PARLIAMENT.

Mataura Ensign, 24 July 1914, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. PKB UNITED PRKSS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, July 23. The Council met at 2.130 p.m. j LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL RKFOIUI. I The debate upon the Council Reform ! Bill was continued, and in replying j Hon. H. I). Bell (Leader of the Couni eil), .said that he was vvepaied to consider amendments in committee, but j the Bill ishouldi bo pavsed. I The second, was.e;irrird by ! 21 votes to eight and the Council rose ! at o ti.m. | The division list was as follows: | Ayes (21). Noes (8). j ■ Ait ken liaidey ! Bailie Beetham j Bnrr CariU'i'oss I Bell Ha rri;, ! (Nr.son Johnson | Collins Jones I Earnyliaw Orniond i Fisher Thompson ! George j Hall-Jones I Hardy j M.ac Gibbon. - MacGregor ! McLean McGinnity Mills Mooro . Morgan Nikara O'Rorko Pa rat a Paul Simpson Wigram HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The Hou.se met at 2.30 p.m. THE EDUCATION BILL. In. reply to Mr.T. M. Wilford.,(Hutt) : - tOe Mir.ifiler for Education (Hon. J. Allen) said' that he was agreeable that a.fiy evidence might be given before tli< Education Committee on the Education Bill, so leng as the pas-sage of the measure was not unduly delayed. THE MOTOR BILL. In reply to Mr G.W. Russell (AvW the P.ivme Minister i'Bt. Hon. \V. F Ma-fsojr) .said that 'lie wowld be able t< rotate in about a week's time nvliethe: tlw» Motor Bill would;'be rcJerred to ; Select Committee.

IMPREST SUPPLY BILL. T'lkj Imprest Supply Bill was initro duced by Governor's message. Sir Joseplii. Ward ( Leader of 'fl':'e Op position) emtwed his emphatic protes agari*.t the faet • iliat. lie bad' licit bee; advised by the GovercMneat that tin ['•ill wa.'s eonw.ij; down, -i,t had l ahvay; beem his practice to inform the Loade: of tho Opposition' when an Imprest Sap ply E'H would' be InvujJ'C d«nvn., and i wais impossible for him to geit. the. re qiiirite infornuviion to criticise the Bii at a moment's notice.

The Prime Minister pta/afted out th'a Sir Joseph Ward had no' •that.- hs was going to l>ri;ig down a no corjrfi&ence motion a few weeks ago. a-'it •he had' deliberately refrained' froim. in forming Sir Josc])h Ward' that tl'Je bin prcs-t Bill was coming down to brim him- tn ;i, proper sense.of wfort. was due to him (.l!r Mawey) as Leader of the I'lou-e Iran the Leader of the Gnposition r Sir Jcscph Ward interjected that Mr Ma«sse.v had' not always informed! Mm that a Ho-coufid'enec' motion wa<>:. coming ii > .\ n. "

The Prime Minister admitted that on aive occasion a letter of ».,;is had. not becu delivered, but in a. general way lie had always informed. Sir Joseph Ataj-d' of 1k« i ivie n-'. ion. He kneiv that the: Leader of the Opposition, would complain, a:id. he had been; waiting for iliiim. Mr J. Payne (Grey Lynn) nrot-ested against tlie introduction of the B : II at this time as it was calculated to block h : s R;_'it to Work Bill. It was a palpable trick on the part of the 'lory Government to do an injustice to work-

.Mr H. C. Ell (Christchurch South) declared that the Prime Minister had I deliberately interfered with the rights j of private members. He then proceeded to. draw attention to the state of ihe labor market at Christchurch, where there was more unemployment than had prevailed for years past. .Mr T. K. Sidey (Duncdin South) said that it was unworthy of the Prime Minister to cherish feelings of resentment against the Leader of the Opposition. He understood that the Reform spirit he'd higher ideals than that. 'Hie conduct ol' the Government was at- least unfair to private members who had 1 set their Bills down for d : scussion that day. Hon. W. Fraser (Minister for Public Works) declared in reply to Mr Ell that, he was going to do all he could to find work the unemployed. The trouble was that men would not leave the towns. He was doing his best in the cities, but he eonld not make work for everyone in the towns. Mr G. W\ Russell (Avon) said that the real reason behind the present act'on of the Government was a desiro to block private members' Bills. J Messrs M.-Callum and L. jr. Isitt, A. |M. Myersi H. Poland, J. Colvin and iG. ~S V . Forbes entered protests against

the tactics of the Gpverpmept. jw .bringing tlie Imprest 8.1 l in wiUioutriotice, and the House adjourned at 5;30 ; p.m. THE EVENING SESSION. The House resumed at 7.3p p:m. THE IMPREST SUPPLY BILL. Hon. J. Alien replied to criticism of Ihe public works expenditure. A fair average expenditure hud beep maiiitaiued on every line where possible. Ho contrasted by figures the, 'public works expenditure under the Ward Government and under the Reform Government, claiming that there bad bean no tapering' off by the latter, who had sprnt £2,421,000 last year. A great deal of the unemployed in. the Dominion was the aftermath of the strike, and fhouTd be a lesson to all" who believe in strikes, as suffering must follow.

St Joseph Ward pointed ouf,,t,]iat 14 ild members of the Council had'voted ior the. Reform Bill, ':nid til's gave the Government a majority of sijc,. apart from the new appointments;. The Pr me .Minister had said that it was necessary to make new -appointments to fiarry through new ' legislation. The figures of the division, showefj'tji[it no ■'U"h appointments were necessary, but n the new appointments Labor liad not been given a fair representatiqj." He then went on to deal with tjiqi finan":al matters, and said that Mr iad not been generous enough-- to give Vm credit for any good work done for the. country. The Prime Minister said fjiat lie -hou'd have the assistance of t|\e House n putting through'.bus'ness instead ofbeing obstructed. His object- to out thr.iugli tho business even. i| v lie'had ■o. sit right up to the-dat«-wjipiv ,l >!ar " j lament expired by, effluxion. j)tf t : me. The Government's programme; W3S gong through. He held that the .Government had a perfect, ricrht '|p keep the membership of the Cyuticjl up o_ ; ts proper strength. The rejieflt apwiintiuents had been well received on ill Mies. . ' ¥

Mr G. Witty (Riccarton) accused t]ie Minister for Marine (Hon, F. M. B. * r sher) of inconsistency, and I '' Messrs VlcCombs and Payne continued tlie debate.

After the telegrapi'il office cfecd! .the Bill wa.s read'.a'.RWftTid timti, the-amount isked for being £076,000.

Mr Russell (Avon'), proceed^-|« point iiii that tho Public. Service could not 'iave been so disorganised a® 'rniiTMi't made out,' because ,n$ !pi'p;nit servanits had beeirdfefnjirge'd vhiJe t-h« salaries of many of' s tlip- ofhad been raised. ; ' V Mr KJI (Chrislchurcih Souiffv)'. followed 11 a similar st-ram, ' ''a Tire "Rill passed tlie' committee,'stages inamended-and was read' a. tjiM.f.time 2.45 a.m., when l ii'ae House ?0:W.