POLITICAL NOTES

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 86, 8 October 1920, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES

THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT There have'been suggestions lately that the Opposition in the House of Representatives is dull and inert; but the allegedlys- lifeless body -was nesuseitatedl yesterday afternoon, wheY a message from the •"Governor-General advised tha introduction of legislation to give tha ; freeliold "to the townsfolk in fiotorua. The Te Aroha Leases Bill was passed* with .difficulty; but Rotorua promises to be even more of a steeplechase. Some of the Liberal members have said that! the present Parliament would pass any measure that the Government put before it. Yesterday the suggestion was that Government was putting this statement to a test. The Bill was read a first time' after a division- on it had been carried by 38 to 25. In the' eaily part of yesterday's sitting the House generally displayed much activity. Almost an hour was devoted to questions.- Besides the Eotorua Bill two other measures were introduced, amending the Mining' Act and the Goal Mines 'Act. Neither is of great importance. Opposition .to the Westport Harbour Bill was removed byi an assurance from the Prime Minister that fair local representation would' be. given on the controlling, body when, the Government took over the port. The Offenders' Probation Bill, which extends the probation principle, also passed: without much discussion. The debate on the Legislative Council Amendment Bill, to X»ostpone_ for a -year the operation of the Act which makes the Council elective, was interesting. The Prime Minister said the Government was of the samo mind as in 1914, but members seemed to take it for granted that the' postponement was another way of breaking gently the news that the Act -would be'amended. Some Liberals sounded a note of con-,, gratulation, and "Labour scalded tha Government for going back on the Act. No one said they were assuming too much. The House adjourned at 11.20 p.m.. The Legislative Council did a deal of work again yesterday. Six Bills were put through their final stages and passed', as follows :—Te Aroha Crown Leases, giving the light to acquire the fee simple of land in Te Aroha; Treaties of Peacel Amendment, enabling dairy companies to invest ir> allied trades, and making a technical alteration in the existing law in regard to reorganisations of capital in companies generally; External Affairs! Amendment, restoring the control of the Cook Islands to the representative oS the Native race on the Executive; Whakatsne Harbour Amendment, and 1 the Christohurch Distriot Tramway Bill. One other measure, the Civil List Billl (No. '2), which provides for increased! salaries for members of Parliament, was read a second time. "IT IS ABSURD I" Mr. W. E. Parry said last night in the House of Representatives that he would have both Houses of Parliament elected on the proportional representation system. A member: "Which, of them would be the premier House?" Mr. Parry: "We say that {he people should be the revising Chamber, and not the Upper House at ail." Mi-. Isitt. -"What ought it to be?" Mr. Parry: ''It should be elected by the people themselves, and responsible—"

Mr. Isitt (interrupting): "What is its purpose?"

Mr. Parry: "I have just quoted what the Prime Minister, has stated: that it is a revising chamber." Mr. Isitt: "Exactly." ' .

