POLITICAL POINTS

Evening Star, Issue 22325, 29 April 1936, Page 16

POLITICAL POINTS

DUAL DUTIES [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] . WELLINGTON, .April 28.. There was an amusing incident in the House of Representatives when the chairman of-committees (Mr E. J. Howard), in his capacity as acting .Speaker, was called upon to carry out Mr Speaker’s duties and transmit to the House the message from His Excellency the Governor-General accompanying the Primary Products , Marketing Bill. The receipt of the message "’as unavoidably delayed, and the House wont into committee on the Employment Bill. When the message came, Mr Speaker was absent from the chamber, and the Prime Minister moved that progress be reported so that the Speaker would take the chair. For a minute or two there was an hiatus in the proceedings. Then Mr Howard jumped into the breach and saved the situation. Standing alongside the empty chair of the Speaker he reported that the committee wished to report progress. Then taking the, Speaker’s chair lie solemnly informed the House of what the chairman of committees wished to report. Everyone enjoyed the joke, especially when a jocular member interpolated “ Hr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.” However- Mr Howard, who is Deputy Speaker, effectively put the Governor’s Message through its formalities and resumed his real place at the head of the committee table amid applause.

PROTECTION OF MORTGAGORS. “ Jt is the first time I have heard the question, but not the first time I have heard of the problem,” commented the Prime Minister when he was asked without notice in the House by Mr Kyle (Riccarton) if there would bo an extension, of time for mortgagors to give notice seeking the protection of the legislation. As the last date is May 1, some of them are anxious to first ascertain what are tho intentions of the present Government. “ The policy of the Government,” added the Prime Minister, “ is to take action as soon as is humanly possible for tho purpose of readjusting mortgages on the same basis as guaranteed prices. Mr advice to mortgagors in any difficulty is to take advantage of the existing legislation. Our duty is to see that people are not unnecessarily sacrificed, or that they are sacrificed at all.” ; Mr Kyle: What about May 1? Tho Prime Minister replied that mortgagors had had ample notice of that date. He repeated his advice that they should file their applications for relief. If any remained after May 1, then the Government would have a look at the problem again. » * * * MONUMENTS. Where is tho remarkable golf course which tho Minister of Labour described to tho House to-night without indicating its location? Mr Armstrong, highly critical of tho relief works organised by his predecessors, declared tbta there was a halffinished golf course which cost £400,000 of the Unemnloymnit Boamenov, but was not finished yet. “My secretary,” he added, “ got Ids matiieimu.ical mind to bear upon it. and worked out figures showing that if people, who played on it paid interest on the cost

when completed they would have to pay £25 a round.” (Laughter.) . ■ “ Where did they get the money?” asked the Minister. “How much a stroke?” inquired a member. None of these ouestions received an answer, Mr Armstrong concluding' by declaring that all over How Zealand could bo found monuments to the memory of the Unemployment Board, whose silly regulations he had thrown overboard by the score.