POLITICAL NOTES

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16987, 9 November 1920, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

<I'KCIAX TO "THE TRESS.'")

WELLINGTON. November ?

"Washing-up" Bill.

Christchurcli nnd cither members ;o. day protested against, t-lie policy of lumping down new clauses in tho '•Washing Up' , Bill in tho closing days oi" the session. One clause in particular 'was referred to. It provides that certain i hind being part of reserve 2o shall bo ' vt-sted in the Corporation of Canterbury Collosie for the purposes of n museum. The ChrUtohureh members who spoke I complained of tho want of courtesy to members in that they were not advised by those promoting the clause that it wa<* coining down. Mr Sullivan said the clause might bo nil right, but it had hecii sprung on them as a surprise. It proposed, hebelieved, to tranter a piece of land from n Domain .Board that, was fairly democratically elected, to another body that was a much closer corporation nnd loss representative of the citizens than was thi< Domain Board. Mr Howard (as the member for tho (district concerned , ) said he know nil I about the question at issue, and was in favour of the proposed legislation, but. all the same members interested snonU , have been informed. I Mr Isitt said it was a mire oversight. A clause added to the ,; Washing Up" Bill authorises the Spreydon Borough ; Council to borrow pt oV instead of r iper cent, sums of £4700 and £2500 U. renay loans raised for works undertaken within the Borouch. Another rla'usp authorises the (Jeraldino County Council to exercise the powers of a River Board. Echo of Marriage Bill Debate. Reference to a statement concerning Archbishop O'Shea bv Mr Potter during the debate on the Marriage Act Amendment Bill was made by Mr Jennings in tho House of Representatives this morning Mr Jennings asked tho Prime Minister if ho had seen tho published statement in which Mr Potter, M.P.. was reported to have said that. Archbishop O'Shea had told a woman wh<: had not been married according to the rites of the Catholic Church "that slw had better have been struck dead than have had a child." He said that Mr Potter should not have made such a serious statement against Archbishop O'Shoa, who was a New Zealander, like both themselves, when overyono who know him knew that ho could never have done such a thing. Mr Jennings quoted a telograni from tho Archbishop which read "Mr Potter's statement' about me in the House is an absolute falsehood. Pleaso give it a denial on my behalf." Mr Massey said that ho had read the statement made and had seen tho paragraph, but ns he knew nothing about the matter beyond that, ho was unable to say anything further. Mr' Potter in a personal explanation said: "I based my statement on the written statement of tho woman conI cerned signed by a woman witness, and I am prepared to beliovo that statement in defiance of Archbishop O'Shea." Library Subsidies. Replying to Mr Sullivan 10-day tho Minister of Education said an annual grant of £310 was made to assist libraries in districts where the population was not more than 1500 or 3000, ho was not sure which. Tho object was to as-, eist small country districts. The wholo question of HlJrary subsidies wanted looking into. Bluff-Milford Sound Service. The Minister in charge of tho Tourist Department told Mr J. R. Hamilton today that ho was still looking into the question of getting tho Tutanekai to run from Blutf to Stewart Island ant! Atilford Sound during tho busy season, but whether this could bo done or no!, there would bo a vote on tho Supplementary Estimates to assist in the direc- , tion desired. Sugar Beet in Canterbury. Replying to Mr l>. Jones, tho Hon. W. Nosworthy said that the Government would bo pleased to anaiyeo gampics of sugar beet grown in Canterbury this year, and the results would be made public. •Electoral Boundaries. Tho old question of town versus country -was raised in tho liouse to-day in regard to a proposal by Mr McCallum, and fathered by tho Government, giving die jLlectoral .boundary Comiuisb.onors power to net on an increased margin of voters from 550 to 12oU in order, wliere. necessary, tno better to preserve community ot interest and geographic boundaries* Tno .Labour 1-arty scented an mteiferenee with democratic rule, nnd suggested that this amendment ot the Act would have a bearing on the question of the country quota. The Prime -Uinistor said that was not tho intention, and tho country quota was not being interfered with in any way by the clause. Tho Hon. E. P. Lcc showed that tho amendment was desirable by quoting t'lo case of tho AVaitaki electorate. The Commissioners had been compelled, on tho basis at present allowed, to put into that electorate a piece of country beyond the Lindis Pass and round Lake Wanaka. The member tor the district, in order to visit this part of his coustituency, had to go to Palmerston, coach to Naeeby, and then proceed to Wanaka. That portion of the district was not in touch with Waitaki ot all. It should be in Central Otago or »n adjoining district* The Commissioners would still strictly confine themselves to the population baeis whenever they could do so. Several country members spoko on the absolute necessity for tho _ clause. There, wero at present communities that were completely split up in so far as community of interest was concerned. The Labour members, however, did not. after all, prose their protest to a division. (abridged press association report.) In Legislative Council. In the Legisl: five Council to-day tho amendments iuado by the House of Representatives in the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Avt Amendment lii'il were agreed to. In moving the. sficond reading of tho "Kabbit Nuisance Act Amendment Bill, .Sir Francis Bell said that it was proposed to bring down two amendments. The first limited the autocratic power ff an inspector, upon whoso judgment the Magistrate at present relied, by providing tliat a second inspector must agree with tho report of the first. A second amendment allowed *h< l Board, with tho consent of the Minister, to undertake the-destruction of rabbits without notice to the owner. The; Bill wjs read n second time. In Committee, the new clauses outlined by S'ir Francis Bell on the second reading debute were added to tho Bill, which was then read a thirdi time and passed. Tho folio-wing Bills wore received from the House of Representatives and put through all stages:—Births and I/eaths Registration Amendment, Hospital and Charitable Institutions Amendment, Railways Authorisation, and Grcyrnouth Harbour Board Amendment. School Swimming Baths. Replying to Mr Nash, the Hon. C J. Parr said ho recognised the value of swimming in connexion with school ■work, but he could not promise ;i subsidy towards tho erection ot swimming baths at schools. There were so many claims for subsidies on his Department tfhat he must call a ha^t.