A Parliamentary Note-Book

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 212, 26 November 1927, Page 5

A Parliamentary Note-Book

Summer Lassitude | (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter. f WELLINGTON*. To-day. ; A hot summer day, with the mid ! afternoon sun streaming through th. windows of Parliament and Altering j into the chamber, did not put mem ; Iters to a greater effort, but persuaded j them to dreary debate on minor Gov- ■ ernment Bills, and the result of the ; day’s sitting of the House of Kepre ! sentatives, measured in statue record. : was not great. | The Cinematograph Films Bill was i introduced. It provides for the exhibition of quotas of Empire-madt i films and for a tax on the gross receipts from the renting of the films, the tax giving a measure of preference to New Zealand and other Em pire productions. The Bill will not be considered until next session. The Education Reserves Amend ment Bill. Native Lands (“washingup”) Bill, Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill and Government Rail ways Amendment Bill, wore passed through the final stages, the House adjourning at 1.5 a.m. till this morn- j ing. when a short sitting will be hold till 1 o'clock to clean up a little more of the already meagre order paper. The Supplementary Estimates probably will appear on Monday. In the Legislative Council the Public Sorviie Bill and tin- Rent Restriction Continuance Bill were passed. What of Licensing? Something a little more definite about the Licensing Bill may eventu ate early next week. Yesterday sevi ral Reform members, who favour the two-issue ballot, saw the Prime Minis-! ter, but learned very little. However, they hope to get some itiformti- j tion when the House reassembles I after the week-end. It is stated that j those opposed to the prohibitionist party in the House stated their will- j ingness to '‘bury the hatchet” over the tenure and two-issue question pro-; vided the prohibitionists would agree I to the retention of the 55 per cent, majority. These proposals, however, were rejected. Committees Closing Down One of the most healthy signs that the end of the session is near is the presentation to the House of Representatives of the final reports of j select committees, indicating that no more work will be undertaken by i these bodies during the remainder of ! this session. Several committees ; have already presented their final reports, and it is expected that the , remainder will be down on Monday j or Tuesday. It is too late for Bills j to be referred to committees, and then be reported back to the House. ! and any Bills introduced after this will either get a quick run through or go i into the void of legislative nothing-1 ness, commonly referred to by members as “the slaughter of the inno- j cents.” n j “Buy New Zealand.” While walking along the Auckland waterfront recently a representative ! of an Auckland firm of wireworkers noticed a consignment of wire net-; ting addressed to the New Zoaland Railways Department, and bearing the ( mark of a Canadian firm. The repre-! sentative put into operation the political machinery, and had the question; raised ill the House to-day by Mr. F. N. Bartram, who suggested that with j so much unemployment still prevalent local manufacturers should he considered, and that the Government j should not set a bad example to the J people in the purchase of foreign J goods. The Prime Minister, the Right Hon. .T. G. Coates, acknowledged that, all tilings being equal, there was no reason why the New Zealand good ; should not be purchased. With this qualification, he thought Hie Government should trade within the Dominion.