PARLIAMENT

Southland Times, Issue 20897, 5 October 1929, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

LAND LAWS

AMENDMENT BILL DISCUSSED. CONSIDERATION OF ESTIMATES RESUMED (Abridged from Press Association Message.) Wellington, October 4. The debate on the Land Laws Amendment Bill was continued in the House of Representatives in the early hours of this morning. , , ' THE REV. C. J. CARR (L., Timaru) advocated the employment of farm workers on the group system to-' settle the land with the assistance of the Government. He stated the Bill did not say what was to be the manner in which the loan should be repaid but he suggested that the annual payments should be light at the outset and be increased as the settlers got. on their feet. He considered the Bill had little new in it and ho wished the Minister good luck with it. Ho would do all he could to assist Mr Forbes. MR H. E. HOLLAND (L., -Buller) said there seemed to be unanimity in support of the Bill and he could not understand why it was being held up. He agreed that there was little new in it. He thought the Government should go right ahead and employ those out of work in preparing the land. He could not see any reason for the repeated references to the need for the vestigation. If the Lambs Department did not have adequate information as to the possibilities of land it would seem that that Department had not been doing its work. THE HON. G. W. FORBES stated he considered that all the points raised could be dealt with during the committee stage. The Bill was then read a second time and the House rose at 3.30. Arms Act. When the House of Aepresentatives met at 10.30 a petition was read praying for the repeal of the Arms Act. MR W. E. PARRY having asked to be relieved of duty owing to the pressure of other business Mr Veitch moved that he be replaced on the Transport Committee by Mr H. G. R. Mason. The motion was adopted. The House decided to meet on Mondays for the remainder of the session. The Estimates. The House went into Committee of Supply on the Estimates. ply on the Estimates. Discussion pub-lished-elsewhere. The House adjourned at 1 p.m. In the afternoon the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research estimate (£63,760) was passed. Members emphasized the importance of the Department's work, and Mr 11. E. Holland (Buller) said he trusted that in view of the brevity of the time available to, consider the estimate this afternoon the House would bo given a later opportunity to discuss the subject. The Minister stated it would be possible to do so when the Department’s report was presented. The House rose at 5.30 till 7.30 p.m. on Monday. PULLMANS FOB PIGEONS ENGLISH HOMING TRAFFIC. Special corridor trains for pigeons are run for the handling of the 15,000,000 homing pigeons that travel on British railways during the pigeon-racing season. The trains are equipped with central heating, electric light, and torpedo ventilators, and a pigeon expert travels with each train to provide the .birds with food and water. The coaches are windowless and can often be distinguished by the faint cooing sound coming from them. Each coach costs £lOOO and holds twenty-seven baskets, and as twenty pigeons usually go in oner basket, each van holds about 540 passengers at a time. So popular has pigeon racing become that railways print a time-table for pigeons only. Railwaymen all over the country cooperate in the sport, for it is the porter’s duty to release the birds upon their arrival at their destinations. The L.NJ3.R. deals with 1800 pigeon baskets from the North every week, while, in One day during the season the LALS, runs seventeen "pigeon specials.” The largest train on record is one that carried 15,000 birds from the North of England to Bournemouth.