GENERAL NEWS FROM PARLIAMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, 25 May 1916, Page 5

GENERAL NEWS FROM PARLIAMENT

DU'TIEB GIST FRUIT" , ; PRESEBVIKG Tlio "Minister for to a Question by Mr lludsoiK stated, to-day that. it-.wis > not.proposed tort--vice- the'tariff during thei " present seSfrio»,v ; ' but -wlien a revision tfcook place the; duties on fruit . preserving- inaclunerj <j •will be reviewed. <• ; Mr •Hudson, in expressing dissatistai--f, tion with the answer, saicT that whilst /machinery connected with 41w>» dairying, [meat an (I other industries was admit ton I,free machinery. for. fruit .preserving was reqtiired to pay a duty rii 33£ per cent. This was prohibitory, and the ipiut war. that a great, deal of fruit tbat Otherwise could 'be utilised -was -wasted.- The Government would, lose nothing by renwyviiirr the dutv on fruit preserving machinery as none :wa.s now. imported. , iic ' BURCested tlikt a special rebate be ai--1 lowed nn Jnisb machinery. ---. It was • a crying shame that, a .atrugeling industry

should be hammered iby- such-. a. -cruel --iaoc as at present in'tposed. , QUESTIONS. The House was - occupied! with .questions in- 'the afternoon and the introduction of private members', and' local bills. A .NELSON BILL. ; The Cityf:o^Nelson {Loans and Empowei-ing Act Amendment Bill" wasamorigst those, introduced and read a -first time. . PENSION AMENDMENT BILL, v , Tho -debate on the second treading of" VSie 'Pension Amendment Bill occupied the whole, evening sitting. , • In the course of the • discission, th^ I '' Prime Minister said the 'Dominion expenditure had Reached an enormous amount, and' he did not think it would be> long before it -reached, . a 'million./a riionth. This- took .ho account of heavy : interest and sinking fund charges/ •which. must be kept in view. : -Tho Hon. J. Allen started to- reply.-) at" 32.65 fi.m, ~ • OFF.ICE'RS FOR THE FORCER.

