PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18130, 30 June 1922, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

K BEIEF SITTING. DEATHS DURING RECESS. MOTIONS OF CONDOLENCE. QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS. IBX TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Thursday. The proceedings in Parliament to-day were of brief duration, the House of Representatives adjourning at 4 p.m., as a mark of respect to iho memory of deceased members and ex-members of the Legislature, the usual motions of condolence being carried. A number of questions were asked mi J. answered, including sevens dealing with the matter of the" salaries of Civil servants. Numerous petitions were &Jso presented. A few private members' Bills made their appearance. FLEA FOR THE BOOKMAKER. DELUGE OF PETITIONS. \tfJL ISITT PRESENTS ONE. tB'I TELEGRAPH. —3)?ECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Thursday.

Early this afternoon the House was iieluged with bulky petitions from persona asking for an amendment of the Gaming Act. The total number of signatures was about 30,000. There was a- good deal of merriment when such petitions were presented by membi&rs bitterly opposed both to bookmakera and to the totalisator. The laughter increased when one very bulky petition \ras presented by Mr. L. M. Lnti Mr. Isitt, in presenting the petition, said this petition purported to come from 1531 of bis constituents. He had glanced through it, and found that there were on it hundreds ol names .stretching from Dunedin U> Eketahuna. (Laughter.) There wc ,> whole pages on which he could not detect a name connected with his electorate,' Mr. H. Poland (Ohinemuri): They are idi you? supporters. (Laughter.)

TARIFF RECIPROCITY. AUSTRALIA AND DOMINION. OLD-AGE PENSION QUESTION Ist TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER.} WELLINGTON. Thursday. Replying to a question, the Hon. W. Downio Stewart said it depended to SDme extent on how long the Opposition took to debate the Address-in-Reply as to when the House would get the details of the reciprocity agreement with Australia. It was also to some extent a matter for tie leader of the House to consider in arranging the business tc be dealt with. Iforther, it was a matter of arranging with the Commonwealth Government to make the dates, when the agreements should be considered, coincide. As to reciprocity in regard, to old-age pensions, he had looked very carefully into that question before leaving for Australia, and had come to the conclusion tliat it would not be advantageous to Now Zesdand to pass an Act at the present 'i/raiictura. Experts he had consulted were jurreed that the basis of reciprocity was not entirely fair to New Zealand. The qiajstion wae also affected more generally bj the present financial position. NEW LABOUR MEMBER. MR. MUNRO SWORN IN, tBZ TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL SWO»A**.J WKLLO2*GTON. TkotiKi*;The Speaker to-day announced ih© *ICB- i - ttan ©i Mr. 3. W. Munro to repref&afc j the ';; Dunedin North., Mr. Munro, v»£l* wvi isoonsonsd by Me&vs. Hoiiand RSe took the oaife of alleswsce. -Vxosv immediately afterwards h* tor* U\ Jsm seat and aresaaicd a petition feist: » -woman in bis «UabfcS j praying for trite . Later, he en j the metier r> .a?iiing tha death qt Mr. E. Kelly* HCMICRATION POLICE . NOMINATIONS SMIY. \ [ST nKEiTUFEt.—SPECIAL liE-SORTER.! ! WEjLINGTON, Thursday. It has been stated that' advertisements have appeared in British newspapers lately announcing that there is ample work for artisans at good wages in the cities and towns ol ! New Zealand. This matter was mentioned in the House of Representatives by Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) who asked if the Minister in chargo of immigration would communicate with the High Commissioner on the subject in view of the large amount of unemployment hi the Dominion, The Hon. W. Nosworthy asked if it was suggested that the High Commissioner was advertising on behalf of the Dominion. Mr. Sullivan: The advertisement is signed, " Issued by the High Commissioner s Office, London." The Minister said he would ask the High IJommissioner for information on the point The Government at present, was not itssisting any immigrants outside the nornination system. The > immigrants were nominated by persons in New Zealand, and the Government had no intention of stopping that system. Immigration had not been restored to the pre-slump dimensions. ABANDONED STATE MINE. HIGH COST OF OPENING. • [by TELECBAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. Asked by Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) as to whsther it was proposed to sell the Government coalmine near Huntly in view of the fact that a quantity of the plant had been sold, the Hon. G. J; Andesson, Minister for Mines, said it was decided some time ago to close the mine. Some of the plant had been sold, and they were now negotiating for the sale of the remainder. He explained that it had been found that the original estimate for equipping th© mine was so much below what was found to be the ultimate cost of opening that it had been . decided not to go on. RELIEVING UNEMPLOYMENT TELEGRAPH CONSTRUCTION. [BX TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. Representations were made some weeks ago to the Postmaster-General by Mr. J. A. Young (Waikato) on the question of finding employment on telegraph reconstruction for men in the Hamilton district who are - now unemployed. The Minister has replied that so far as the Post and Telegraph Department is concerned the total number of men that can bo employed economically on such . work in the Auckland engineering ; district, which included Hamilton u 60, of whom approximately 20 will be obtained by transferring employees from ofeier branches of the department. The. Minister adds that authority has been ghren for .the remainder to be, obtained by employing applicants on a casual foot.: inV preference to be given to men living i in the vicinity of the places where tho i-wwk Wto be done. it is anticipated thafc a mmber of applicants will be so **J^ed M ««» Hamilton district