PARLIAMENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 1 December 1927, Page 10

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE. OF REPRESENTATIVES. S UPP DEMENT ARY ESTIMATES DISCUSSED. (BY telegraph—press association.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 29. When the House of Representatives met this afternoon Mr. P. Fraser gave notice of liis intention to . introduce the Unemployed Workers Bill. Replying to the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister said he , doubted if he could make it more convenient for members of the Public Serii< e fo become candidates lor Parliament than now is the case, having regard to the service they are carrying out. However, lie thought the question could be quite well answered next session, when there would be more time to consider the matter in ail its bearings. , , , + Mr. 1\ Fraser moved tor leave to introduce the British Nationality and Status of Aliens (.in New Zeaiand) Amendment Bill. In doing so he said the purpose of the Bill was to_ allow British women who were married to aliens to retain tlieir nationality*. The Bill was read a first time. A large number of Parliamentary committees brought down their final reports, which were adopted. The Minister of Mines moved that the * amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Coal Mines Amendment Bill be disagreed with. This was agreed to, and Messrs H. E. Holland, J. Horn, and the Minister were appointed managers to draw up reasons for disagreement with the amendment. \ The House then went into committee on the,Supplementary Estimates. The Leader of the Opposition asked lor a'n explanation of the item of £31.) (professional services) in connection with the Samoan petition. He saicl the committee hearing the petition sat for only ten days. _ There was no need to engage expensive counsel, uui yet the amount spent on this item for a few days was more than a member's net salary for a whole year. It onlv showed how easy money was got in New Zealand, even though it was not earned. . . Mr. T. K. Sidey asked the Minister of Education whether it was intended to pass the University* of New Zealand Amendment Bill, since it was neces- ■ sarry to complete the legislation of last year. He was sorry he could not congratulate the Government on the way they handled the business of the session. In former years the Supplementary Estimates were almost the last thing done before the Appropriation Bill was brought down, but this year they* knew there was important legislation yet to come down. For instance, there was the Finance Bill. .Mr. K. .1. Howard said that if the New Zealand representative was going to copyright the conference at Rome he hoped he would do .something to check the operations of the octopus that now was claiming a copyright over all classes of music, and was trying to stop anyone singing, whispering, or whistling. He hoped the Government would stop this organisation in some way, as it stopped the operations of another organisation which was triing to fix prices. Mr. D. G. Sullivan regretted that the Government had made no proi ision for Labour representation at the International Labour Conference at Geneva New Zealand was practically the only country in the world that-was not taking advantage of tills opportunity to discuss Labour problems from .i world point of view. New Zealand was virtually dishonouring her signature to the Versailels Treaty by failing in this duty to the workers, who made such enormous sacrifices in the Great War. Mr. T. M. Wilford advocated the ippoiiitment of a liaison officer at the British Foreign Office, who would keep the New Zealand Government informed as to international movements and developments, as was the case in Australia, and, lie understood, in Canada. Mr. P. Fraser asked the Government to say what steps they proposed to take to cope with possible unemployment. which may arise during the* recess.’ He supported the suggestion by Mr. Wilford that an officer should be appointed at the Foreign Office, as it was not possible for the people to know too much of what was going on in international affairs.

The Hon. CL J. Anderson said the Government had not arranged to send a Labour delegate to Geneva on the ground oi' expense. He could not see what return the country would get for this expenditure. The Prime Minister had, however, promised to go into the question, and would let the next Labour conference know what his decision would be. So far as unemployment was concerned, there were 160!) men on the books Some of* these were not easy to employ, but generally unemploment was on the decrease. The matter would not be lost sight of during the recess, butr it was very difficult to lay down any hard and fast scheme.

Mr. M. T. Armstrong declared it was a disgrace that New Zealand should remain the only country outside the Labour Conference at Geneva. On the vote of ,£3279 for the Legislature Department, the Leader of the Opposition urged larger expenditure on Hansard with a view to getting it out more expeditiously. The Hon W. Nosworthy said lie could do no more than he was doing this session, but he was seriously considering abolishing Hansard and substituting a broadcaster. Sir Joseph Ward wanted to know what the people of New Zealand had done to deserve having the speeches of members of Parliament forced upon them through broadcasting. After listening to a series of such speeches they would become so confused that they would not know whether they were in heaven or somewhere else. For an hour and a half after the supper adjournment the committee discussed the salaries of messengers and committee clerks of the House, the Minister promising to take various .uses into consideration. The first vote was passed at 11 p.m. The following votes wore then passed: Prime Minister’s Department, £ •'3-7; treasury, £BB ; National Provident Fund, £232; I,and and Income Tax Department, £2214; stamp duties, £2720; Post and Telegraph Department, £4210. In connection with the atter a question was raised on an item of £IOOO for attendance at a radio conference. The Minister explained that it had nothing to do with local radio, but was a conference on broadcasting, and it was desirable that the department should have an officer who was thoroughly up-to-date with regard to recent developments. Other votes passed were: Public buildings, £445; maintenance of roads. £21,446; maintenance of irrigation works, £10,400; Native Department, Loo' 1 : Department of External Affairs £4488; Cook Islands, £4.246: Department of Industries and Commerce, £156; Department of Justice, £1008; Prisons Department, £9076; Crown Law Office, £sl; Police Department, £4318; Pensions Department, £1648; Mines Department. £992; Department

o“ Internal Affairs, £26,843; Audit Department, £101; Public Service Commissioner's Office (printing and slut innerv department), £3316; Mental Hospitals Department, £5025; Department of Health, £11,014; naval defence, £1595; Defence Department, £7:93; Customs Department, £1778; Marine Department, £5499; Department of Labour, £234; Department of Lands and Survey. £17,885; scenery pieservation, £1804; Valuation Department. £2353; Electoral Department. £l2: Department of Agriculture £26,7.9; Department of Tourists anti 1 ealth Re-o.t.s, £775; Department of Education, £33,446; Department of S ieutif e and Industrial Research, £825. \ -tes totalling £206,547 were passed i v 11.30, when the Speaker resumed the chair