PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10118, 27 October 1917, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (Pan Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 26. The Council met at 2.3 C p.m. A considerable discussion took pk'o on the Social Hygiene Bill which was received ,'rom Ihe House and deals with methods proposed lor stamping out venereal diseases. Colonel-Surgeon Collins strongly urged die necessity of making such diseases i.eiiQable. The Bill was put through ail its stages. The Land Law* Amendment Bill and the state Supply IDlectrical Fnergv Bill were ilso received from tho House ;ind put dnotigli all stages. Tin? Council adjourned tilt 0 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, The House met at 2.30 p.m. EARLY WHEAT CONFERENCE. Replying lo Mr l.ee, Hon. Mr Mac Donald saidthal a conference would be called in ChiLtchitreh at an early date to consider the question of 1917-18-19 wheat supply. He had drafleil ,i circular for submission to Cabinet, and when he went to '.."hristchureh to a conference he hoped to have with him a. full statement ol the Government policy on the matter. Compulsion in growing wheal had noi been satis factory anywhere, COMPULSORY VEGETABLE GROWING, Mr Anstey asked ihe Ministei ii the Government W'.'is prepared 10 Compel people having small areas of hind to grow vegetables. Onions wire now ut ;i prohibitive price. Mr McDonald said tin I the Government had never considered tin question •>! compulsion in anj form, having always considered that i! n suHicienl price was offered that would !>■ a suHicienl inducemi'nt to people to grow foodstuffs; The Government had suggested to people having small area-- of land available the advisability of glowing vegetables, KXEMPTIO.N OF TEACHERS.

Replying to Hon. Mr Rhodes, the Minislei- for Defence «aid that the amendment passed last night to tho Expeditionary Forces Amendment Bill exempting teachers would fi.ive a wide and rcathing effect. It certainly w0e,!,1 exempt all teachers rot railed up, as well as all those who wonld become twenty years and who would i:ot come into tho reserve at. all. He was not eitire if it exempted those in camp and in gaol, on conscientious objectors. On that point, he would have to get a legal opinion, but there was no doubt that the amendment was very far reaching. MINISTERS' REPLIES. Replying to Mr Wilkinson, Sir .Lis. Allen said thai there was no prospect; of relieving the men in Egypt on furlough. That question had been ulreadv di < ided. Replying lo Mr Noswoithv, Ihe Hon. Mr MaeDonald said thai he had agreed lo pay fanners 5s lOd f.o.h. for uexl si nson's wheat. He would carry out his part of the bargain. There would be no side-tracking and no evasions, but if farmers desired to be paid on trucks that could be done with a proportionate reduction in the price. Replying to I).- Newman. Sir jas Allen s-dd thai he eould trot .say what would be the position of clergymen of the Testimony of Jesus now in prison as conscientious ob jectors if the Expeditionary Forces Amendment Bill became law a- passed by the House. That would probably bo for one of tho Military Service Boards or for someone else to decide Replying to Mi Payne, Sir Joseph Ward said that it was not practicable to charge uniform rate.- of u penny in our slot telephone lines, as the cost of the line had to be considered, ami often good paying lines had to assist |nx>r paying lines. MEAT TRUST QUESTION.

Replying to Mr-Payne, the Premier said that he would submit lo ( abinet the question of introducing legislation to deal with the Meat Trust tfhis session, hut his pre will impression was that the Government had all the legislative powers required. Sir Joseph Ward said that during the debate on the Meal Trust report it wasstated by one member that certain meal coin panics trading in New Zealand, were not paving taxation proportionate lo the capital invested, lie had submitted the matter to the Commissioner of 'faxes, and he had reported that, some of these companies had been only recently formed, Ii was premature to ,'ay that they were not paying proper taxation, they being taxed on the basis uniformly applied to all such companies, that was. on income earned in the Dominion. The question of capital invested on dividends earned did not come into the question at all. The only thing affected by the capital invested was the license fee, and the Commissioner had ample power to deal with any attempt on the part of companies lo evade taxation. The remainder of the afternoon sitting was taken up in discussing the report of the Petitions Committee. The House rose at 5.30. "WASHING-UP" BILL. The House resumed ai 7.30 p.m. r | he Premier said that it was impossible for |,im to review the whole of the 125 clauses ,„ ,l„. Reserves and Other Lauds Disposal and Public (todies lStnpoweriiig (Washing up) Bill, lie would, therefore, adopt tin usual cows..' by formally moving a second leading, and in committee he would afford all information necessary, lie moved the sicoiid reading. Mi Ai.duson protested against the man ner in winch the ehius.-.- were inserted in this Bill, all sorts of subjects being dealt with, c iiieeiiiiej which members for districts were' never informed. No clause should be included i ntil the member for the district was .-atislied it was not calculated to do harm. He had observed several_ matters being dealt with in this public Bill which really should have been brought forward in the form ol a private Bid. The proceeding was greatly to be deprecated.

