POLITICAL.

Patea Mail, Volume XXXIX, 1 July 1914, Page 2

POLITICAL.

Parliamentary Notes. (Prom Our Special Reporter.) Wellington, Tuesday Nigh'J The Wellington Seats* Considerable interest was taken in the lobbies yesterday in the announces ment of the Reform candidate for Wellington and .Suburbs in place of Mr W H D Bell, one of the most promising young men on the Reform benches, who is retiring owing to pressure of business, as his father, the Hon. H D Bell, is in the Legislature which makes too big a drain on the business of the firm. It is generally conceded that the Government has lost a good and ready figh.er in Mr Bell.

The choice ol hia successor comes as a surprise to the Liberals in the person of Mr J P Luke, the present Mayor of Wellington. Hitherto Mr Luke baa been supposed to be a supporter of the Liberals and is now an example of another conversion to Eeform. Mr E A Wright will con f est Wellington South. He ran- Mr Eindmarsh very close at the last election, the figures being Hindmarsh

3598, and Wright 3344 in the second ballot. Numbers of members have not yet arrived, the Opposition bsnches being particularly empty. Immigration Law. Some important alterations in the 1 law relating to immigration will be proposed in the Immigration Eestiic-

f ion Amendment Act, 1914, notice of the introduo ion of which has been given by the Hon P M B Fisher. The principal clause in the new Bill will repeal sub-section I, section 14, of the principal Act, which grant exemption from the education test to people of British or Irish birth and parentage.

r --Q-• The repeal means that Hindus an I other Asiatics from countries within the British Eupire will no longer be able to claim right of entry to New

Zeeland on the score of their British nationality. The new clause dealing with conditions of entry into New Zealand will render it necessary for any person when ashed to do so by an officer of the Customs to write out and sign in ary European language

f elected by that person an application form which is to be written in the presence of the Customs officer. There must not be less than fif y words in the application, and the substance of the writing.ehall be from the dictatioi of the Customs officer. Twenty

minutes will be allowed for writing the fifty words. Electoral Reform. Keen interest is being taken in the proposed electoral reform. Apparently the Government intends to group the city electorates for proportional representation. The fight is likely to be a strenuous one. Naval Training.

Capt Hall Thompson is at present bard at work upon the details of the naval training scheme and the regulations. Ths number of men to be enlisted has not yet been officially determined, but it has been estimated that the training ship can aooommo* dace from 60 to 80 meu. The Legislative Connell. The Legitlative Council met at 2.30 when the Hon H D Ball introduced the Land Agents Bill; The Hon J Barr moved the Address in Reply. He spoke largely upon labour conditions and labour legisla* tion, urging that some attempt should be made for systematic casual labour and declared most strongly against the referendum on the Bible in Schools Bill, He urged the extension of the National Piovident Fund scheme to the needs of local bodies and promotion of a general social insurance scheme.

f The Hon CA 0 Hardy, in seconding the motion, declared that the price of land and the plane of living we.*e too high in New Zaaland. He complimented the Government upon (heir management of the strike and their administration of the Defence Act. He also strongly condemned the attempt to introduce the Bible in the schools. Under the present system the education was, be declared, not godless as proof of which he quoted largely from school books, s bowing frequent reference to a Supreme Being. The House. The House met at 2 30. Mr G M Thomson asked the Premier without notice if he would give the House the opportunity of discussing the Forestry Commission’s report-brought down in 1912, Mr Massey replied 'that if there was satisfactory progress with Government business an opportunity would probably be given. Leave of absence was granted Messrs Clarke and Dickie.

The Oiyil Service Officers Guarantee Repeal, Crimea Amendment and Defamation Bills were introduced by the Hon A L Herdman. The Hon F M B Fii-her introduced the Immigration Restriction Amendment, Loqal Elections, and Local E'eotions Proportional Representation Bills, and Mr Wilford introduced the Factories Act Amendment. The Fruit Preserving Industry Act,

“ Amendment and the Magistrates Own Consolidating and Amendment Bills were introduced by Governor’s m The ß Address-in-Reply debate was taken at 7.30 p.m-