PARLIAMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 20 October 1922, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Replying to Mr. AY. S. Glenn (Rangitikei), the Hon. D. H. Guthrie said the places of residence of the railway commercial agents had not yet been definitely decided upon, but Palmerston Noi*th and Christchurch would probably be selected in the North and South Islands respectively. Replying to Mr. G. Mitchell (Wellington South), the Hon. D. H. Guthrie said the Government would give favourable consideration to applications , by returned soldiers for loans to erect : i houses, especially if there were special circumstances connected with, a case. ] Replying to Mr. H. E. Holland j (Leader of the Labour Party), the Hon. j J. G. Coates said tbe Public Works ; Department had never interfered be- ' tween workmen and their union, and « no departmental officer was authorised ', to prohibit workmen taking an active part in the affairs of their union. The wage paid to men on the East Coast railway was the standard wage paid throughout the Dominion. . STAMP DUTIES BILL. Mr. Massey moved the second reading of the Stamp Duties Bill. He explained that it was a consolidating measure, which might be re- J f erred to the Statutes Revision Committee, but, as Sir John Salmond had prepared it, members might very largely I take it on trust. The Bill was urgently required, in view of the amalgama- . tion of the Stamps, Deeds and Land ! and Income Tax Departments, which ! had become the Department of Inland Revenues. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Opposition) expressed the greatest respect for the work of Sir John Salmond, but the subject was such an important one, and the changes in some cases so radical, that he despaired, of doing justice to the measure this session. He protested against it being put through, and would take no re- ■■ sponsibility in the matter. ! The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) urged the Premier not to rush the Bill through this session, as .the House could not possibly understand it in the time available. j The Hon. E. P. Lee said the matter ' was not so complicated after all. Much of it was piife consolidation, and the changes made were urgently required to save revenue which otherwise would be lost. The Premier, replying, defended the introduction of the Bill, which was necessary to the working of the de- ; partments. , j The Bill was read a second time.' Subsequently it was read a third time and passed. I SITES FOR CREMATORIA. The Hon. W. D. Stewart moved the second reading of the Cemeteries Amendment Bill, the principal clause of which provides that sites for crematoria must be approved by the Minister of Health before .ney can be erected. j The Bill was read a second time without debate, and subsequently it' was read a-third, time and passed. THE CRIMES ACT. The Crimes Amendment Bill was then taken in committee. '• In Clause 2, an amendment was agreed to permitting it as a defence

]to young men under 21 years of age that they had a reasonable ground 'for j believing a girl was over 16. , Mr. Wilford moved to strike out the sub-section of Clause 2, extending the period during which a charge might be • laid from six months to nine months, j urging that the extension was only ! playing into the hands of blackmailers. j The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) j urged that an extension should not be I made unless the magistrates asked for it. After a lengthy discussion, Mr. Wilford withdrew bis amendment, and the clause remained unaltered. The remainder of the clauses were agreed to, and the Bill was read a third time and passed. The House rose at 11.30 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.