POLITICAL NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9632, 5 October 1911, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

MINISTERIAL CAUTION.

SOME CHARACTERISTIC REPLIES

[By Telegraph.]

(By Our Parliamentary Reporter,) ; WELLipTON, Oct. 3. . Much nintiseiueij ; Was occasioned in tlm House of Repi'csqntativfts this afternoon at the characteristically cautious replies given by _ the ActingPrime Minister to questions asked by members on electoral matters.

Mr F. M. B. Fisher (Wellington Central) asked whether it was the intention of the Government to bring down an Act amending the electoral law. Considerable activity was going on in the electorates and a simple amendment would suffice, but no mention was now being made of it. Sir J as. Carroll: The Prime Minister made a definite statement on that point. . ' Mr Fisher: He said the Bill would come down, Sir Jas, Carroll: Yes. Mr Fisher: He did not- say when. Sir Jas. Carroll: Ido not know when.

"I hope everybody is satisfied with that pronouncement," said Mr Fisher,, laughing heartily. Mr V. H. Reid (Bay of Islands) asked when it was proposed to put-in hand the printing of the rolls. Complaints had been mado in his district that inconvenience had been caused by the absence of rolls. Sir'Jas. Carroll: That matteria in hand and every despatch will be used. (Renewed laughter). Mi- J. P. Luke (Wellington Suburbs) asked whether he would give instructions that maps of the suburban and country electorates should be prepared as had been done in the case of the city seats. Mr Fisher: That matter is under consideration 1

Sir Jas. Carroll: That will be looked into (laughter).

BLOCKING SUPPLY

A RUSE THAT .FELL FLAT,

On two occasions during this se3sioji tlio House has witnessed the amusing spectacle of the Government blocking their own supply. _ This is, of course, an old political trick frequently used by a Government that is afraid of a genuine .amendment from tliei Opposition. The man who gets in first' with an amendment, however frivolous or unimportant it may be, prevents the moving of any other, amendment, j To-day ; when Sir Jas. Carroll moved' to go into Committee of Supply Mr Hcrdman and Mr Reed were promptly i on their feet to intercept supply. Mr ! Herdmari got his "Sir" in first, but Mr Reed "caught the Speaker's eye," and moved "That the time has now i arrived for the installation of sub-! marine sound signals on the coast of the Dominion." Mr Reed innocently launched out into a disquisition about bell buoys and 6uch like signals in which he said his) constituency was intcrested, "Who seconds the amendment?" queried the Speaker. "I do," i said Mr Forbes, another Government supporter. The Hon. Mr Millar then made a brief reply to Mr Reed. The Opposition, however, refused to waste time over such an amendment and declined to debate the question, which' was put and lost on the voices, Mr Reed not even calling for a division on his own amendment. The Government, however, had fallen into their own trap, for the Opposition members, having utterly ignored Mn Reed's ( amendment, were still at liberty to: speak to the main question. Mr James Allen rose to complain about the absence of papers that according to law i should have been laid on the table of. the House some time ago, when Mr j Millar rose and urged that Mr Allen ■ was out of order in continuing the debate. The Speaker ruled against him. Mr Allen, be said, was quite in order, he not having spoken to the amendment. (Mr Herries: Crushed again!) Mr "Wright followed Mr Allen with a question about telephone charges. This brought Mr Roderick McKenzie to bis feet with another point of order. Mr Speaker ruled against Mr McKenzie, amid Opposition laughter. (Mr Herries, to Mr Roderick McKenzie: Go and learn the Standing Orders.) The Hon. R. McKenzie replied that he understood them thoroughly. He maintained that there could-bo no discussion now. Mr Speaker said if the hon. member would only look up the debates lie would find that there could be discussion. It had been allowed for the last forty years. Following this, Mr Wright had his little say. Mr Lang added a few words and then the House got into Committee on the Estimates. Mr Reed's little ruse had fallen very flat. TO VACCINATE OR NOT TO VACCINATE,

The annual discussion on the question "To vaccinate or not to vaccinate" was started in the House of Representatives to-night on the Hospital Estimates by Mr Taylor (Thames), who said the public had revolted against the quackery of vacci- ■ nation. It was no protection against small pox and was in itself a prolific source of scattering disease around. Mr Laurciison. (Lyttelton), another anti-vaccinationist, suggested that the Act which had lost the confidence of tlio'people should be wiped off the Statute Book. A country like New Zealand did not want vaccination. Roughly 20,000 children were born in New Zealand last year and of these 16,000 were not vaccinated. Mr Hardy (Selwyn) differed from the previous speakers, and Mr Te llangiliiroa (Northern Maori), in an interesting speech, demolished their statements from the scientific point of view. The remarks, madti by Messrs Taylor and Laurenson had filled him 1 with amazement. He could not un- j dcrstand the silly conservative ideas of: the man who argued that a treatment that; saved thousands of lives should be done away with. The great bulk of the responsible medical opinion was in: favour of vaccination and the few who were against it were regarded as freaks or men with a mental kink,. We in New Zealand had lulled ourselves into a. sense of false security in this matter. _ ' Mr Isitt also advocated the doing away with vaccination in New Zealand, while Mr "Witty said that five of his children were not vaccinated, ( and he hoped they never , would be.; The five that had not been , done were just as healthy as the five that had been. ' Mr Buddo said lie did not. think the Department was behind in keeping this matter to the front. I

N.Z. LEPER STATION,

Mr Laurenson once more raised objection iii tho House to-day, to the continuance of the leper station in, Lyttelton harbour. It was a quarantine island for stock, and yet men suffering from one of the most loathsome diseases were placed there. Auckland : had a gulf full of islands, and one of i these should be used for a leper sta- j tion. In reply to cries,of ''No" from '■ Auckland members, he said that parochialism with.the nooi' Auckland people was a regular disease. If they could not got an island for the lepers

he suggested the formation of a sta-tion-in the interior of the country. The could get 10, 20 or 50 acres, fence it in, and put the lepers there. The lepers on Quail Island could wade ashore 1 if they liked. Mr Forbes also thought the lepers should be removed from Quail Island to Auckland.

Mr Poole recognised that off- the "Flounder Bank" there was not much room, but ho strongly resented the idea of establishing a leper station in the Hauraki Gulf. Mi' "Witty said there should be no lepers on Quail Island. There were thousands of islands around the North Island where the lepers .could be isolated. He enfd Auckland was getting so particular about itself that it should be put in a glass case, and kept (here.

Mr Wright suggested the sending of the lepers to the station at Honolulu..

(Peh Phesb Association.) HASTINGS, Oct i

Mr H. M. Camplk'll, the-Reform Party candidate, addressed a large meeting of electors at Hastings. Being a big land owner lift view# on the land question were interesting. He is a staunch believer in tho freehold, and where a man is unable to pay cash lie should be given •land on easy deferred payment Ho believed in tho- graduated tax for revenue purposes, but not for confiscation. Ho would vote for Mr Massey or anyone else on a no-confitlcnco motion, GORE, Oct, 4.

Mr Joseph Stephens, of Rivorsdalc, contests .tlio Wakatipu seat. Ho is a, young- farmer, and will support the present) Government. ;