PARLIAMENT.

North Otago Times, 5 December 1910, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

Per Press Association. Wellington, December 3.

. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 10, but immediately adjourned i 111 2:30. The Council irsnmed at 2,:)0. -The Quality of Liquor.— A long -dißCUbsion was initiated by Mr Buillle on thf quality of liquor supplied at Bollamy's", but no resolution was come to. -Appropriation Bill.— In the evening the Appropriation Bill was put through its final stages.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE^

In the House of Representatives, after two o;clock, the. de-bate on tbe Public Works; Estimates was continued.

The Hon. R. M'ftenzie said that the tourist.traffic to Mount.Cook was not showing a profit, though ttw traffic had been.doubled.

The Estimates were passed without aanndment, ' Tbe Council's amendments in the Maori Washing-up Bill wm agreed to'.

The Supplementary Estimates wsra brought down, and tbe House c|l< jonrned at 4.50 a.m.i till 10.30 a.m, The House met at 10,30, and weal into Commute* of Supply on the SuDpleitentary Estimates. Replying to Mr 'Allen, who asked' Wtet was the position in regard to the San Francisco mail service, Sir Joseph Ward stated, that he had cabled to the Canadian Premier offering. £20,000 a year BUbsidy ; ,toway.dfl jbe gtrvice, and had also cabled to the Federal .prime Minister to tfo. same effect; but, owing to. the Commonwealth not being #,]§ to agree for tl!9 vessels calling at Auckland, no arraiigejiipnt had ton come to, and the whole ma{,ter was standing over until efforts i>ou},d b? made to bring the three countries into line. The Dominion oould not agree to join in any service unless gteamgrs called at| Auckland, On *!>e jtemi of £SOOO cotapensatiloti to 3. J.Msik}?, in'full and final payment for wrongful imprisonment, Sir Joseph' Ward considered $6 Government had a duty In toe matter .and were bound; to provide a substantial recompense to Meikle for wrongful conviction'.

. Mr. Hog|an referred tot the claim of Oliphanb Hughes, of WanganuL who was wrongfully convicted, and advocated having him at the bar of the .House.

Mr Massey agreed with Mr Hogan. Mr A'nderson moved to reduce the vote to £lO, on the ground that there was no: reason to reverse the former decision.'of tie House. Lost by 28 votes to 15, Allusion was made by speakers tg the syndicate said to be behind Meikle, and various suggestions were made to invest .the money or to give him a pension, in place of a lump sum- , , „» Another amendment moved by Mr Anderson to reduce the was lost by 29 to 17. The House resumed at 2 p.m. •■

-Supplementary Estimates,The Supplementary Estimates were dealt with.

At Item of £liioo for expenses of Prime Minister attending the Imperial Conference and the Coronation, Sir Joseph Ward said he ha 3 received n 0 official invitation, but a confidential communication had been forwarded, the nature of which he could not divulge. The AttorneyGeneral would accompany Mm. on his trip Home, Dr Findlay's services would be required in connection with two important cases, namely, the Te Akau case, involving £50,000, and tnc Webster claim, upon which it M been decided to set up, a tribunal! to decide upon tha issues raised. The amount involved, so fat as New Zep/ land was concerned, was half a million 1 . The tribunal would sit either in England or America at an early date. In addition to attending these legal cafejj, Dr Findlay was, also in* vited to attend the Imperial ferencel and take part in! the proceedings. ReplyiK to Mr T. B, Taylor, the Premier, said there was a clause In the Appropriation Bill postponing the next Parliamentary session till the 31st: July, 1911. He had desired to extend the life) of the present session

till tte second week in February with a view to allowing the Leader of the Opposition awl other members to go Home to attend the

coronation, Mr Massey explained that, for private reasons he foiMi it impossible for him to visit England, 'but wished it understood that his decision was not due to any desire to be discourteous to the Imperial

authorities. Mr Anderson moved 'to reduce the total voto for miscellaneous services by £5 as at protest against the vote of £2500 being passed for. Mr Meikfo '' ' ' The amendment was lost on the

(Tolces< ' ' Mr Hogan moved to reduce tie vote by £1 as 'an indication that legislation should, he passed providing for the right of appeal in all such cases as that of Oliphlant Hug|KeS, 1! ■ ■ i is This was agreed to on the voices. Considerable discussion arose over

the item! £1320,, a refund of the duty on a patent flax-dressing machine. Mr T. Mackenzie explained that the cost of th«, machine was over £6OOO, and tha duty was 25 per cent, The machine was designed to use the by-products of flax, and it was with a view to assisting the industry

that the refund was made. On the motion of Sir Joseph Ward tha following resolutions were passed :, '"That the House tlesires to record its respectful congratulations to His Majesty King George on the occasion of bis coronation, and to express , a hope that the reign o£. His Majesty and Queen Mary will be a long and happy one; also, that a respectful address be presorted to the Governor requesting him to for-

ward the resolution to the Secretar;

of State. ' Replying ,to Mr Allen, who &M I! any opportunity' would be given to

discuss ihe notices of motion for discussion at the Imperial Conference, Sir Joseph Ward said tho matter might bo [ allowed to rest with the laying of .these before the House. Tho Coiifc'rcnco would be open to'the press, and'the reports of the proceedings would be the best means to educate the public oij Imperial questions. Whatever was done, by the C&rference wo Lid be open to discussion by the House. | The Appropriation Bill was introduced and read a first time.

Sir JoEtph Ward, in moving t/ho second leading, explained the new clauses, the chief of which are:iClaus,e 13, giving'power to transfer £BOO,OOO from tho consolidated fund to .the public works fund, Clause 28 grants power to make advances to dairy companies. Clause 29 authorises local public todies to expand' money in ceWbration; of the corona, tlon," .

At clause 30, wLlch extends the appropriations for the financial year till 31st. July, 1911, which means postpentajy the opening of ttoj session • next year for a month, Mr Massoy rais;d objections to tho postponement of the session. The House ought to meet at the «nd of. June as usual under the charge of one of th«i -Pre-' mier's colleagues. No difficulties woiijd he pjaced in'the way by the Opposition aB tbs.pesu}t of Sir. Joseph- Ward's absence." Sir Joseph Ward said there were difficulties in tte way of carrying out Mr Massey's suggest/tan owing tg Dr Findlay's-absence from, the Council. No inconvenience would be caused 'by the shortening of next session, On a division the clause was carried by 27 to 22. . . Mr Hogan moved a clause to enable OllpJiant Hughes, of Wangnnui, to secure a new trial. . This was lost on the voices. After some discussion on the third reading the Bill was put through its final stages. -The Loans.The House resumed at 7.30, and when the formal business had been completed Sir J;oseph Ward announced that he had received advjee from London that £IOO,OOO- pi the scrip of the new loan had been underwritten at $93 10s. The cost of raising the loan of £1,250,000 and £600,000 under the Finance Act for aid te public, wgrks and land settlement for 1909 was £87,108 4s 7d. -The Royal Assent.^ 'At 8.30 messages from the Governor annumced that the Appropriation Bill, Shipping and Seamens Act and other Bills, as passed by the Council, had received the royal assent,

-Boy Immigration I . Replying to Mr Hogg, who brought up the 'question of misleading stater ments published in the British press regarding tbe immigration of boys to the Dominion, Sir Joseph Ward said the High Commissioner has replied to the cable to the effect that the statements referred to, and which were of a, misleading nature, badnot appeared in the press. ■ The usual of felicitation addressed to the < Speaker and 'the Chairman by Sir Joseph Ward and Mr Massey, and replies, concluded the final sitting, of th,e session of the House, 'fhe House rose at 5.55.