PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22329, 1 August 1934, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

NOTES FROM PRESS GALLERY (From Oub Parliamentary Reports*.) WELLINGTON, July, 31’ SUGGESTION OF STRIKE-BREAK-ING. The Labour situation at the Alexander Mines on the West Coast was the subject of an urgent question by Mr P. C. Webb in the House of Representatives today. Mr Webb asked the Minister of Public Works whether he was aware that the officers of his department were being used as recruiting agents for. labour. for the Alexander Mines where the miners were at present on strike., for a restoration of the 10 per cent, cut which was recently restored to the Waiuta miners, and whether he would instruct his departmental officers to discontinue - the practice. . He added. that the following notice had been posted . over . the signature of the district, engineer at the Waitaki hydro electric works; —“The following telegram has been received. ‘We are looking.for -10 good quartz miners. Can you assist us obtaining? Letter follows. Sighed Lee, secretary Alexander Mines.’ Appiichtidns will be received by the overseer," Mr.Bignell, from whom further particulars will be obtainable. on receipt of the letter above-mentioned.” .' >v' The Prime Minister, in the .absence of the Minister of Public Works, said that Mr ( Bitchener was at- present visiting Waitaki. He advised Mr Webb to consult him about the matter when he returned. ,v vik ,

REQUEST,FOR ASSISTANCE. ..' The difficulties faced- by single-'Maori men in Taumutu. Southbridgey wefe,:'ttiehtioned in the House of Representative# to-day by Mr.E, T. Tirifeatene, >y.hp-ad-dressed an urgent question to - the Acting Minister of Employment..:. ,(Mf.,/ : iJ t ,A. Yqung)_ asking him to make provision for relief work for these men. , IF had " 1 m'£h had been paying their levy, althbngh’they nad not received relief work since August last. - j-'. •

The. Minister, in reply,, said he would investigate the complaint.,

IMPOSITION OF; CURFEW-/ “ The curfew. is -a ■ relic; .ofj-the Norman conquest of England and was introduced by William the Conqueror who invaded England in' 1066 and established' Norman ascendancy,”' declared MV W. E. Parry, amidst laughter in the House this: afternoon. He was referring to the conditions imposed by an Auckland ’magistrate when certain persons, were prosecuted. by the police on charges- arising the “ Free .Speech J Vcampaign, on which subject he addressed, an urgent question to the Minister of Justice.; (Mr J. G. Cobbe). - . Mr; Parry asked, whether the Minister had noticed that the curfew-was part of the punishment inflicted , and whether be would take steps,to have the sentences reviewed.-'-, "; :V -.-CV.-;,. >

“The only information I have is what has appeared in the newspapers,” replied Mr Cobbe. “ Curfew ” was something put at the , top of the report by-a newspaper. The magistrate did not say' it was a curfew. '■ - ■■■. , A Labour., member: It j s - the Isame thing. ■ , .

.The Minister said that one of the, terms of probation was that the persons should not be, out after 7 p.m. \ ■> . Mr: Jones: Have they got to go to bed? Another Labour member--Can’t'they go to church?' . . , ■ I. -‘r V. - ■

WAS PENSIONS!"' ,N6tic«' of- his intention' v to ; ihtrbciUqe the War Pensions Amendment ?Bill was' 'given by Mr, J. A. Lee : (Grey Lynn) in the Houife of Representatives, to-day, lu an interview Mr Lee said his -Bill - proposed that a pension --be given, to. any invalfd aqldierprovided such soldier I cbn-,, sented to’ 5 avail himself of the treatment prescribed and supplied by the Pensions Department, and provided ’ big disability, was ’not aggravated' by wilful neglect of such treatment. . The Bill' would-also remove the disqualification imposed on the widows of soldiers whose marriage, ocr curred more than two years after , the diite of the soldier’s discharge in, cases where death was assumed-tb be due to War- causes; - ■ Mr Lee said that details of the Bill would be finally considered after Consultation between all npn-Cabipet returned soldier members of . the House and the New Zealand; Executive,.of Kthe Returned boldiers’ Association. .The . Returned’ Soldiers’ Association’s conference had agreed to support the objects of the BillV RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN - - ■ SCHOOLS.. - ■ A plea for. the continuance of the’ present free, compulsory, - and secular character of the New Zealand education system and the throwing out of the. Rebffions Instruction dn Schools EnablingBill .was made in .a petition presented to the House of _Representatives to-day by Mr R. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs! on behalf of 11 men, all of whom are connected- with Victoria-' University College. The names attached to the ’-petition- arc' as .follows:—Professor- Hhß-.- Kirk; Professor H. Mackenzie,’ Professor W. H. Gould, Professor F; P, Wilson, Mr D. W. M'Elwain, ' Professor, T. A. Hunter, Mr A. D. Monro, Dr I. L.. G. Sutherland, :Mr G. S. Peddle, Professor E. J. BoydWilson, and Sir A. C. Keys. . It is stated-in -the'petition that' the proposed Bill is an attempt to destroy the secularity- of : the State school- system, and. that to pass .the Bill '.would be to abandon the attitude,of neutrality that the State has hitherto adopted to religious issues, to expose . teachers ,to serious risks and to', inflict a grave jn- : justice on denominations and'individuals unable to share: in the religious "observances or . religious instruction proposed by the Bill.”- - The passing of the Bill-v wouid .also “ embarrass and perhaps destroy .the .Nelson system, under which ,.of children are now voluntarily receiving genuinely religious instruction from competent religious teachers without pressureor responsibility of. any. kind oh the part of the State, and that instead of -removing these facilities'it should ■be the aim of the Legislature to give them the widest possible extension.” - TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION. Attention to what he described as,* serious defect ih transport administration was drawn by Mr A. B* Ansell. (Chalmers) in the House of Representatives -today. ' Mr Ansell said that the. Transport Co-ordination' Board had been. _brought * into being’ last session as . 'an advisory body, but it was also appointed to -be anappeal board, which was.a most undesirable combination of duties.;-; Itsbould be confined to an investigation, of. transport 'problems, . generally and in . particular districts. If it did it. would have its hands full enough' without 1 attempting the job of an appeal board, which ought’ to be entrusted to a separate and independent board. The presentposition was that the co-ordination board to. all intents-and ’purposes s tnade the! law, and the same body adjudicated emit. Moreover,, its decisions were final.. A board so constituted could, not considerappeals in a judicial manner. An appeal board should be a higher anthofity, with a senior’magistrate or .judge a*' chairman. Very important questions regarding the interpretation of the transport. law came before the. Co-ordination Board, the members of which had not the ability to act as adjudicators. A; huge amount of public arid private money was involved in-the transport industry, and it was essential that the remedy Ch« suggested should be applied. ;