Mr. Parry: "I am going to ask now it can be a revising Chamber when members as nominated are placed there by the party in power to revise—what? To revise laws by the party who revise the laws again! It is absurd." A member: "It can't be absurd if you don't agree with-it." (Laughter.) IMPERIAL CONFERENCE. "Does the 'Prime Ministii intend attending the Imperial Conference next June, and will he give the House an opportunity before that date of discussing New Zealand's representation?" This was a question put to Mr. Massey by Mr. W. B. Parry (Auckland Central) yesterday in the House of Representatives. Mr. Massey replied that it was not yet decided. But if the conference were hold, and he attended it, the honourable member could be assured that New Zealand would be well represented. (Laughter.) He intended, however, to make a statement to the House regarding this important matter. RISING COST OP LIVING. Attention was called by Mr. J. M'Combs (Lyttelton) in the House of Representatives yesterday to the risingcost of living as disclosed by the cost of living figures in the latest Abstract of Statistics. For July and Angust the three food groups had risen by 92 points. 1 The grocery group had nearly doubled since July, 1914, and the combined food groups had risen 71.4 per cent. .He asked the Prime Minister if he wx>uld set up a Select Committee to consider the question this session, with a view to ma-king recommendations to the House to bring about a reduction. The Prime Minister had stated that he would agree to the Butter Prices Committee considering the matter, but as that Committee had not yet concluded its work Mr. M'Combs suggested that a Special Committee should take the matter in hand. The Prime Minister said that he had no doubt that the Butter Prices Committee would consider the matter when it.had finished its present task, if it had the opportunity. He agreed that the matter was an important one; but he had not yet seen the statistics. He would take an early opportunity of going into ] them. « ■■ . i Mr. M'Combs.subsequently gave notice to move that the order of reference of the Butter Prices Committee be extended to cover the whole cost of living. GOVERNOR'S FURNITURE. Part of the Civil List Bill (No. 2) provides funds for the maintenance of the houses occupied by the Governor Sir Francis Bell, in dealing with the matter in the Legislative Council yesterday, said he did not know how the practice arose, but for a. great number of years certain rooms in the Government Houses, which might be termed the public rooms, had been furnished by the Government, while the rest of the premises were furnished by the Governor. That meant that an incoming Governor-General had to buy a deal of furniture, such as beds, cups and saucers, plate, and all the rest of the paraphernalia, and had to make the best sale he could when he. departed at the end of his term.

The Hon. C. H. Izard: "And does very well, too."

Sir Francis added that that sort of thins? was not in accord with tlie dignity of the office, nor was it to the credit of the country. Therefore, the Government asked Parliament to furnish all the premises in lieu of the- present arrangement. DISTINCTLY UNKIND.' The Legislative Council is not so easily stirred to laughter aa the House of Ecp; , tosentativea, but yesterday members let

themselves go thoroughly at a piece ot unconscious numour on the part of M*» Speaker (the Hon. W. C. Camcross),! The incident occurred during the second reading of the Civil List Bill (No. 2J,, which provides for substantial increases, to the salaries of all members of Parliament. The Leader of the Council {Sit, Francis Bell) went into detail .concerning the individual increases, and them moved the second reading. Mr. Speakerl rose to put tbe formal question, but, unfortunately, he had juet been perusing 1 another Bill which had been forwarded to himtfrom the House. So that, after, all Sir Francis Bell's references to more pay for members, tha Councillors Wen» astonished to hear Mr. Speaker statins the question as "that the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Amendment Act be now read a,second time! 1' Member* laughed uproariously. Even in. their! 1 wildest imaginings they had aev«r expected to hear their ow» Speaks* giv* colour to an opinion so .prevalent- atft«' side. . . , SHELL-SHOOK RAffIENTO. "Is it true that members of €b»< N.Z.E.F, suffering from shall-shoek and neurasthenia who w«re supposed to b* 1 sent for treatment, to Karitane HospitaJf were placed in,' the Publio Mental Hospital.at Seaclifi?" asked' Mr. C. E-. Statham of the Minister of Defence in the House of Representatives yesterday. He wished to Imow also if the men. had been discharged from the force after being in the hospital a month. Sir E. Heaton Rhodes said that ha had read the newspaper reports and had asked the' Commandant to furnish a report. He thought he had better deferl a further reply till he had received that report, and also the resolutions that were being forwarded to him. PATRIOTIC FUNDS. In the House'of Representatives inquiry was made by Mr. 0. J. Hawken (Egmont) of the Minister of Internal Affairs when tbe final winding-up of the Red Cross Fund was taking place. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. G. J. Anderson) replied that there had . already been consultations between the Salvation Army, the V.M.C.A., the Red Cross, and a number of smaller funds. A conference of the War Funds Association would be held in the course of a 1 few days, when the matter would be gone into further. < THE RAILWAYS BILL. The Railways Bill, which .mist bs passed before the Railways Classification; List is issued, will be in the hands of the law draftsman in a few days.