PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 28, 19 September 1914, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

[P«u Pasts* Abbooiaxion.]

Wellington, September 18. The Council met at 2.30 p.m.

The Customs Amendment Act was road a first time.

The Limitation of Imprisonment for Debt Amendment Bill was read a third time and passed. The second reading of the Tuakitoto and Kaitangata Lakes Amendment Bill was agreed to, and the Dunedin City Council Empowering Bill was read a second time.

A Bill to incorporate in shipping documents special provisions during the existence of a state of war was introduced by Hon. H. D. Bell and put through all stages, and passed. The Council adjourned at 2.5 V until Wednesday next.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

In reply to Mr Colvin, the Premier said he had received a report and recommendations from the Food-stuffs Commission as to' the price at which wheat and flour should be sold in New Zealand. That report should be submitted to Cabinet on Saturday or Monday at the latest, and when Cabinet had considered it, it would come into operation at once.

The House agreed, on the motion of Mr Hindmarsh, to amendment's made ■by the Legislative Council in the Limitation of Imprisonment for Debt Bill.

The House then went into committee of supply to consider railway estimates.

Resuming at 7.30 p.m.,' the House continued the discussion upon the Estimates’. The vote of £3,030,000 for working railways was taken. Replying to questions, Mr Massey said he hoped to remedy the shortage of rolling stock before next season. The positions of the men who had gone with the expeditionary force were being filled by casuals. The motor train which had been tested was not strong enough, but another was on order. In further replies to questions, Mr Massey said the reduction of profits was attributable to increases in 'salaries totalling nearly £IOO,OOO, and the industrial troubles. It was not anticipated that a reduction in freights could be given. Taking the average, there were more men employed this year than last. After a further brief discussion, the vote was passed. The Native Department vote of £23,727 was agreed to, after a brief debate.

The State Coal Mines vote, £268,810, Scenery Preservation £11,163, and Public Trustee’s account £39,612, were passed. The Government-Life Insurance Department vote of £72,869, and Government Accident Insurance, £7585, were passed. On the vote for the State Fire Insurance £22,591, Mr Russell moved that the amount of £SO, commission on profits to administrative and other officers, be struck out, as’ a protest against the principle of public officers receiving commission in addition to their statutory salaries. The Minister called for a division, 1 and in consequence had to vote against his own estimates. The voting was; For the amendment, 3 ; against, 36.

In reply to Mr Wilford, the Minister admitted that the Department had lost £3OOO in premiums since the issue ot the circular relieving borrowers' from the Advances Office of the necessity to insure in the State Office. The State Fire Insurance estimates wore passed at 1.40 a.m., and the House rose at 1.45 p.m.

PARTY POLITICS. Wellington, September 18. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher laid on the table a return showing the amounts paid to various newspapers for Government advertising during the past three years. His running comments thereon as he read out the items were such as to indicate that he wished to convey the impression that the administration of the present Government was more impartial than that of its predecessors.

Mr G. W. Russell rose to protest against what he regarded as a breach of the party truce. Fie was proceeding to refer to incidents in connection with the Bay of Islands electorate when ho was stopped by the Speaker, who insisted upon his confining his remarks to matters dealt with in the paper laid on the table.

Mr Russell regretted the decision, but said he would take another opportunity of referring to it.

Mr Wilford said the speech of the Minister was a deliberate trap to load the Opposition into a bitter personal wrangle. He hoped none of his side would fall into it. The Minister had been selected to do what, was evidently a congenial task. The Premier rose to protest against what he regarded as a most unfair insinuation. Hon. Fisher had not been selected to do anything that was not honorable. The return had been asked for. and had been laid on the table In due course. He was sorry that bon. members opposite had lost their temper, but so far as the truce was concerned lie was sick oi it. It was a sham. There had been party in everything the Opposition had done for the past month, and when they got it back they did not like it.

Hon. lluddo explained the advertising policy of the Ward administration. He claimed that there was no sense in advertising in every new paper that is established. 'The speech of the Minister was totally unwarranted. Mr Witty declared that.the Premier had been even more undignified than the Minister Af Marine. He asked the Premier to name a single instance in whirl) the Opposition had broken the truer.

Mr Atmnre criticised the Premier’s statement that ho was sick of the party truce. Ho further commented upon

the discourtesy, shown to Sir Joseph Ward on public occasions by the Premier. The Premier rose to deny that he had said he was sick of the party truce. What lie said was he was sick of the sham of a party truce.

Mr-Russell: That is a disgraceful thing to say. Mr'Massey, continuing, denied that Sir Joseph Ward had ever been deprived of his proper place on public occassions. Mr Forbes said it was ungenerous of the Premier to say that the truce had not been observed. The Opposition was pleased and proud to sink party, but the Premier had smiled approval on an attack upon the Opposition. Mr Ell said the Opposition had never called for a division upon a Bill, and had refrained from party criticism. The charge of partisan action made against the Opposition was quite unjustifiable. The debate was; continued on party lines by Messrs Ffanan, Isitt, McCallum, Buchanan, Colvin and My ere. Hon. FisTier, in reply, said his utterances had been prompted by the speech of the member for Avon on Friday evening, when he said that advertisements were being cut out of Opposition

papers. '■' The motion that the paper be printed was agreed to.