Mr Kll contended thai we were too careless in the matt or of tin preservation of our foreshore rights, ami scenic reserves. He congratulated the Premier on his interest in the matter of scenic reserves, hub a great (leal still remained to be done, In specific instances, he quoted it Has most necessary that this should he done, while the Stale had the power ami linance |o do it. Air llornsby etilercd hi-, umpliatio protest argainst |he manner ill which provisi ions, which ought in have occupied the serious attention of the l]ou»e in the form of local and private liil's, were being smuggled through in this Bill, ll<' drew pointed attention to clause 26, authorising the laying oft' of a streol in tli ■ city of Auckland of less width than 40 ieet, and do. hired that tin's was the surest way to create slums, of which there were too manv in the Dontinion already. Me instanced other clauses to which he look exception, apd severely handled clause 62, facilijapii)-:; the construelion of a soeund, slip al |.',.i!i's Ho.Y by the Wellington Patent Slip Coinpany, "Sure Iv," lie -aid. "the Patent il'np Compan\ could have brought this business |j»fore tie Mouse in the form of a private Hill when the ll.nee |'.oiu| |re jipprj-ul tif all facts;" The Bill would piubahly im««. hut it would be on Hie principle "you : cr.:t. Ii my back a.nd I \\ill scratch yours." m that members interested would share in the good things provided in the measure. The Premier said tlu:! ho was quite pn pared l-o drop the Hill it lie tnlii i - did not like it. Mr Kdwiutl Newman (chairman of tiehand.-' ('omniiitee) said thai the (\unmitt.ee had carefully Considered Iho clausi s, and lie justified several criticised by Mr Ifornsby. If there was anything improper in t.'uBill the blame must resi with those members who p reused the Government to inchule them, lie warmly endorsed the reservations of native bush in view of the earlj rolurn of a large number of soldier.-. Mi urgul the Premier to proceed with his forest !!•■• serves Bill, as there was no more profitable field of employment for returned soldiers. lie commended Mr Kll upon his work in Hie interests to secure the reserves. Mr Witty objected to Washing-up Bills because thine.-, were rushed through at the end of I he session t| K ,i never would lia\been passed hud they received the careful consideration given In local link Mr Budtlo foiniilained that land, lec-.dh purohu-sed ut Balmoral was 100 poor I'm forestry purposes, and advised an exchange with other lands in Canterbury, more suit able for the purpose. Messrs Boole and Glover defended ehmse 26, declaring no shim- could be created as a result of dedicating this narrow ilreet. Mr Wright explained the circumstances which .instilled clause b2 (patent slip), Dp. Thacker pointed-, out that clause 79 was the first instance of the confiscation of German property. On this hind, in Christ church City, was erected a German church, and in that church were three bells which he understood wet-" taken hy the Germans from the French in 11170. lle' s uggosted that these

bolls should be sent hick to France, and presented to the French people us ;i mark of our esteem and regard, Mr Mo.Rscy, in reply, declared that there was nothing questionable in the Bill. In fact, like Caesar's wife, it was above sus picion, as was every other Bill ho had tin honour to introduce. Most of the clause; were prepared by I >■ -pin tmcntal oflicers, and he knew little of them personally. The I'.ill was read n second time on tie voicr-s. and ordered to be rent back 10 tie Committee. When the House continued, on the molior of the Premier, clauses 100. 103, and 116 ivcrt struck out of the Bill. New clauses wen added: (1) Authorising Auckland University College Council to borrow moneys for lh< erection or improvements of buildings; (2) authorising the Haw-era Borough Council lo transfer ceitain lands lo Taranaki Edu cation Board, as u site for a technical high school. The Bill w;e reported with amendments, and read a third tune and passed. NATIVE LANDS AMENDMENT. The Native Land Amendment and Native Land Claims' Adjustment Bill (Native Washing-up Bill) was, on the motion of the Hon. Mr Merries, ordered to be sent to the ('ommittee. Wh( n the House resumed the Bill \va: passed with miner amendments, moved by (lie Minister, who also moved anew clause validating appointments of commissions under the West Coast Settlement Reserve Act, which was agr I to. The Bill ilien parsed it, final stages. SOCIAL HYGIENE. On tho motion of Hon. Mr Russell, an amendment made in the Social Hygiene Bill In the Legislative (.' icil was agreed to. The House rose at 11.50 until 2.30 to-mor-