LAST WEEK'S WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17622, 8 November 1920, Page 8

LAST WEEK'S WORK.

% ... „ * SOME IMPORTANT MATTERS.

SLOW PROGRESS MADE. BANK OF NEW ZEALAND BILL. [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Saturday. All hope that the session would end i this week was dissipated early in the proceedings. Monday and the greater part of Tuesday were devoted to one Bill each and at that pace it was obviously impossible to conclude * the. business then standing on the Order Paper. As the days went by and neither the Finance Bill nor the Loan Bill appeared, it soon became perfectly plain that it would be necessary to break into next week. While a fair amount of business was put through there was not entirely that atmosphere of expedition that generally characterises. the dying stages of the session. Monday afternoon was a particular case in point. The greater part of the time up to the dinner adjournment was devoted to the discussion of the reports of select committees. Some of these reports were of an important nature, and could hardly be permitted to pass without comment by members whose constituencies were affected. It was hardly to-be anticipated, however, that with a speedy conclusion of business supposed to be the objective, the entire afternoon would be occupied in i this fashion. j One important question a day was the j order of business from Monday up to j Thursday. First came the Rotorua Town ! Lands Bill, which, for about the third'' time since its appearance, ran the gaunt- : let of _ the leaseholders' criticisms. As it j was virtually the same ordeal as that endured by the Te Aroha Crown Leases > Bi,U some ; weeks beforehand, the debate ! did not reveal much that was new. The i Bank of New Zealand Bill accounted for I most of Tuesday'* sittings. After it went. : through a number of minor Bills received summary treatment. ] Education was the main topic on Wednesday, but it was not reached until I the Labour members had aired their ob- ! jections to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill. It con- ' tained two clauses which they considered objectionable. The Minister promised to i .withdraw one. The other, however, he: wished to retain. The Bill had just been reported from the Labour Bills Committee. As they could get' only onehalf of what they wanted the Labour members embarked in the not un- j familiar task of " talking out '* the re- 1 port, which they succeeded in doing with I a comfortable margin to spare. The Edu- j cation Bill necessarily involved a debate ' of considerable length, but the measure I generally was welcomed. " • I For several nights preceding Thursday I the ■ galleries had been unwontedly full, j This did not necessarily indicate growing ; interest in the general business of Parliament. Neither was there any special interest in the . item in the various Order Papers. For instance a considerable number of people sat through the who'e discussion on the Bank of New Zealand Bill, without necessarily being concerned'about finance. They were, of course, waiting for the Marriage Amendment .Bill to come before the House. " This happened on Thursday, and so keen was the interest in # the proceedings that the ealleries were occupied until after one o'clock in the morning. The discussion was one of the most vehement during th© session, with interest keyed. up to a high pitch throughout. Though the Prime Minister early in the proceedings declared that the question was quite clear of party lines and party pledges, it was debated largely on party lines. Those who did not see "eye to eye with those among whom they sat, very generally satisfied themselves bv recording a silent vote. ." u Friday and to-day were usefully occu-' pied in earing the Order Paper of "smaller Bills. The =f pressure was not heavy on either day, but a considerable amount of business was concluded.