PARLIAMENT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10737, 30 August 1913, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Per Press Association. . Wellington, August 29. The House met at 2.30. The Perpetual Trustees Estate and Agency Company Amendment Bill was read a third time and passed. The Church of England Trusts Bill wa& read a second time. The McDougall Trust Estate Bill was read a third time and passed. In reply to Mr Russell, the Prime Minister said that the matter of giv-' ing "the" Dominion* representation at the Panama Exhibition was still under \ consideration. Enquiries were be'ing made, but no definite decision had been arrived at. THE EPIDEMIC. Mr Myers asked if the Minister of Health had noticed the serious allegations made by the member for the Bay of Islands as to the conditions obtaining in the northern districts in respect to the smallpox epidemic? The Minister, in replying, said that ever since the disease broke out the department had treated it- as smallpox. There were some doctors, including one at Whangarei, who still expressed their doubts ,but he was advised that it was smallpox. At first it was thought that the disease was a form of smallpox in Australia,and New Zealand, but now the doctors in both cases werff agreed that it was smallpox, The House went into committee of supply to consider the estimates. The House met at 7.30, the debate on the items of the Estimates under the heading of Legislative Departments being continued, the discussion being of a desultory nature. On the Railway Estimates. Mr Russell protested against the whole of these estimates being taken under one vote. He asked what .the Minister intended to do to improve the position of the men in the first division of the service, and what he proposed -to do about the second express to Auckland. The'Minister replied that unless.it could be used for the Exhibition traffic it was a'doubtful proposition, even then, and he complimented Mr Herries upon his courage in "stopping the waste that was going on while the second express was running. - In reply to Mr Russell,the Ministeis said he hoped' to satisfy the. employees in the first division ; -He was bringing down new regulations, and a new Bill with a schedule which he believed'would be satisfactory to both the House and the railway servants. With regard to suburban traffic, he said it would cost between £3ooo'and £4COO to do all that was required in Wellington while there were heavy demands in other parts of the Dominion, and he proposed to borrow sufficient money-next year to meet the demands all round. Mr Herries hoped to have a system of alarm bells at level crossings, and he also hoped to secure the -assistance ol local bodies in. the matter. If be fell in. with the wishes of members, the cost would amount to something like two millions for the installation of the necessary appliances. - The railway vote passe d unamended. . . The House rose at 1.50.