mr. T. D. Burnett (Temuka) have been granted eight days' leave of absence, by reason of illness. Xeither member lias taken his seat this session. Minister Denies Allegations. A flat denial was given by the Minister of Justice to allegations made against officers of the Prisons Department in a question asked by the member for Waimarino. The Hon. T. M. Wilford said it was neither the policy nor the practice of the Department to work prisoners at National Park station from 7.30 a.m. to S p.m. Prisoners were not promised extra food or tobacco for working on Sundays. Extra food in the shape of butter was given only on prescription by the Medical Officer. The Prisons Board visited Waikune on March G. Trout was not secured illicitly, nor were the members of the board provided with trout. Prisoners were not promised afternoon tea or cakes if they worked whilst wet through on March 9, nor any other date. Prisoners were not required to work under such conditions Prisoners employed at the National Park were not compelled to work in snow. The prescribed working hours were being adhered to at Waikune. It was not correct that' it is often after 5 p.m. before prisoners were returned to camp. Prisoners were not threatened with penalties for asking a warder the time of day. Workshops Expenditure. Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Grey Lynn) asked the Minister of Railways whether, when the costs of new railway works were stated to have exceeded the estimates by approximately half a million pounds, he asked his officers for an explanation.

The Hon. Mr. Taverner replied: "It is understood that the question asked by the honourable member has reference to the additional estimated expenditure involved in carrying to completion the programme approved by the late Government in connection with the railway workshops reorganisation scheme. The subject matter of the question is now under investigation." Onion Freights. Replying to Mr. Hawke, the Minister of Industries and Commerce stated that the Government would be pleased to cooperate in the direction of arranging more favourable freights for onions to Vancouver and other Canadian ports. Wellington's New Station. The plans for the new railway station are well in hand, according to a statement by the Minister of Railways, in reply to a question. It is anticipated that they will be completed at about the end of the year. Before a contract can be let, however, it will be necessary to clear the site, and that, in turn, would depend upon the erection of a new goods shed on the reclaimed ground. Tenders have already been railed for the erection of the goods shed.