POLITICAL NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 35, 10 August 1927, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES

THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Six speakers took part in the Financial Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday. Considerable latitude, of course, is allowed to members I when finance matters are under review, and it was noticeable that several of the speakers did not pay particular attention to the contents of the Budget in the course of their remarks. When commenting on this feature of the debate, some Government members took the view that those who had Hot confined their observations to the Budget had refrained from doing so probably because they were in agreement with what it contained. One Minister, the Hon. J. A. Young, spoke in. the course of the day, his principal references relating to hospital levies and other matters which come within his purview as Minister 0 ±" Health. The last speaker in the evening was Mr. J. G. Elliott (Oroua), who made his maiden speech in Parliament. Mr. Elliot, who was first elected ia the Reform interests in 1925, devoted his remarks to an examination of the troubles that are besetting the farmers at the present time and traced the cause to over-speculation following on a period of boom prices. At the close of his speech Mr. Elliot was coneratulated by members. The debate was adjourn, ed at 10.27 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. to-day. * * * A SLIPPERY HOLD. "What about the usehold?" interjected Mr T. W. Rhodes (Thames), when My. H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch East) was referring in- the House of Representatives last night to the position of men on the land. Mr. Armstrong: "It is a pretty loose hold that they have got at the present time. It is no hold at all. When the people wake up it will be a pretty slippery hold that some members will have on their seats in this House." (Laughter.) Mr. H. G. Dickie (Patea): "Get some nails in your boots." (Renewed laughter.) Commenting on the laughter going on in the course of his succeeding remarks, Mr. Armstrong raised more merriment by declaring that if some members of the House thought serio.usly on anything for five minutes .they would burst a blood Vessel. ' ** - • TROUT FISHING AT NIGHT. A petition signed by about 240 people was presented in the House of Representatives yesterday, stating that the regulations prohibiting angling for trout after 9 p.m. or before 4 a.m. in the Rotorua or Taupo areas are not in accordance with the wishes of the ma-■ jority of the license-holders. They: state that the accusation that night anglers do not fish fairly, using illegal bait, is an absurd one, as trout cannot be caught at night on such lures 33 spoons or artificial minnows. In all sincerity, the petitioners declare that artificial fly is the exelusve lure used by night anglers. The difficulty of strictly enforcing the regulations is referred to, and it is stated that it ia an admitted fact that the districts in. question are under-; taffed with rangers. Finally, it is pointed out that no other district in New Zealand has hitherto considered it necessary to prohibit night fishing, and yet no other district can offer fishing of the quality procurable in the Taupo and Rotorua areas. It is asked i;hat the regulations be repealed, as they bear unduly on anglers in general, and on resident anglers in particular, and can serve no useful purpose. * * * WIRELESS IN THE SCHOOLS. Installation of wireless in the schools was suggested by Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Christchureh East) when speaking on the Financial Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. Armstrong said.he knew it would be stated that the school hours were fully occupied at present. There were some members of Parliament who would have half the time in the schools taken up with religious instruction, but he proposed that wireless Bhould be installed instead, for it would afford prominent educationists—probably some of the greatest in the world were already in New Zealand—an opportunity to impart their knowledge to all of the ehildrendn the schools. The thing could be done easily, and would make school life more tolerable. Hundreds of thousands of children, and adults, too, would benefit. The idea had been tried elsewhere, for Mr. Stoddart, edu-. cation director of the British Broadcasting Company, had stated that in. England there were between 1900 and 2000 schools listening-in to the Daventry Station. "I feel sure that it would be a splendid thing for this country," concluded Mr. Armstrong. * * • INFANT AND MATERNAL • WELFARE. A tribute to the value of the work performed by the Plunket Society was made by the Minister of Health (the Hon. J. A. Young) in the House of Representatives yesterday. It was largely due to the Plunket Society, said the Minister, .that the infant at birth had a greater expectation of lifethan in any other country in the world. With regard to the maternal death rate, the Minister said he was very gratified to see that it was gradually declining and was only 4.25 per 1000 births in 192 G. A further decline was anticipated this year.! "So far as I am concerned," said Mr. Young, "if I remain in this office long enough, I will not be satisfied until I see the maternal death rate down to something under 3 per 1000 births. That is what my Department and I are aiming at." The New Zealand birth rato was fairly low, but was not the lowest in the world. Tho birth rate was 21.05 per 1000 in 1926, while the death rate was 8.74 per 1000, which was tho lowest in the world. * * * PRICE OF FRTJIT. While agreeing that the Government had dono the right thing in paying £70,000 to the fruitgrowers last year as a guarantee on the export of fruit, Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Christchureh East) asked in the House of Representatives last night ■whether it 'would not be much better for the Government to do something to make it possible for the people of New Zealand to purchase fruit at a reasonable price. "I have heard it said," remarked Mr. Armstrong, '' that the growers would be well satisfied with a guarantee of Id per lb. They could not get this, but fruit is selling in Christchureh and Wellington at 6d or 7d a lb. If w« turned our attention in that direction, and if the Government assisted th« producers by stepping in between them and the consumers, so as to make it possible for tho latter to secure fruit; and other commodities produced hero at a reasonable rate, it would be doing much better for the producers than 14 is doing at present in the matter of. export. Mr. H. G. Dickie (Patea): "Like tho New South Wales fish shops, eh?" Mr. Armstrong: "I do not think that the hon. member who interrupted could even be trusted with the management of a fish shop." (daughter.)