PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19529, 11 July 1925, Page 17

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

NOTES FROM PREgS GALLERY. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 10. FUSION. Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party, asked the Prime Minister in the House if he would make a statement respecting the negotiations between the Reformers and the Liberals. He said that the Prime Minister knew that the position in the House was extremely unsatisfactory and that while the Liberals were recognised as the Opposition they were not functioning. If an arrangement had been made the country should know it. The Prime Minister replied that ho would be very pleased to comply with the request at a later date. Ho was not prepared to make a statement at the present time. Mr Holland must possess his soul in patience. Mr Holland: The armistice is still on. DANGEROUS CROSSINGS. Replying to Mr MTlvride (Napier), who asked a question about railway level crossings, apropos of the recent accident in which a charabanc at Napier was cut in two by a train and several children injured, the Prime Minister replied that a certain sum of money had been allocated by way of railway improvement moneys for the purpose of overcoming the source of danger at level crossings. He was afraid it was impracticable to got rid of all these within the near future. There was not the money at their disposal to do it. He knew the locality of this accident quite well, and it was an extraordinary thing that the accident ‘should have happened at all, seeing that there was a dear view on both sides of the crossing, and any approaching train could be easily seen. The department was taking the most dangerous crossings first. The public should take every care to avoid risk of an accident. They should do exactly as the crossing notices indicate —stop. Then there would bo no danger of an accident. CASH SYSTEM ON RAILWAYS. Mr F, J. Roileston has given notice to ask the Minister of Railways whether the Government will, in order to facilitate trade and assist both town and country residents, institute a cash on delivery system on the New Zealand railways. He states that under this system goods may be forwarded by rail and theit price collected from the purchaser on the goods being delivered to him by the railways, the money so collected being subsequently paid over by the railway authorities to the sender. It is understood that the system has been introduced on the railways in some of the Australian States and other countries, and has been found to he a great convenience.