POLITICAL NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9784, 6 October 1917, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES

SIX O’CLOCK CLOSING FINAL PROTEST BY LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBER. Six o’clock closing as passed by the House of Representatives was approved of and passed with but one dissentient voice in tho Legislative Council yesterday. Tho only protest made against tho bill was that of the Hon. O. Samuel, who forcefully condemned tho hill as a whole as unjust and reprehensible. Tho breaking faith with a legitimate business without so much as a penny of compensation be described as dishonest. Tho pledge given to the representatives of tho trade at last election was, he said, hut a “scrap of paper.” Members preserved silence all through tho rapid passage of the hill, and with tho exception of tho Hon. J. Barr who replied to the Hon. O. Samuel, neither praised nor condemned tho measure. Shortly after Mr Samuel finished his address the bill was j>ut through with remarkable rapidity, and passed clause for clause, with drastic amendments. When the bill is finally sanctioned by the House of\ Representatives —it is hardly anticipated that there will he any further important alteration—six o’clock closing will come into operation on December Ist next. LOCAL BILLS. • The Local Bills Committee reported to the House yesterday that it had considered . the Nelson Harbour Board Empowering Bill, and ■ recommended that it be allowed to proceed with amendments. A similar recommendation was made in respect to tbe Christchurch Milk Supply and Markets Amendment Bill. AN EXACTING CHAIRMAN. “Will Mr Malcolm tell mo what I can discuss?” asked the member for Wanganui desperately of the Chairman of Committees in the House last-night after a series of admonitions from that gentleman that the points touched upon by Mr Veitch were out of order. Mr Malcolm had ruled Mr Veitch out of order, as he was discussing matters of policy, had touched bn matters that should be discussed later on, had discussed matters gone by, and so on. In desperation, then, Mr/Fetich had put the above query to Mr Malcolm, who, however, only smiled and snook his head. Later, Mr McCombs found himselt up against the very severe Mr Malcolm. Mr McCombs at length wanted to know how he was out of order. Air Malcolm told him that he had kept to the subject fairly wed, but had wandered to matters of policy. Mr T. M. Wilford made it perfectly plain to Mr McCombs by telling him, he was “in the right church but in the wrong pew.” PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BILLS. A Labour member inquired of Mr Massey in the House of-" Representatives last night, when private members’ bills, particularly those of Labour members, would be considered. Mr Massey said the House had his assurance that they would have one day before the session closed for the consideration of private members’- bills. A SQUARE DEAL THAT WAS A ■ CELL. “Labour pdbple have looked ti> Air Massey’s Government to get a square deal,” said Air P- C. Webb in the House last night. i “You got a square <ieal, interject*ed Air Nosworthy, member for Ashburton. ' Air Wobb: “I got a square cell. Later possibly the hon. gentleman wall require a round cell and a padded one.” (Laughter and cries of .“Withdraw.”) '