PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Marlborough Express, Volume LIV, Issue 245, 15 October 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

COUNTY LAW.

[from our correspondent.]

WELLINGTON, Oct. 14. A consolidation of the Counties Act, in charge of t3io ■ Hon. Mr Anderson',, v.Tjs considered in Committee..

The first interesting point was Mr W|ilfowl's challenge- •# the franchise system permitting up to three votes on a ratable, value over £2000. Ho moved that^ the provisions of the Municipal Elections Act apply. This was strongly opposed by country members, who said that tho Counticul Conference' had ndc asked Tor the change, and that tho amendment was only backed by city men ignorant of country conditions. Mi- Wilfcrd's amendment was defeated by 37 votes to 21, and tho tila.us© was passted uniatlter-ed. Eventually tho Bill was read a third ithnc and passed. A POLITICAL. SHOCK. Tho Radicalism of Mr Isitt received two shocks in the House today. First, lie was co/nfronted with the Government's proposal to giant the freehold to Rotorua leaseholders, and assisted to talk out a favorable recommendation. . Later in the day he found thsi Government supporters standing valiantly for a. retention of j the property votes up to three' in county affairs. j "Jt is a rude shock to me," said tho. member for Oimstchurch North, "ii find tho lie-formers administering Liberal measures, but whm the progressive spirit of the age hustles them out of one spot they lio down in another. They opposed progress once, but .now recognise that they were wrong, but they hang on to eld principles like limpet© on a. rook. They assume that property goes with brains." Mr Young .asked why Liberal GGovernment did not remove the property q r.alif ieation. Mi* IsJitt: "Because tire Liberal Government was busy iplacing on the Statute Book all'warts of advanced measures in the teotli of great opposition.'' The final shock came when, on a •division, Government supporters retained the property qualification by 37 votes to 21. SOUTH ISLAND ,• ELECTORATES. lb has been suggested to the Government by Mr S'idcy (J>unedin South) that the Government, in view of the further alteration of electoral boundaries consequent upon the census to ba taken next year, arid in order to prevent a further enlargement c;f the already unreasonably Largo sues of some of the country electorates of the South Island, should bring down legislation to provide that th.3 number of electorates in the South Island shall not be- diminished below the number now exkting, and that any further increase in the population of tho North Island at a greater ratio than that of the South Js'and shall te root by an increase in tho itotal number of 'electorates. CONTINUATION GLASSES'. '•Iliere can bo no question that tho Government will have to face the question of extending the school ago or adopting a system of compulsory continuation classes," said tho Minister for Education in the House- to-day. New Zealand in this respect- had lagged behind other countries, but any, sncji reform involved provision" for more buildings, and teachers; Figures that had recently been placed before him by the Education Department as to tho number of boys and girls they would have to deal with indicated that the problem was not so difficult as some people suggested. Ho would shortly make a statement of the Government V policy, in the matter, COAL OUTPUT. The Mines Department has .submitted to Parliment a return eh owing the numbers of mins-rs and other mining employees in coal-mines. The total in 1917 was 3983, in 1918 399. and last year 3944. The average quantity of coal produced per person employed below the ground was in--1917 715 tons, in 1918 703 tons, and in 1919 643 tons/ STAFF CORPS STRENGTH. A return presented to the House shows that 437 temporary and permanent members were attached to tho New Zealand, Staff Corps on May Ist, 1919, but the number had been reduced by 140 and was now 397. TELEPHONE EXTENSIONS. "In tho next few months there will be a decided improvement in the. telephone position in New Zealand,"- stated tho PostmasterGeneral. "Some improvement in the situation as regards materials is already being experienced, owing to energetic steps that have been taken iby the Department. ■ Poles are coining to hand from Australia, and ! cross-arms arc again being turned out in moderate quantities in the Auckland and Wellington districts from Nesv Zealand rata, but Australian supplies most commonly used for this work have not yet been received in any quantity. Copper wire suitable for linking up different telephone exchanges by means of trunk lines is coining to hand, and there is also a sufficient nuantity of larger insulators used in connection with main line work of this kind. Moderate (Supplies of small insulators for smaller (magneto) types of exchanges and for private lines are being manufactured in New Zealand and will be received shortly. Telephones are in fair supply, and as the exchanges, such as Hamilton, are being cut over to tho automatic system, telephones suitable for magneto exchanges are being released. Telephone cables, wire, and insulators suitable for extending telephone circuits from these cables t.'j subscribers'" premises are not yet in sight, but every effort is being made by the Chief Telegraph Engineer, who is now in London, to expedite delivery of these essential items, as extension in many New Zealand centres is seriously hampered for want of them. While endeavoring to meet tho needs of tho various centres, the requirements of the backblocks districts are Jiiot being lost sight vrf, and a number of private telephone lines that have for some time been held up for want of telephones and accessories are now being supplied with material essential to their completion. In a number of special rases a seventh party has been perniittcd to connect''up temporarily with a six-party country telephone exchange line, Iv other cases local poles provided by the settlers are beinn: erected tvs a temporary expedient."