POINTS OF PARLIAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 15892, 26 August 1915, Page 8

POINTS OF PARLIAMENT

aJgSENEMY SUBJECTS EXCLUDED FROM pk\ “ LAND BALLOTS. .Oua-’PABtiAMmiTARx Exporter.] ‘ • WELLINGTON, August 26: > Home of Representatives yester■■Rr.Scotit asked the Prime Minister the Government .intend to , Tratli''Te{eieiice to unnatnralised GersyßT:mans,Austrians, and other aliens with ■ whose countries the Empire is at war, and v; v\rho are nowholders of land in. New Zear land, and are those aliens still to bo pery i mitted to participate in land ballots? The Right Hon. Mr Massey replied: “The • first .part of the question will be referred ,■ to the Crown -Law Office for opinion, so • that action may be taken if necessary. Secondly, enemy subject© will not he al- : lowed to take park in land ballots. ■ -The Expeditionary Farces Bill was con- • iiderod- in committee in the Legislative ■. .Council yesterday afternoon. The follower, ring-..clause was added, on the motion of the Minister (Hon, Sir Francis Bell): “On every trial by court martial, whether _ in or out of New Zealand, or any offence . committed- by a member of an Expeditionary Force, the court may,.-notwithstanding Anything to the contrary in the Army Act. receive and act on such advice as it ; chinks fit, whether legally admissible in other proceedings or not.” When the Bill as amended was reported to the House, Mr Wilford protested against the power • given to the court martial, and it was agreed that-the debate should be adjourned to enable the clause to be further / considered. The question as to whether racing dubs should reduce their fixtures during the . war was mentioned in the House of Representatives yesterday, Mr L. M. Isitt drawing attention to. the action, of the 1 erth Turf, Club in considerably reducing Tacihff ' fixtures- for the ensuing six months. The Prim© 'Minister replied that he did not follow-racing matters as closely as tho hon. gentleman, and was therefore not aware of what the Perth Clubintended to do. He*was of .the opinion, however, tftafe racing authorities in New Zealand .' act in accordance with public sentiment,- and ' that there was no occasion at present for the Government to interfere. The Prime Minister' stated vesterday that a census of stocks ot Wheat, . flour, and oats i n the Dominion was taken for the 30th June last- The _ returns collected show that I J2 rO . t { lo Dominion at that date 0,720,173- bushels of oats in grain and approximately 441,650' bushels m stack intended for threshing. Returns were also received covering 2,391,361 bushels of oats the approximate quantity of grain contajncd in stacks intended for chaffin'* .The second reading of Mr Sidey’s De- , finition of. Tame Bill has been fixed in the legislative Council for Wednesday September 8. • • 1 The Hon. J. Alien, Minister of Defence, informed Mr Hornsby, member for Wairarapa in the House yesterday that he knew of no facility being given to the military censor for the publication in the -New Zealand Press of messages of German Ee < r aS v llnaware of an Z scurrilous attack on the honor and loyalty of the Irish people, and did not believe the English -people or .the people of. New Zealand vonld countenance anything of the sort. It was stated an the House that it was considered right that preference should be . Zealand-trained nurses vho desired to go to the front.