THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 89, 12 October 1920, Page 7

THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Monday night usually sees a very thin House, but last night the benches were well filled. The reason was to be found ir tihe Gaming Amendment Bill (No. 2) brought down by Mr. G. Hunter (Waipawa) in the hope of securing Parliament's authoMty for the issuing of permits for 38 more racing days each year. The net result of the- night sitting seems to have .been a clear intimation that if this Bill is to pass it will be necessary to issue permits to carry on Parliament through many extra, hours. Mr. Hunter was brief in his remarks, but his example was not followed generally. The Bill found a number of supporters, not a few for the reason that some members looked upon it as the only means of getting the extra day required for their districts, but there was a very strong opposition who gave just as much attention to Mr. ■M'Callum as he expected when he suggested, as the mover of the second reading sat down: "Now let's take it on the voices." A division showed 36 in favour and 14 against. During the evening it was discovered that, on principle, Mr. J. Edie (Bruce) would not give two men who_ asked him a lift to the races in his. motor, and that Mr. f W. D. Powdrell (Patea) was a jockey in times gone by. In the earlier stages of the debate all the opponents of the Bill spoke freely, but later on, from about 4 a.m. onwards, most of the active work was left to Messrf Isitt, J, R. Hamilton, and M'Combs, with Messrs. D. Jones and A. Hamilton giving aid on occasions. Mr. J. R. Hamilton proved particularly adept at, keeping within the rulings of the Speaksr and the Chairman of Committees as to repetition, etc. Mr. M'Comb's was not so fortunate. Incidentally, when one of the Bill's supporters questioned his statement that it was then not Monday night butf Tuesday morning, Mr. Hamilton developed a long. discourse on the point, being aided materially by the fact that the calendar? on the walls had by this time been turned a slip. When the supporters of the Bill refused to consider any question of an adjournment its opponents drew liberally upon a list of amendments, but they were obviously pleased when the "Chairman of Committees announced at 7.30 a.m., the House by this time having reached the Com-, mittee stage, that the breakfast adjournment would then be taken.

N Business was resumed at 9 a.m., and at 9.25 a.m. tfee Prime Minister, who had arrived a little while before to take charge of the House and had previously taken no part in the debate, said they had reached the stage when he, as the man responsible for. the business of the country, must say that they could not afford further time for discussing this.' matter. He regretted that the majority was not being allowed to rule, but in the circumstances he suggested that the question should be left to a commission. He moved to report progress, and added that he would place the question of setting up a commission before Cabinet. Various members who had been fighting for the.Bill seemed disinclined to give way in this manned, and were, prepared "to spend a week teaching these gentlemen a lesson." 'An hour later the proposal to report progress was carried on the voices, although Mr. M'Callum at first called for a division. The House adjourned at 10.35 a.m. until 7.30 p.m.

HOSTELS FOR WAITRESSES, Mr. P. Fraser, in the House of Representatives last "evening, gave notice to ask the Minister for Railways if ha would take into consideration the erection, of hostels at Palmeraton North, Mercer, Frankton, and Marton for the waitresses employed at the railway refreshment rooms. j "THE REVERSE' OF FACT." The Prime Minister .was asked last evening jn the House of Representatives by Mr. H. E. Holland whether statements which appeared in Stead's Review (last month's issue) concerning Samoan. property were correct. The passages referred to were : "That property of Germans in Samoa has been sold' to the highest bidder," and also : "The Burns, Philp, Company is naturally anxious to get the valuable plantations of .the Pacific Islands, and we find that it has, directly or indirectly, bought in the German estates the New Zealand Government has confiscated." The Prime Minister: "I don't raadt Stead's Review. It is a publication tMb no decent or patriotic man ought to read. (Labour laughter.) The statements are absolutely incorrect, and ths reverse of fact." POTATOES FOR EXPORT. Information was sought by Mr. D. Jones (Kaiapoi) last night, in the House of Representatives, as to whether the Commonwealth expert sent to New Zealand to investigate the locally grown potatoes, with a view to seeing, if they could be exported to Australia, had made any report. The Minister for Agriculture'(the Hon. W. Nosworthy) replied that no report had yet reached the Government, but the Prime Minister had cabled to the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth, asking whether there had been a report furnished, and what steps the Australian authorities intended to 'take to expedite the matter of dealing with t the potatoes. . PENSION APPEAL BOARD. The Prime Minister reiterated, in the House of Representatives last night, hiid previous statement that the Government intends to set up an appeal board to deal with cases of hardship arising out of the present pension system. He added that he hoped to make a, definite statement on the matter about a fortnight hence. 1 UNFORTUNATE WIDOWS. The member for Wangamii (Mr. W. A. Veitch) ga,ve notice last night in tha House of Representatives of his intention of asking the Minister of Finance whether, in considering the question of the cost, of living bonus for superannuitamts, he would give special attention to widows who, in some caEes, suffered hardship owing to the fact that' the pension died with their husbands, leaving the widows alone in their old age without financial support. ■ WHAT IS LEFT. The Prime Minister was asked by Mr. G. Witty (Rrccarton) last night, in tha Hou.^e of Representatives, if ho would give members some idea of what business he intended to> ask Parliament to d,eial with during the remainder of the session. As far us he could see, and as far as the Order Paper indicated, there were before the House only one private member's Bill and four Government Bills, a. most. unusual thing at this stage of the session. He was afraid that this indicated that Bills would' be brought along in the mornings, and passed the same night. Mr." Ma-ssey replied that he could not agree that the sort of tiling wae at all likely to happen. Just to remove from Mr. Wirfcy's mind any impression that there was uothintr in hand', he wad the following list of Bills to be brought forward :—-Finance. Bunk of Now ijeajand, tyitisbi Coalmintnj,.. Countw*, Comjmw tion for Accident, N- Homing, ' Labour

Land, Pensions, Superannuation, Publio Service, Death Duties, Washing-up, both Epropean and Native, Local Railways, Explosives and Dangerous Goods; Harbour Amendment, Rotorua Control (not the measure already before the House), Incorporated Societies, Law Drafting, Education, Animals Protection, and Appropriation. Mi. F. N. Bartram (Grey Lynn) : "Will there be a Bill dealing with industrial life insurance?"

Mr. Massey : "Yes, there will be a small Bill." The Primei Minister addled; that, as far as he could see, there were yet^ to be dealt with- by the House tea major Bills and fifteen, minor Bills. Thfire should be no difficulty in getting that amount of work done during the next four weeks.