POLITICAL GOSSIP

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11046, 1 November 1921, Page 5

POLITICAL GOSSIP

PRESS GALLERY NOTES w£rk OF PARLIAMENT. GAMING BILL ON WEDNESDAY. FINANCIAL 'STATEMENT, THURSDAY. The Legislative Council and the House of Representatives both meet at 2.30 this afternoon. The Government measures to be dealt with to-day are the Law of Libel Bill, the Hunter Gist Bill, the Patents and Designs Bill, and the Cook Islands Bill. They appear on the Order Paper in the order given above, but that is, of course, subject to variation. The Ganyng Bill, it ha* been definitely decided, is to be dealt with to-morrow. The bill empowers the granting of twenty-eight additional •otalisator permits, but dues not decide heir allocation. A pricking of the eard indicator that, if there is “an unholy alliance,’’ between members whose districts would be deprived of racing days under the Gaming Commission’s report and the members who oppose any increase in the number of permits, the bill will be defeated; and thA defeat of the measure would- be “the! end of the section” so far as the Commission’s report is concerned. It has been definitely decided that tho Financial Statement is to be brought down on Thursday. LAND AGENTS' BILL. MINISTER ON MR HAROOURTS COMMENTS. “My attention has been called to certain remarks by Mr S. Harcourt condemning the provisions of the Land Agents Bill” stated the Minister for Internal Attains (the Hon. W. Downie Stewart) to a “Times” reporter yesterday. “This bill was introduced at Hie request of the Land Agents’ Association of New Zealand, and the clauses imposing conditions . on land agents were included in the bill at the request of the land agents. There are only one or two clauses on which the land agents desire to be heard, but no attempt has been 'made to impose the bill on the land agents; and, if Mr Harcourt is authorised to speak on their behalf, so far as the Government is concerned, there is uo need for the measure to be proceeded with. As, however, representations have been received from Auckland and Dunedin asking for the bill, it is somewhat astonishing that at this stage Mr Haroourt should make such hostile comments on its genera] tenor.*’