PARLIAMENTARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12044, 14 August 1902, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY

[BY TELEGBAPH.— 'CORRESPONDENTJ J WetxikGtok, Wednesday. 4 NATURALISATION OP AUSTRIANS. . "I don't want to hurt ,the right hon. gentleman who is at Home, but the statement 18 so contrary to what I know to be the facts, : that I thought it necessary to bring the matter forward," remarked , Mr. Fowlds, when. asking the Colonial Secretary whether his attention has been called to a cable from London on July 17, to the following effect : — " Mr. Seddon has conferred with the, ■ Austrian Ambassador, - who complained of Austrians being treated differently in New Zealand from other aliens. The Ambassador was satisfied by Mr. Seddon that no distinction was mo.de." Mr. Fowlds asked would the Minister substantiate Mr. Seddon's statement by immediately causing naturalisation papers to be issued to , those Austrian's' who have made application ; and complied with the law ? Mr. Fowlds said he had received the names of 20 AttstrianS . who had : complied with ;.. : the ' law in applying for naturalisation papers, but had not received them yet. Sir Joseph Ward replied that he *as very much in doubt about the correctness of the cabled information. He had communicated with Mr. Seddon on the matter, and his reply, was to the effect that .it had ■ been" -■' satisfactorily adjusted. Sir "Joseph Ward assured Mr. Fowlds that where the law was complied with papers would-be issued, r / GREY LYNN POSTAL WANTS. - Mr. Fowlds says it sometimes takes longer for a letter to get,from Auckland,to Grey Lynn than from Wellington to Auckland, and.be asks that a post office be 'erected at the borough named. .; According to the Act-ing-Premier the report of the Chief Postmaster at Auckland, is against- such a proposal. ..- He, however, suggests that the question of erecting an office in Ponsonby Road 011 the Grey Lynn side, might be considered, but there is no urgency about : the matter. The Chief Postmaster says there are two deliveries a day to Grey Lynn from the city. THE RETORT DIRECT.

"Augh! Rubbish! It is only a wretched excuse, was the emphatic, if ' somewhat unparliamentary, retort which Mr, Massey threw across the Chamber this afternoon at the Minister for. Lands, who was answering.-, one of Mr. Lang's questions; .The member for Waikato, who .never loses an opportunity of .urging the Government to unlock the rich tracts locked up in the King Country, wanted to "know from the Minister for Lands 'when he intends to open up more land, for settlement in the King Country, and when lie does so, will he open it iirider.the optional system, so as to give intending selectors the choice ot taking up land under the lease in ' perpetuity, occupation with, right of purchase, or cash purchase. -The"Minister replied ill an apologetic manner that if the land contained limestone (which was valuable), the land would only be thrown open under the lease in perpetuity system. What?" said the member for Franklin." " Limestone,'.. said the Minister, and then followed the :member for Franklin's brief, retort, as above.. -,:.,. ~-'• MR. SEDDON'S MILITARISM. The Acting-Premier was urged by- Mr.' Monk to suggest by cable to the Premier that this colony does not approve'of the permanent militarism • proposed by him at the Conference of Premiers now sitting in London? While Mr. Monk hoped that New' Zealanders would never be backward in assisting the Mother Country when, she needed it, there was nothing he. dreaded so much as the assumption by the colony of a militarism which bad proved detrimental to the State in all countries where it had a place. Sir Joseph Ward, in declining to follow Mr. Monk's suggestion; said; Mr. Seddon knew the feeling of the people in this matter, and pointed out that before any proposal could ■ come , into operation it would have to be ratified by. the colony. THE EVERLASTING QUESTION. It is surely high, time that the House adopted some more expeditious method of dealing with questions addressed by : members to Ministers. If printed answers were supplied after each query on ' the. Order Paper, questions could be answered; from day to day, and the time of Parliament and the money of the taxpayer would be saved. To-day, for instance, the ; Order Paper was burdened with no fewer than 206 questions, and though a large number of these .were allowed to lapse, or were postponed, still, those that had !to be answered occupied the, attention of Parliament for nearly the whole afternoon. This would, perhaps, not have mattered so much did the questions deal : with matters of colonial import, but for the most part they treated of only parochial subjects. ',"':■.. For instance, Major Steward to-day had no fewer than 19 questions on the Order Paper, covering a variety -of subjects, from the stopping of an express train to the' erection of a verandah at an unimportant and out-of-the-way station. - THE 'FRISCO SERVICE. '[ A' new argument iii favour of the 'Frisco mail sen-ice was advanced by Mr. Massey during the discussion on the Rings and Combines Suppression Bill introduced by Mr. Hornsby. In the course of a speech by Mr. Massey, he queried of Mr.' Hornsby: "Does the honourable member know what burst up the millers' trust?" "1 don't know that It is burst up," retorted the member for Wairarapa." "Well, it's very harmless," replied Mr. I Massey, and then he went on to say that the trust was burst up by the 'Frisco mail service having poured into this country American flour, and so prevented the trust from raising the price of New Zealand flour to an extorj tionate extent. Mr. Massey then pointed his argument with ;a' suggestion to Mr. Hornsby that lie should eschew his old opposition to the 'Frisco mail service, which had done so much to disorganise one of the combines to which he so greatly objected. - JOTTINGS. The fact that he has received communications from local bodies oh" the subject., led Mr. Massey to ask the Government this afternoon whether they will arrange 'to supply local bodies ~' with copies !of ; the statutes, ,or.» with copies of the Acts where' they are amendments of the law, or new provisions having reference to local Government matters. V The Acting-Premier replied that copies were supplied free of charge at the end of each session. A member remarked that very ;> few boards were aware of that. * r '

Mr. Monk to-day asked the Government if they would grant permits for excursions during the summer months to Little Barrier Island (now a sanctuary for native birds) in, order that the young folks might have an opportunity to see and hear some of the New Zealand birds that have I disappeared from the mainland. The Acting-Premier said the report of Mr. Cheeseman was against it, but he would have further inquiries made into the matter. < -■;■ ' '; ■'•■',.

The Minister for Marine informed Mr. Lang this afternoon that he hoped to make provision on the Supplementary Estimates for erecting port lights at Kawhia. The Public Petitions Committee, reporting upon the petition of John Cummins, of Auckland, who asks for further relief on account of injuries received while in the police _ force, say it is a case of great hardship, and recommend the ■ Government to make provision for his' family by an annual appropriation. This report was read by the clerk of the House, at the request of Mr. Massey, who said he wished to impress the matter on the Government. The claim or G. E. Large, of Waiuku, for £10 for the loss of a horse when on duty in the Waiuku Mounted Rifles, is recommended by the Public Petitions Committee for payment by the Government. The petition of Kawhia residents for the Counties Act to be made operative •in the Kawhia County has been referred" to the Government for favourable consideration. In answer to Mr. Monk, the Minister. for Marine says the Department has in hand the matter of surveying and buoying the south channel at the. entrance to Kaipara Harbour. -~ .

When Mr. Massey called attention to the fact that the bonus on fish canned in the colony would expire at the end of the present month, the Minister for Marine stated that Cabinet was at present considering the question of bringing in a Bill to ; continue the bonus.