AUSTRALIAN GRATUITY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17294, 18 October 1919, Page 12

AUSTRALIAN GRATUITY

The report that the gratuity to soldiers I in Australia was to be paid from the dat« 'of enlistment was made the subject ol a question to the Minister for Defenct in the House of Representatives this after I noon. Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton) askec him whether, in these circumstances, h< , would ask the Cabinet to consider alter ing its previous decision, and pay th« (gratuity to New Zealand soldiers fron j the date of enlistment, instead of fron I the date of embarkation, the more so be cause the pay of the Australian soldiers I was one shilling a day more than thai i received by the New Zealanders. Sir James Allen replied that he had not yet had any official advice of the ffra ! tuity that was to be paid to the Aus ! tralian soldiers. At the same time, fron i what he had seen in the papers, he con j eluded that the Australian gratuity wa: I not going to be so generous as that to b< i paid by New Zealand.

GIRL BANK EMPLOYEES. Anxiety on behalf of the girl employee, of banks and Government Departments who are losing their situations in consequence of the return of men from the front prompted a question which Mr. G. J. Anderson (Mataura) asked the Prime Minister this afternoon. Mr. Anderson said he had received a letter from a constituent who had lost her position in a bank in this way and who wished to know whether there was any prospect of the Government doing anything in the matter. Mr. Massey said he could not give an immediate reply and asked that the question should be put on the order paper, NATURALISATION OF ALIENS. " Is it the intention of the Government to introduce a Bill this session to deal with the registration of aliens?" was a question which Mi G. V. Pearce (Patea) asked the Prime Minister this afternoon. Mr. Pearce said he Had noticed by the Gazette that a number of aliens " were being naturalised, and he wished to know whether anything was to be done in the matter. Mr. Massey said he did not think it would be possible to introduce a Bill this session. Ample power to regulate the naturalisation of aliens already existed, and was being utilised. Mr. Pearce : But they are being naturalised. Mr. Massey : If aliens are being naturalised there must be a very good reason for it. " "

GRADING OF TEACHERS. The request that the Education Com- j mittee of the House of Representatives should investigate the controversy over the grading of teachers in the Auckland district was repeated this afternoon by -Mr. A. Harris (Waitcmata), who' badraised the question previously. Ho asked also that the teachers should be given the opportunity ot giving evidence before tincommittee. The Prime Minister said he had no , objection to meeting the request. He was I willing to lay the correspondence en the | subject on the table of the House, and I was quite prepared to have the Education I Committee make investigation if time perI milted. ' t j GOVERNMENT OF SAMOA. j , Sir Joseph Ward and others ma.de objeo- . tion to-night to the principle of bringing { down a short Bill dealing with "the Namoan question, and embodying the important principles of government in an Order-in-Council to be published later. The Prime Minister, Mr. Massev, how- |; ever, later on made it quite clear that the 1 Government was not any more enamoured of this system than were the objecting I members, but that time would not permit i of any other solution of the question in ' I the meantime. The whole question could 1 j be dealt with by Act of Parliament next i session. , j Incidentally, he mentioned that next _ ] session must be a very long and arduous ; one. for a very great deal of work had j accumulated. i! ~ I , j COUNTIES AMENDMENT KILE. j The purpose, of the Counties Amendment j Pill, introduced to-day, is to confer gen- ■ I eral power on county councils to requite > vehicles using their roads to be licensed and to charge license fees. H merely ex- ( ! tends the power given by section 5 of the 1 Counties Amendment Act. 1915. to certain I routines. Those previously authorised to charge for 'lie use of their mails by velii iles were the Waimata, Rodney, Pay of Islands. Whangaroa, Mangomii. Otamatea, Whaiigurei, Hobson, Hokianga, Tarar.aki, Clifton. Westland, Wain*ea. Grev, 2 In.uigahua, and tiuller Counties. Under this amendment an Order-in-Council may confer the authority upon any council.

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