A MATTER OF PROCEDURE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6995, 8 December 1909, Page 8

A MATTER OF PROCEDURE

Exception was t.ken by Mr J. C. Thomson to a report submitted by the Petitions Committee, dealing with, a request by settlers in the Auckland district. The- committee, he considered, when dealing with public works such as roads and, -bridges votes, should simply report thereon that it had no recommendation to m'xkc, not, as in the case under notice, that- the request be referred to the Government for consideration. , If the course he suggested were carried out, the matters would be left in the har.ds of the Public Works Department. They knew that r'persons went before the committee, and made ex parte statements, and it was very rarely, that an engineer of the department was called in. It w'as a mistake for the committee to have reported as it had done. Mr F. \V. JUang pointed. out that if the committee. did not - mate a recommendationi, the request did not go before the Government. The "complaint of Mr Thomson was endorsed by Mr A. W. Hogg, who emphasised the amount of time wasted in the House discussing questions which should .bs dealt with by the Public Works Department.