PARLIAMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17206, 28 June 1916, Page 9

PARLIAMENT.

(Abridged from Press Association.)

IFGISLATIVECOUKCIL. Tuksjiay, June 27. AFTERNOON SITTING. Tlio Council met at 2.30 p.m. MILITARY SERVICE. The Military Servioo Bill wah considered in Committee. (The report of tho discussion appears in another column.)

FIOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, June 27. AFTERNOON SITTING. The House met at 2.30 p.m. PETITIONS. A large numl>;r of petitions wero preseiu-du uy nie-.uuai-s on ucnaif of tae i\e\v Zealand Railway 'iraclesmon s Association, praying lor official rccogtion of tile associai.cn. TAXATION BILLS. Sir Joseph ward miormed the House that later on in the afternoon ho wouid introduce tho Land and lucoiuo Assessment Bill, which was clncily a consolidation ol the existing law. He hoped to ha able to circulate tho Finance Bill co-morrow afternoon or evening, and to mairo it as public as possible. The second reading debate on that Bill would not commence before next week. WET CANTEENS. Mr Wright asiced it there was a wet canteen in camp in Samoa. Tiie Minister of I>'CioiiciA replied t-xiat there had been one, but it was closed some time ago. POoi 1 AND TELEGRAPH. The x ostmaster-Leuci'nl nuu on tho tame tne report of me r ose unci xeieg.apu departmentiiir Si iuora the Minister if ho coma giwe the iaousc tne exact amount of proiu made- uy me Departuitni as a l-coint ot tne increase m rat-s oi postage and t-e.egran.s imposed after cue war. , , ... . . • nlr Poole asked if the Minister wouid give more publicity to tho fact tliat ncuspupms cannot ue posted direct to soid.ers, as iiuudieds of pouuds weio being wasted by people on i>o.,tage ana the newspapers never reached their iiLnds. Mr Pearce urged that tho rate cn telegrams snomd be increased to „d for twelve words. He understood thero was a less on every message sent tor Gd, so the extra 2d now cuargtd was not all taxation.' Sir Joseph Ward said ho could not g ; ve tho exact information asked for ov Air Wiliord until a return had been prepared. He would give furthui publicity to the position regarding newssent to soldiers. Replying to Air Pearce, ho said he could not see Jus way to increase tho cost of telegrams, and in reply to tho Hon R. Heaton Rhodes Sir Joseph said hp understood tho number of ordinary telegrams had increased, but, as expected, i ross telegrams had decreased since tho war rate „ns ini nosed.

' LABOUR DEPARTMENT. Tho Prune .uuusicr laid on tbo table tlio report ut mo JL.ia.oour IKparuiniuu ■ Mi- vv mold denounced the action o( tho Department m piosecuung tne soerctuiy ot tne rcione wooiun Uoncers’ union lor the part lie pia-yod m tne recent strike at tho mill tor the ID pur Cc-nt war bonus. Such action was | not prosecution, but persecution. Air Vcitcb deplored that no effort hud been made to seriously tackle tho question ol the cost of living, and spoke sarcastically of tho reicrcnco m the report to a “combine’’ being started in Wanganui to reduce the cost ot bl ?ur Webb advocated emulation of the New Soutli Males example, and establish a State supply of breadMr Massey, replying, said that j.t was tho duty of the Labour Department to administer the law a-s they found l • Tho Court held that a strike had taken place, and ns the mill was niainifactuiing munitions at the time the position became serious. His opinion was that the workers had been ill-advised, an that it was the- influence of such advisers that brought them out on strike. He claimed that bread was cheaper in Wanganui than elsewhere. The House adjourned at 0.30 p.m. #

EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. LAND AND INCOME TAX. Sir Joseph Ward moved the second reading of the Land and Income lax Bill. _ , , (The Bill was read a second time and the House rose at 11.45 p.m.) (Tho debate is reported elsewhere in this issue.)