Early in the sessaon-jSIr Malcolm'suggested to the Gdverhmeht in. a question, lio -Hfelie Defence Minister,-., that, -no mora • officers be sent-vforw&rd with the .reinforcements and .that men be sent, on the ' voyage in charge of transport officers duly: He "urged that the" pi-esont «r- - which officers were given. iXtiAm&ssions here--and sent- with,•-•ev.efy. draft made it impossible for non-com-ijrissioned officers and men to get- prom?tjph - at .the front.' j The. Minister's reply was that the-pre-sent- arrangement was,to send one of-: ficer to* 40 -menj, • which was the scale laid-down by tho Imperial.; It,-was, not '.considered, that increased efficiency,; would be. produced< by :bf ingino: jfli* MjaJcolim'-s .proposal into {force, > liv fjactiit was considered it would bp- impracticable. , *i I Diiscussing the Minister's reply -to-cri *.< l ■Mr- Malcolm contended that the preset--■; sysWm .\yas bad, and that for -the :goCv." of 'the army in the field' and mjustioft,. tp the men who bad borne the stress .eft'. \fai-, the' forces' at' the fro;it should, officered) by men who had ..had experience l ; o£ "actual fighting:, rather than by young* inexperienced and hew men.. - - -//jMn this Contention,ahe :was. supported»/. by Messrs Veitchi.;and sevecal/., ojther members. / , l _. , " ,* i 'Mr Anderson: raised tthe; thftt v omcers .returning from front' djjd, ■ not get'seniority.in the. Territorials t/rer,;. officers who remained at home. . | The Defence /Minister replied t that all, commissives • held in . the ■- Eipijditibnaty. Force were temporary, commission's,. and; ; werei-for the Expeditionary- Force, only (luring the war. . .Afc.-the; end/iof-the \yary the whole question of commissions AV.ouJul.? have to be considered in such ft yrayyas * tp do' justice to the- Territorial officer*' who f .reirtaiiv here; .to •. the-, staff ..who:, to go to the front, but who have; to .regain here, ahcL.to officers seEvingi.at.tlte.., ■front. No promotions 1 were being given tp officers of the 'being held 'over.-nil til aftev t{ie j\var. fjerring to the other question, Mr Allepr said lie understood.. that > 'Mr M'alcolnt"suggested that we shoulcucease to seind, ■ •dny ifiore ■ officers - from! -jNew Zealand 1 ,. 'Jand yet, sir,"- said Mr Allen, ''in m'ylfist letter from Cteneyal • Godley, he writes, 'X am awfully short of officers. 'V The appointrment of -pfficers to the rem--.had also been sidered. It i,w^ s difficult to assete . the*riroportion as b6t>\v T t ZesJjind iindr" l Uie front and to Jceep a fair balance; ■ When, the Expeditionary, Force ."Went 4way the GiO.C. was power to replace 50. per .-cent.?, of ..casualties axnpng , v ; officers by promotion from th6;xa»«j,i>,' ih. .n^any/instances this was.carried,out,,,-, but in other, cases it. t<V.carry it out In aflditiou, was advised that the' lOovermnenfc. prepai'ed to accept from, among! .returned front - pe r mctoth- for conimis^ioris-jin,,the rein- ■ fcrcemetits. These six* been granted every mojith; .^ce : lebra- <; 3rv, when the 'scheme, taon. In. 'addition to /thi^ t another; men who'hsxd seen, service^, the front, had of late been land from Egypt> order to missions -in the reinforcements. Recently it had been" arranged that the^e-CTm-missions should be granted & the front 'gt' 'SS,tiecommeiid s five. New. Zea|g£ missioned officers or siona 'i& the - Imperial ■ i( -. . , ]\jj. Jennings: How. many have xecex^d ]Slr • I wpuld think 1 10. ' »' i • Mr. Jennings: How many have be^fi bl Mr G Allen: Oh, I can't'tell Vou. "The scheme only started two or three montliH a8 Continuirrg J Allen I bad power to promote at tn6 ftdnt enl officers to -r&place-SO pv"^ of casualties, apd m.addltrop month. As evidence of the ef-ie taken in the' selection"'and .promotion officers in New Zealand he reaS two*«xfcracts from a letter from General G-od-trac s i . March 24 .Godley : ■ °r 5« *£ .Season, T>s»» Stewart, a.nd , and all .three 'seemed to be making tm very well satisfied' - with .the we have been getting lately, and I tmhk the' officers iti New/Zealand doesi great credit to. youi; system iind the S g of the. Godlev, wrotei» fllao[ • - "f , Iqiute a-fair and < _ bgan<^ Sntamid iu » sfirprß between tliose .fjw h lo ? k&B..ier -sions DANGE^dU|^^JWAY • CROSSINGS. . TV, ft Alinistyr- of made som6 h3 S,S r st e i « t-he.q^ of how to deivl with level crossings , yaa a very large-one, .it was not a.ra)lwaV Tnprelv . ''lt matter. If the Department had, to erect 'bridges or construct subways, at all danSous crossjpgs in ,the. i +lia Dominion would 'be ©nor-. {nous, and ho did not think at this In the Dominion's we ; should go in for this large expenditure; but. the Department "were doing ijoemthing to SlgiSd the public. - Wftiere passible the/ were putting up .electric ?l/irmft, tut just no\v they, had -great in (zet'tine tho -material,. 'all electn^l, supplies be\nc now very difficult c U -?, "An additional precaution adapted was tile erection of more' ooflspicUQVis Earning,board's than those use and placed some distanco .fi;omi cmssintf in qrder that .anotonsts apd other road travellers new to the localig know of a possible ganger, lie stated that the Department «> u uot attempt to solect the most dUmgeimiß crossings and- deal with tliejn. . ® j S a dangerous -crossings should ,vbe towns, because they were used , w%rreS e S' W'tlylng plaoes. W 041 ; 0^ DIS " , The question of ' local receiving campc waq raised in-tho BTouse ..Mr -'Poole said that if the Minister of Pe»

