POLITICAL NOTES

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17321, 6 December 1921, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

(BPBCTAL TO "THa mtSS.") WELLINGTON, December 5. Chxistchurch Tramway Bill. The Christdhtirch Tramway District Actsy Amendment Bill was passed through its final stages in the House of Representatives to-day. In Committee. JTr Isitl moved for the reinstatement of elnu>e fl, providng fnr . borrowing up to i'JO.OOO to cover periodical capital expenditure consequent--1 upon the noces»nry development and im--1 provement. of tho Hoard's existing system. This clause had boon -tiiirk out. by tho Local Hills Committer. Mr Isitt said the uowcr was not wantol in connexion with any new out.* prisev 1 Ho knew that in the past certain 'meal bodies 'had entered into enterrri. o, that, they should have known would involve n far greater expenditure than was stated, and in such caso-s harm hivl 1-oert done. In this ease, however. Here 1 wore sufficient safeguards in thai alter certain procedure the mutter miL-H he determined hy a poll of the rntep.-xors. Sir Hudson said the Ixieal Hills ( .t.imitteo hnid struck out tho clnu-o hecause they did not wisli to rr»vit<- a precedent! The Committee- was in no wav hostile to the clause beyond tint, point Mr McCombs said he tlh ought the rust of taking n poll nt £3OO had been underestimated. Tt would ho about I'lisTO or £llOO He supported the reinstatement of tht> elatlse. Sir John liiike supported the reinstatement of the clause. Greater power* wero necessary for local bodies in regard to such matters. The re'-'nf disaster at Lake Coleridge showed what might happen if tho Board had one nf its~titrliinc9 put out of action. Tho House, without further discnaion, agreed to reinstate the clause. Arbitration Oonrt. In tflie Hottso to-day, Mr H. E. IV. land asked tho Minister of Lnhon • whether he had seen some correspond enoo, recently published in a newspaper suggesting that in the now Arhitrati" Bill there would be provision for tli appointment of An additional memhe of the Court. Mr Holland nlsi> «i.-W' to kniw whether, if the suggestion tin not wido of tho mark, the t Ministo would give Labour organisations rchance of expressing their views on tho Bill heforo it was considered hy I InHouse. "Tlie lion, gentleman is on a fish in c expedition," was the reply of the Minister. "On this occasion he is not coin - to catch any fish. If he waits till ihBill comes down, ho will see what is in it." Tho Half Million Loan. Asked hy tine Hon. J. A. Hanau what success the Government had mot with in the raising of it« recent half-million loan, tho Prime Minister stated that he had not tho full particulars to hand. He could say, 'however, that all. the loan was subscribed. There was no difficulty about it. Ho did not think it had even been placed on tho mnrk.it. The i'suo price was 99. and the cost of placing tho loan would be very small, so far as he was ablo to judge. As soon as ho received the, information from the HHi Commissioner, he would be prepared t-> giro tho details. Tho rate of interna if J, was 6 per cent. An hon. member: What was the rate? Mr Massoy: Six per cent. Mx Hanan: You did very well. Triennial Parliaments. Mr Hudson has given notice to ask the Prime Minister whether, in the opinion of the Government, it is in the best interests of this Dominion that Parliamentary elections should be held every three voars, and whether the largo expenditure so incurred is justifiable at such frequent intervals at a time when national economy is so essential? (PUSS ASSOCIATION TtUSMiU.) Local Bills. The House this afternoon put tho following local Bills through all their stages:—Tauranga Harbour Board Eta-, powering Amendment (Sir William Herries), Dunedin District Drainage and Sewerage Amendment (Hon. W. Downio Stewart), Christchurch Tram way District Amendment (Mr Isitt), Auckland City Loans Consolidation and Emppwering (Hon. C. J. Parr), Jndoa Land Drainage Board Empowerinp 'Sir William Herries), Taieri River Improvement Amendment (Mr Edie), . Tolago Bav Harbour Board ISmpowering (Mr K. S. Williams), Tauranga Borough Council Electric Loan Empowering (Sir William Herries), Invcrcargill Borough Council Special Unto Empowering Amendment (Hon. J. A. Hanan). Christmas Holidays. | Replying to Mr Hudson. Mr Masscy said it was proposed to make Tuesday | an extra holiday at both Christmas and New Year, but rt would require legislation to do it. Daylight Baking Bill. The Labour Bills Committee reported that the Daylight Baking Bill be not allowed to proceed. Mr Howard accused the Minister of Labour (the Hon. G. J. Anderson) of taking up the position that as the employers were opposed to the Bill, it could not pass. Mr Anderson hotly denied this, and said that his attitude was that unless both parties (employers and employees) agreed to the principle of the Bill, u had no chance of passing this session. Mr McCombs said it came to this: That it was useless for employees to ask the House to agree to any such legislation. What they would have to do was to frame a Bill and take it to the Employers' Association and ask them to agree to it. Mr Holland contended that this was one of the most important Bills before Parliament. It concerned tjie interest/ of the workers, by enabling them to do during the day what it was not necessary to do at night. It concerned the health of tho people by giving them better bread to eat. Night baking was J fifty years out of date. I The debate was adjourned. The Late Hon. P. f. Nerheny. The Prime Minister moved the c:«tomary motion of condolence with the relatives of the late Hon. P. J. Nerheny, M.L.O. The motion was seconded by Mr Wilford (Leader of the Opposition) and supported by several other members. The motion having been carried, the House adjourned till 7.30 p.m. ns a mark of respect.