POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 14999, 5 October 1912, Page 1

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] j WELLINGTON, October 5. NEW GOVERNMENT BILLS. Notice was given yesterday, of the introduction of two more Government Bills—the Native Land Act 1909 Amendment and the Shearers and Agricultural Laborers' Accommodation Amendment. OUR BUDDING DEFENDERS. The Minister of Defence announced in the House yesterday that he had received a cable from Vancouver stating that the New Zealand Cadets had won six out of seven championship cups for which they competed, and that they came fourth in shooting (presumably) for the seventh cup. It was. said the Hon. Mir Allen, pleasing to see that our budding defenders were so well able to hold their own against the budding defenders of other parts of the Empire. LABOR MEMBERS DIVIDED. The Labor party of four in Parliament may now be counted a-3 three, because wide differences of opinion have been exhibited between Mr Payne and the other members of the group. His hand taxation views were repudiated by Mr Robertson the other evening, and the same member found it necessary to publicly differ on another question last night. " There's a distinction in the rankii of the Labor party." explained Mir Payne (Grey Lynn). "There are two big parties, but they are striving for the same end." The ideal of one party was reform through the ballot box, but he believed in the policy of the other group, which had nothing to do with, the dirty game of polities, ami expected to gain ito ends by industrial solidarity. Parliament was simply an assemblage of dummies, because the eight men in the Ministry did what they liked. Members might just as well leave proxies with them, and go home to mind the baby. The less fierce Laborite from Otaki, Mr Robertson, subsequently asked what the logical position of Mir Payne was. "How can he represent a party that does not believe in political action ? What right has he to be in this House? He has spoken in such a way as to make one believe he himself questions the wisdom of being in this House." A DANGEROUS PLACE. Mr Clark has asked the Minister of Railways whether he will appoint a cross-ing-keeper at Gordon road. Mosgiel. He notes that several very serious accidents have been narrowly averted at this crossing, owing to excessive speed of all trains, and also to the amount of shunting at the station, which necessitates their often shunting on and over this crossing.