fence would go into _ the Auckland tbhave been there I Mr Poole said that no doubt the Minister bad had pointed out to tum the scores and scores of P Je f ing the names of men 1 ? ho , ll^/ lg ?|! <i on been medically examined, and liaa then gone away, and who, -when inquired subsequently were missing. If there -were local camps an which ~nch "en could tbe placed straight away A •wftuld save a great many of them. Mr Allen: Do you suggest, putting these men in these camps on the day °^Mr^Poole: Yes. A good plan would be to place three or four well equipped huts at Narrow Neck Camp in chaigs of a. number of non-commissioned ota* cers in order that men could be dealt .with immediately. Mr Allen: Would you do this at Narrow Neck only ? . , Mr Poole: That would do for Auckland. Similar camps could be established in Canterbury and Otago. _ Mr Allen (sarcastically): And at Aew Plvmouth, Ximanx, Oamaru— Mr Mauder:- And Whangarei. Mr AllenAnd Pukekohe. . Afr. Poole: lam not joking. This is not a joking matter. ' i Mr Anderson, did :not see why there could not- be a receiving camp in every small town. -It would not cost J™ich even if the men had to be billeted ™ •boarding houses until they could be sent to Trentham. It would be a- good Harris said tliafc the Tecruitino officer in Auckland had informed mm that probablv there were about 500 meti who had enrolled and btfen medically examined, but who had not turned uo when -they were called up. Tbe ilinister for Defence said, tnat representations in regard to local And receiving camps had been carefully considered. The conclusion, whici was concurred in by every member of the Staff, was that local camps would be a gbastlv failure, and ; that receiving. campa would' also be a failure. It was suggested that immediately a man signed on at a ; recruiting office he. immediatelv should be placed in a receiving camp, that he should be taken awav from his business without beujg given time to make arrangements for no! That is not what we ask! - • ' Mr Allen: I have known a man to go into a recruiting office and sign, on wh'fen he was not in a fit state to do so and next morning he has known no-' thing about it. ; ; Mr Witty: It is very xinfair to say that. . ' ■Mr Allen : Am I to take such a man and hold him ? Mr Witty: Yes; until morning. Mr Allen": I am not going to usurp the -functions of the police or any other Department. Receiving camps ' were quite impracticable. _ If they were established every little district would want to "have one. We have not the staff, equipment, or other means for carrying out such an unsound policy. " Mr Harris: Why not administer the oath when the anen sign on? Mr Allen: You had better _wait until the Military Service, Bill as introduced.

i THE TVTLLOCHRA. A statement in. regard to the WilJochra was made by the Health Minis-; ter in the House yesterday. The steamer, he said, had. been doubly fumigated, , first lof all by the Health Department' ■under the superintendence of Dr "Valin- . tine, assisted, by Dr Cahmptalonp. of ' Otazo TJniversitv and Public - Health officials in, Dunedin. The vessel had also . !been fumigated by- the Union Company according- to its " own .methods. Ther? -tvas no doubt that the-vessel was .as » free .from infection as it possibly could be. The remainder of the (patients were making good progress, and it "was by Monday or Tuesday' next it jfllHd. be possible to allow lartze to he ~v s ent to their : Tn -Teplv|^HKßK>stioh, Tt>y Mr Okey the Miniil||^^^Bgftial the; crew of the WoUochra. quarantined and this ithe had been request- . Ed to' new crew be-' . . fore the again placed in . commissk>®^^^a'"z ANSWn|^^^^AIiLEGATION. - A recentlv made by a member that a soldier at-Feathea^^^Hlv -charged three shilling? for cashing a The Minister read a. letter tb-day receivWl .l>y Colonel Adams from . the canteen -proprietors. latter . stated that no charges "were made for Vashingv money orders except the ordinary bank charges.