QUESTION DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 14689, 5 October 1911, Page 8

QUESTION DAY.

(Fr.oii Ora Pakliame.ntaei Rktorter.] WELLINGTON, October 5. Wednesday is the day on which printed replies to questions put during the week are circulated. The Ministerof Defence says that there is no intention of amending the Defence Act this session in the direction of admitting conscientious objectors. He points out that there is a <listinct difference between conscientious and religious objectors. Provision has been made for the latter, and arrangements were being made to give effect thereto. Conscientious objectors will be registered and called up for- training under the provisions of the Act. The Minister says that where a young man shows he is "the chief breadwinner his case will be taken on its merits, and if necessary he will be exempted for the current year from camp, but he will be required to attend drills.

Two questions were recently pat to the Prime Minister by Mr M'Laren. First, he asked if there were any negotiations between the Governments of the two countries for the establishment of a reciprocal tariff. The reply is that no communication has been received from tho Premier of Australia on the subject. Sir Joseph Ward adds that he should be ex-c-eedingly glad to enter into negotiations for the establishment of » reciprocal tariff between Australia ai>d New Zealand on mutually fair lines. The other question was whether definite proposals would be made for tho creation of a closer bond of unity between the two countries on the lines of establishing an Australasian political federation. "No such suggestions have been made to or by me," was Sir Joseph Ward's answer. The Prime Minister gave an answer about half a column lons to Mr Allen's query whether public buildings were nonreproductive assets, ao mentioned in the Budget of 1906, or interest-bearing, as stated in the Budget of this year. Sir Joseph Ward began by saying: "The hon. gentleman is. I am afrafrl, quibbling. I have never stated that public buildings were reproductive, nor are they. I have already fnllv stated in the House that public buildings may. in connection with loan money expended upon them, be considered indirectly interest-bearing, for the reason that if the loan moneys had not been so expended we would have had in every instance to have paid rent. The total amount of rent would have considerably exceeded the amount of interest paid upon all the loan moneys invested in public buildings, and the one may reasonably and fairly be taken as a set-off against the other, and public buildings, though not reproductive, can, under the conditions stated, with reason be regarded as indirectly interest-bearing." Hr Joseph went on to explain that it was because of the attacks of Mt Allen and other Opposition members on the credit of the country and of the Government's alleged overborrowing that he, as Minister of Finance, found it necessary to protect the country by showing the direction in which the loan moneys have been expended unon public buildings as well as other public utility services.—Mr Allen, in discussing this reply, said that this paltry attack on himself had no effect whatever. Ho smiled when ho began to read the reply. and kept on smiling until he reached the end. He had never once attacked the Dominion. Answers such as that of the Prime Minister were simply playing with the question.—The Hon. Mr Millar fa.id that in 1906 the Government were- quite prepared to allow the public buildings to stand as non-repToduetive.bnt since then the Opposition had been going about representing the money borrowed to build them as having been thrown away. Th? Minister asked Mr Allen and hLs colleagues whether if they were to sink their capital in erecting a terrace of houses they would regard it as money thrown away. He went on to instance the saving of rent in Wellington and Chricttchureh alone by the erection of departmental buildings. He claimed, therefore, that a large number of those buildings were directly interest-pro-ducing. The Minister invited the Opposition to prove the contrary, "here and now." on the floor of the House, instead of waiting until they got away into th« country, -where there was no Minister to answer them. Since the compilation of the Railway Statement the Hon. Mr Millar has evidently had latPT advice concerninc; Eenard road trains, for in reply to Mr GreensLidc's request for an experiment to be made with them at Hamilton the Minister of Railways said : ",The latest. Teports regarding the utility of the Eenard road trains indicate thai they have not been altogether a success in India, and in view of this I am further investigating the matter with a view to adopting the" bestknown class of road vehicle. "When the information which is being obtained comes to hand tho matter will be definitely decided." Recently Mr Wilford asked tho Minister of Justice to give facilities to Claude; Paget, at present in gaol, to petition Par- I liameht direct, instead of being: cora.pelled to petition the. Minister of Justice only. The Ministerial reply was : " Tho prisoner Claude Paget was convicted at Wellington in May, 1907, of murder, and was sentenced to death. The death sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life. Unless it can be shown that the prisoner's case lias not received proper consideration at the hands of the Executive Government T think it would be inadvisable to •grant permission to petition Parliament.. In New Zealand the Royal prerogative of mercy is exercised by' His Excellency on the recommendation of his Ministers, and every case receives most careful and patient oonsklera.tioß«"