PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14898, 29 July 1910, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

NOTES FROM THE PRESS GALLERY. (From Our Own Cobrbspohdeiw.) WELLINGTON, July 28. Proposals for amending the section of the act in tile direction of requiring greater regularity of school attendance are under consideration. ' THE TARIFF. It is not intended to. bring up the tariff for revision this session. Before any attempt is made .to alter the import duties on tiitiber many interests will have to be carefully considered. INDUSTRY OR SPECULATION. While Mr Okey was .pleading for assistance to the oil industry in Taranaki last night Sir Joseph Ward interjected: To assist industries is one thing; to assist speculators is another. Mt Okey: In thft case you would not be assisting speculators. Sir Joseph: I don't know about that. / PUBLIC SECURITIES. The' total public securities belonging to the Post Office, Government , Insurance, Public. Trust', State Guaranteed Advances Office, the Sinking Fund Commissioners, the State Fire Insurance, and the Treasury held in tho Dominion are £22,211,453, and- in London £5,865,058. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL NOMINA- . . 'HONS. " Mi' Anderson is.to ask the Government whether it will, when submitting l to the Governor the names of gentlemen for appointment to the Legislative Council, consider the claims of Southland to representation in that Chambex He states' that -at' present thgre is not a Southland' gentleman in the Legislative Council. The Hon. Mr Baldey, who was a resident of Southland when he was appointed to the Council some years ago, has Tehioved to Wellington. MINISTERS' TRAVELLING ALLOW- ' . ANCES. . Some pertinent remarks anent the allowance made to Ministers of the Crown whilst travelling, were made by Mr Wright, M.P. for Wellington South, today. ■ It was noticeable, he sai'd, that Ministers required very little excuse to make lengthy tours. Not so very, long ago the Prinic Minister went as far as Kailcoura to open a bridge. ; Other Ministers had gone much further to attend matters of even less importance—in fact, only two-penny half-penny things from his point of • view. The heads of departments, for instance, might very well perform such ceremonies, and thus leave Ministers free • to : attend their dopartrii'ents. Whilst travelling Ministers received 30s per day in the way of allowances, but why he could never understand,' for they did not have to pay railway ' fares., and the best hotels in the country did not charge more than 15s per day. If Ministers were careful, and he believed that they were all teetotallers —(laughter),—they could save out of their travelling rJlowances from IBs to 20s per day. Mr T. E. Taylor: What a glorious prospect for Government members! He lis looking ,to the time when he will be there.—(Further laughter). ' AN UNJUST ACCUSATION. According to Mr Wright, ALP. for ■ Wellington ■ South, Government members were , not fair when , they accused members of the Opposition of having 'opposed progressive measures. He remarked in the House to-day that the present Government, which he described as the Government, did.not pass the Advances to Settlers Act; the Oldage Pensions Act, or many other measures for which they always look credit. If tliey were. so willing to take credit for what their political fathers did, why did they decline to take the blame for the errors made by their immediate cessors in office?.' Then, ..again, ; it .had to.be remembered that only a few of the present members of the Opposition wero in the House when the measures in ouestion were passed. He' thought that there I were not more than three of the present Opposition members, in- Parliament at that time. "No one," he'added, "had any tight to blame the present occupants o f the. Opposition benches for what ;-was done on their side formerly. Why, there are now on the Government side itself members who were formerly in the ranks of the Opposition." JOTTINGS. •' "As • far- 'as I can' gather the only ■ones who have any faith in the Government's Native land , policy are the Native element in the. ministry."—Mr Peaice. M.P. for Patea, in the'. House yesterday. "There does not appear to be much .difference now as to the policy , of the Government' and the Opposition on the ■land question,", remarked Mr , Wright, -M.P. for Wellington South in the House yesterday.. Mr Wright went on to say that the only difference as far as he could see was that whilst the .Opposition' was going bald-headed for' freehold, the Government was proceeding with wigs for the same objective, the only braie upon them being the leasehold element in their party. l