SESSIONAL POINTS

Evening Star, Issue 18335, 24 July 1923, Page 10

SESSIONAL POINTS

[From Otm Parliamentary Reporter.]

WELLINGTON, July 23, LICENSING INQUIRY.

Tho Premier gave notice to-night of his intention to set np a. committee to consider »ny questions relating■ to amendments of the licoising law which may bo submitted to i,t, with.power to call tor persons and papers. No doubt tho recent petition, favoring co-operative control of tho licensing 1 industry,'will bo referred to this committee, which comprises tho Premier and Messrs Kitchener, Glenn, Harris, Hockly, Horn, Isitt, Lysnar, Savage, Witty, Wright, and Sir John Luke.

# * * * A CLOSED DEPARTMENT

Tho medical stores branch of the Defence Department has been closed down, and Mr Wilford asked the reason why in the House to-night, remarking that it had successfully bought medical supplies for the Defence hospitals and other public institutions at an average saving of 25 per cent, on current prices. Its stock was valued at £40,000 a Sew days before the orders cam© to close down, thus throwing out of employment seventeen married men who were in tho Expeditionary Force. Tho Mental Hospitals Department, ho added, made a raid on tho stores, and got ouo year’s supplies. Last year’s profits of the department were £3,000. The Minister of Defence replied that had the member been courteous enough to give notice of tho question ho could have provided a good deal of information. Cabinet, after consideration, decided to close this store, as tho Defence Department had no hospitals under Jits control.

* * * * STATE ADVANCES METHODS,

Mr Horn (Wakatipu) lias requested tho Minister in charge of the State Guaranteed Advances Department to give instructions to' the superintendent to sec_ that those solicitors introducing new business to tho department shall bo entitled to prepare the necessary securities on the printed forms supplied by the department in any ■principal city in New Zealand. For instance, all deeds are prepared by one firm of solicitors, in spite of tho_ business being introduced by other solicitors or their country agents.

* * » * INDUSTRIOUS MR SIDEY.

“His imagination is becoming more fertile than ever,” complained the Prime Minister about Mr Sidcy, the member for Dunedin South, in tho House to-night. Mr ,Sidcy had quoted ‘Hansard’ to show a change of attitude on the part of the Premier, who declared of his critic: “ Honestly I believe he spends the whole of tho recess looking up, my speeches. And now.,” ho added, with mock indignation, “he has gone back to 1905. He tried to