POLITICAL NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 2 July 1914, Page 4

POLITICAL NEWS.

; ♦—a ' A MAN OF THE PEOPLE,

TRIBUTE TO A COUNCILLOR

BY TELEGKAPH.

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORBESPONDKNT WELLINGTON, July 2Hon. C. A. C. Hardy, who seconded he Addrc«=-in-Reply in. the Leg l slat vt Council, has the gift of homely explosions. He concluded a f^ m \ «' '"£ in- moving t'he adoption of tho Adrti«£ in-Reply as a plain man of the w >;< by paying a tr.lbtttc.to Hon. J. Ha" * record as follows, "Hib oath, i say so, has never disagreed with him. FRUIT-PRESERVING.

The Fruiti - Preserving Industiy Amendment Hill which ™s mtrodueed in the House by Rt. 'Hon. \Y. 1< • Massey (Minister for Agriculture) provide* that'tho Government be enabled to expend £9OOO-instead of £3OOO undw the first year's Act on development ot the industry.

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

One effect of the no-conhdence motion moved in the House 'by Sir Joseph VV aid (Leader -rf the Opposition) is that no announcement can in the meanwhile ix made as to apwintments to the Legislative Council. 'The Prime Minister sa.><l this morning that it would not he reasonable for the Government to make appointments while a no-conhdenee motion was in progress.

CRIMES AMENDMENT RILL.

The Crimes Amendment Bi 1 winch was introduced in the House 'by Hon. A. L. Herdman (Minister tor Justice) proposes some important amendments in the law relating to assaults ore iemales. The ago,of consent to indecent assault ds raised from 10 to 18 unlcw the female is older than or of the same age as the male. The Bill further proposes to increase the ago of consent from 16 to 18 yea is, and the period ot imprisonment imposed, on' anyone wno takes advantage of an idiot ov imbecile woman in raised from two to nve years. „ „ T _ AN' INGIDENT.

In the House while Mr Wilford (Hutt) was sneaking in the iK>-eonliu> ence debate he made a statement which elicited from Hon. J. Allen a. question. Instead of answering Mr Wi'lford replied, "Mind your own business! Mr Allen said n6thing rirore but the Government supporters made 'interjeotions condemnatory of Air A\ llford s attitude. Turning to the Government interjeetors Air Wilford said. _ .1 hat is nothing to what he said to 'Sir Joseph Ward last night." The incident then closed.

LICENSED VICTUALLERS

A .large': number of delegates representing the licensed victuallers' trade are assembling in, Wellington. Among the number are Mr McFarlane (Mayor of Invercargill) and iM.r Corcoran (ol Waikaka) and several from Bluff, Riverton and other parts of Southland. The intention is to visit Parliament in the same manner -as the no-license supporters did' last week in order to lay their views Ibefore tlie Government.

WORKERS' DWELLINGS.

Replying to a question in the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. AV. F. Mafsey (Prime Minister) said that steps had been taken by the Government for the erection of workers' dwellings in all the towns in New Zealand where six or more applications had been made. Arrangements were already under way for the erection of about 180 dwellings in different parts of New Zealand aeeoTdmgiy.

RAILWAY WORKERS' HOURS

The matter of providing that no employee, in the New Zealand Government railways shall be worked longer than 48 hours in any one week is having the consideration of the 1 Department.

THE MEMBER FOR HUTT

Evidently Mr Wilford (Hint) is aggrieved at toeing replied to l>y a junior member of the Reform Party (Mr Harris) in tlie no-confidence debute yesterday, for-he sat on the front bench looking very indignant when Mr -livers (Auckland East), who followed Mr Harris in the debate, politely suggested that the member for Hutt had addressed a number of pertinent questions 10 the Government and that a responsible Minister might have been put tip to reply. r G AMJJ&'- .4'M-jtTN DM EX T B IT.L.

itr Hunter's (W'aipawa) Gaining .Amendment Bill, which proposed that HO additional totalisator permits be issued for the benefit of country racing, hunt and trotting chilis, was read a first time in tho House yesterday and set down, for the second reading on July 19.