HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13936, 19 July 1917, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON'S SESSION. MINISTERIAL IIEPLIES TO QUESTIONS. I (Per Press Association,)

WELLINGTON, July lfr TheHonßemctat2.,Wp,m, '. Tornin of Enlistment. Sir James Allen said.the.term of enlistment A in the Expeditionary Force was for the duration of the present war with Germany and for six months thereafter. It might be necessary to extend the period of six months, as there might be some men who would not be abie to return to New Zealand within that time. 'Malcolm Boss as Military Censor, Replying' to Mr Vigor Brown,: the Prime Minister said he had not heard anything of .the appointment of Mr Malcolm Eoss as military censor, and he did not believe Mr Ross had been •) appointed. v . Mr Webb's leave of Absence. Leave of absence was granted to .Mr \ C. Webb (Grey):.£oiOTS feefc||| A Loca; _!■_. The Nelson Harbour Board Empowering Bill (Mr Field) was introduced and rend a first time. The remainder of the afternoon was taken up by members discussing isters' replies to questions answered tf^

weeks ago. Replying to questions to' day Ministers said:— 'j Mineral Resources of Empire. ; That arrangements were being made by the Imperial Government for au exhaustive report on the mineral nsourees of every part' of the Empire, New Zealand .included, and that organisation had already been set up with that object in view. • Essential Industries. That the report 1 of the ■ Efficiency Board on the of the Dominion wwild be laid before Parliament as soon as Cabinet had considered it, New Zealand's Part in War. That the Imperial Government fully understands the position in New Zealand both from the point of view of reinforcements and of food supplies; they also know that the people of this

Dominion could be depended upon to leave nothing undone that would assist in winning <he war. The suggestion that because America had come into the war as an ally and because the Russians, under General Bnisilofi, were now doing so well, the Dominion should relax its efforts, is not in keeping with the British imperialistic spirit of New Zealand, Annual Training Camps. That the holding of the annual training camps for territorials would be entirely dependent upon the conditions obtaining in the Dominion in the early part of next year. It was not considered advisable to discontinue, the present parades : Railway Charges. That there is no present intention of reducing the railway rates during the war, Censoring Picture Films. That the Government proposed to introduce legislation this session extending the censorship to picture sjiows, posters, and advertisements. Customs Tariff. That it is unlikely any review of tho Customs tariff will take place this session, Standardisation of School Books. That the standardisation of classbooks throughout the Dominion would involve a change in the books now in , use in a large proportion of the schools and that such a step was not regarded desirable when economy was so imperative in so many homes, Subsidies for Country Libraries. That it was not proposed this year to ask Parliament to vote a subsidy for country libraries,