HOUSE AND LOBBY PARLIAMENT IN PARAGRAPHS

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12198, 24 July 1925, Page 5

HOUSE AND LOBBY PARLIAMENT IN PARAGRAPHS

One of the big events of the session, the delivery of the • Financial Statement, is fixed for to-night. The debate on the statement will commence on Tuesday night. * * * * Mr S. G. Smith has given notice of his intention to ask the Minister in charge of the State Advances Department the following question: “Is he aware that the period is about to expire under which many O.R.P. leases are held, and that if satisfactory financial arrangements cannot be made many deserving and hard working settlers will be penalised. In these circumstances will be cause inquiries to be made info such cases with a view to special consideration being given to such applications for State Advances loans?” *!■ * if* * # RENT RESTRICTION In the House yesterday Mt McCombs asked the Government if they would agree to an extension of the Rent Restriction Act, which would expire in about a week. So far as Christchurch was concerned the matter was particularly urgent. In 1921 there; were 10,000 people there living in ever-crowd-ed houses, and sines then the; number of houses built were scarcely sufficient to meet tho addition to the population. The Hon. Mr Anderson explained that he had already intimated that he was sorry to say this legislation would have to be extended. Ite had said so some weeks ago. The hon. gentleman, however, was wrong ill regard to the date. The present lak would not cease to operate until August 31st, so there was plenty of time to deal .with the matter. * * * *

It cost £1 Is lid in Auckland, £1 3s Id in Wellington, £l' 6s 4d in Christchurch, and £1 5s 6d at Dunedin for each £IOO added to the country’s coffers by the Customs > Department during the year ended March 31st last. The total amount collected was £B.515,401. and the average cost per cent, was £1 4s 3d. At Oamaru, where £lO,884 was paid over it cost tho department £5 9s 2d to get it in, and «t Kaipara, where the total was £6BB, only 12s 4d per cent. ••* • ■ #

THE RATANA BANK In the House yesterday Mr L. M. Isitt drew attention to the question of the welfare of the Maori' pee pie ip connection with the bank which the Ratana people had established o> were establishing. He said this present ed a seriouß menace to the Maori pea pie. One solicitor said that some of Ins clients had been absolutely stripped. The affair had reached such a position that he had refused to hand over some of his clients’ money. The Prime Minister said a very careful note had been made of the proposals qf the R,atana 'movement in connection with their bank. Quite a lot of information had been collected, and the hon. gentleman could be sure that if anything was done that called for Government interference action would be taken. At the moment they Lad nothing before them that would warrant their taking actio*. The Government wished to protect the natives wherever possible against anything of the kind that had been suggested, or anything wherever that would be detrimental to their interests. Officers had been told to watch very carefully the ramifications of this suggested bank. • • • • • In the Legislative Council yesterday Sir Francis Bell read a telegram which he had received from Sir James Carroll, intimating that his doctor would ?robablv allow him to present hinr.elf or duty at the end of the month. * * * * Mr S. G. Smith wantß to know when the Minister in charge of the State Advances proposes to introduce legislation for the purpose of removing the anomaly under which those persons who completed the purchase of their homes under the Workers Dwelling Act ore denied a clear title to the property, * « * » What Mr George Forbes regards as Sir Maui Pomare’s rather sparse knowledge of the hospitals districts reminds Mr Forbes of tbe traveler “who spends 24 hours in New Zealand and then goes away and writes a book on the country.” THE EGG AND THE POTATO There were not many women in the gallery of the,House of Represfentatives yesterday afternoon, but disbelief was written large * upon every face when Mr McCombs declared that a whole afternoon of a pupil’s time—in some of the Canterbury schools—was taken up in learning how to boil an egg, and another afternoon in acquiring \the art cf cooking a potato. It ie impossible to understand such prolonged effort, and so little result unless the Canterbury teachers are exceptionally poor, or their

pupils exceptionally stupid, and in view of an election in the offing the member for Lyttelton would be the last to agree with either suggestion. * « » * t. There was the usual discussion in the House of , Representatives yesterday afternoon on the attempt made by' the Minister for Education to present his annual report to Parliament. There was some criticism though members had not seen the report—djut generally the Minister was complimented from all sides of the House for his efforts in connection with education in the Dominion. Bouquets were tendered even from the Labour benches, and Mr Isitt from the Liberal —or rather the National side of the House—was especially complimentary. The member for Christchurch North said it was only the fair and square thing that the fact that Sir James. Parr, who had done such good wo’rk in the interests of the Dominion as a whole, should he congratulated. He had shown enthusiasm in securing us an educational system as good as wb had got. * * * * During the last three years the number of cases where grants have been approved for remodelling school build--ings has been—l 922-23, 42 • 1923-24, 65; and 1924-25, 66; total, 163. TEACHING HISTORY Says Sir) James Parr in his education report: “A special committee was set up last year to inquire into snd report on the course of instruction in history in the primary and secondary schools, to draft suggestions for a new syllabus in this subject, and to suggest general methods of teaching by which this subject could be given more prominence and taught more effectively. The committee consisted of representatives of the department, of the primary, secondary, and technical schools, and it has drawn up a valuable report. This has been printed and widely circulated. so that the curriculum and suggestions may be fully • discussed before any change ,is made. It is hoped that before the end of the year all suggestions and criticisms of the report of the history committee will be consolidated. The teachers who will be called upon to carry into effect any new programme that may be adopted will also, before the end of the year, be fully 'conversant with the new proposals, and the syllabus adopted should be,easily introduced in 1926 after the wide and informative discussions referred to have taken place.” * * * * He remembered a country school in which the pupils sat upon a kerosene •case laid on the side and another case standing on end formed the desk, said Mr R. P. Hudson (Motueka) yesterday, and when the teacher wished to put up the blackboard to illustrate a point he had to shut the door first. * * * * “I have been told that it was laid down that 12 square feet were needed for the healthy development of a duck, and in New Zealand there have been found two children occupying Jess space than is needed for the development cf two ducks,” remarked Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East) yesterday. “Well, we don’t want a poultry yard policy in education.” » • • •

“It’s an awful shame to see such beautiful country submerged,” remarked the Prime Minister yesterday when a deputation from the Kaituna River Board; waited upon him, to ask for money to prevent floods in the lower reaches of the Kaituna river country. “The best dairy country in New Zealand,” said the board’s chairman. The Prime Minister undertook to recommend to Cabinet that a eubsidy of £2 to £1 should be given up to £12,000 with the proviso that the department concerned 1 prepare a plan, and that this was favourable.

“If there is an apostle of stodge in this House it is the member for Egmont,” was the tribute which Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East) paid to, Mr 0. J. Hawken. “Is doesn't mattef what subject is being discussed he seems to take an attitude which is stodgy in the exSir James Parr: Solid 1 Solid! Mr Lee: Solid as wood. * * *

“The Minister for Labour wishes to know how many ounces there are in a 21b tin. For his information,” said Mr Masters, “I will tell him—32 ounces.”

The Minister for Mines had committed himself to refer the Stone Quarries Amendment Bill to the Mines Committee, said the Prime Minister last evening, and as the House had reported progress on the Bill in Committee this was not possible by the rules of procedure. Therefore the Bill, which was set down to be committed, would have to be dropped and reintroduced.