POLITICAL GOSSIP

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10639, 12 July 1920, Page 5

POLITICAL GOSSIP

HOUSE AND LOBBY TALK JOTTINGS FROM THE PRESS GALLERY. HUGE DEMANDS: £100,000,000 INVOLVED. A rough estimate of the total amount of the huge demands being rnado upon the Treasury, showed, stated the Prime Minister, to a deputation from the Home Service League which waited on him on Saturday morning, that about £100,000.000 was involved in tho claims advanced since the beginning; of the session. '"Vou don't mean that it is the claim for tho military." _ interposed a member of the deputation. ''Good Heavens, no!" replied the Prime Minister. He added that It was quite impossible to find all tho money that was asked for. No country with the small population and -tho enormous liabilities of New Zealand could possiblv do it. But tho Government would "do its best with regard to all the" claims that were being made upon it, and would see that justice was done. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. This week one of the first duties bf the House of Representatives is likely to be tho election of a Chairman of Committees. Hitherto during this session Mr A. S. Malcolm (Clutha) has been temporarily appointed whenever a Chairman of Committees has been required; but a chairman could not be appointed in the usual way for the term of the Parliament until the no-confidence amendments had been disposed of. No doubt of Mr Malcolm's appointment to the post is entertained. AIM OF REPRESENTATION. "The proportional representation svstem is mechanically perfect," declared Mr A. S. Malcolm (Clutha) in the House of Representatives last week. "But," he asked, "what is the'real aim of all representation?" Mr A. MeNicoll (Pahiatua): Good government Mr Malcolm: Quite so. A Labour member: Democratic government. Mr Malcolm: "No, I say no, that is wronf." Proportional representation, he added, would result in no party having a majority, and would lead, to chaos. People were apt to forget that Parliament was hot so much a legislative assembly as an industrial Parliament. Each member in the country was an industrial manager, but under proportional representation that would disappear, for there would be no one man to refer to in each district. Mr W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) : You would have a member for each big district. Mr Malcolm: That's just the trouble. Mr Parry: "We would have a national assembly • instead of a parochial system. Mr Malcolm: And would be marking time for lack of a strong Government. ' Mr Parry: Give us the same system as for the Legislative Council. That will do 113. . Mr Malcolm objected that the Legislative Council -was elected for a very different purpose from that of the House of Representatives. GOOD LABOUR RECORD. Speaking in the Address-in-Reply lebate on Friday, Mr W. T. Jennings | (Waitomo) strongly challenged the claim of the Labour party to be the only representatives of the'workers in the House. Had any of the Labour men, he asked, a better labour record than his? "I am," he said, "a life member of 'a trade union, and you don't get that recognition for nothing. Tnave been president of the Trades and Labour Council of Auckland, and president of the Tramways Society, and I also havo fought the greatest possible fight on behalf of the women workers 25 years ago." ' RAILWAY READJUSTMENTS. It is estimated unofficially that the increased charges due to the readjust- , meat of wagea and conditions in tihe railway service will amount roughly to £750,000, the equivalent of an increase of £1 per veek to 15,000 employees. When the Government's decision in regard to the - readjustment is made known, it is considered likely that the Prime Minister Will at the same time indicate how the additional charges are to be met —how much by higher railway fares arid freights, and how much out of the Consolidated Fund. The whole amount may—many Bay it should —be raised by railway charges, and an all-round increase of 15 per cent, has been suggested. | MR WILFORD DUE BACK ON WEDNESDAY. The Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald (Liberal Leader) received a wireless message yesterday from Mr T. M. Wilford, Liberal member for Hutt, who is on the Tofua, stating that he expects to be in Wellington and take his seat in the House on Wednesday. LOST SHIPPING. Mr J. P. Luke (Wellington North) stated in the House that ho intended to ask the Prime Minister—(l) Whether the Government will ascertain the correctness or otherwise of tho statement appearing in the publio journals of tho United Kingdom that Great Britain lost 8,000,000 tons of her shipping during the recent war, and she is now- building 3,000,000 tons, one million of which tonnage is for the following foreign countries: France, Nor. way. Italy, Holland, Denmark, and Spain? (2) Whether tho Government will inform the House if there is any delay in completing ,tho orders for ships placed! in the United Kingdom for the Dominion 't (3) Whether, if hia investigations indicate that delays are experienced, lie will make representations to the Imperial Government to speed up the Dominion's requirements?