MANY QUESTIONS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1308, 23 April 1918, Page 5

MANY QUESTIONS.

MINISTERS' REPLIES. Vret* Atsociation. WELLINGTON, April 22. A supplementary Order Paper just issued includes the following replies by Ministers to questions put during the recent short session of Parliament:— That where the Government is concerned, preference of employment will be given to returned soldiers. Already 2024 returned soldiers have received employment in the Public Service. That legislation is being prepared to deal with possible operations of the Meat Trust in New Zealand. That the Board of Trade is making inquiries into increases in the price of footwear, and proposes to submit a schedule for the standardisation of footwear as to quality and price. Replying to Mr McCallum's question as to whether the Liquor Restriction Act would be amended so that justice might be done to the lessees of hotels whose tenures expired shortly after the passing of the Act, but who had paid considerable sums for goodwill entitling them to renewal without any further payment on that account, the Prime Minister states that it is not considered advisable to so amend the Act.

Replying to questions. Sir Joseph Ward states that consideration will be given to the advisability of giving trustees empowered to lend only on freehold or some other specific class of security, additional power of lending on war bonds and certificates.

Sir James Allen replies to nuestions as follows:—

The Fourth Brigade was broken no prior to the present offensive. This course was due to military reasons, not to any lack of reinforcements.

That, as America is now doing all it can in the production of aeroplanes, no good purpose could be served by trying to place an order in America for a thousand aeroplanes for presentation to» the Imperial Government.

That the Government does not intend to remove General Robin from the position of Commandant of the New Zealand Forces. That there is no intention to release Schloss from Somes Island. That General Godle*' is still in France in o>mmiand of the corps of which the New Zealand divisions form a part, and that General Sir A. H. Russell is in command of the New Zealand Division. That it would be unreasonable to expect the State to continue payments to relatives where soldiers on active service are sentenced to terms of imprisonment. That returns have been prepared and will shortly be issued showing that there is not a larger proportion of sickness and deaths in the military camps than among New Zealand civilian population.

That no information is available as to whether the Imperial authorities intend to issue a medal for the Gallipoli campaign, but the Australian and New Zealand Governments contemplate issuing a Gallipoli star. The Hon. W. H. Hcrrics slates that Mr Ililey's re-engagement as General Manager of Railways has not been discussed by Cabinet. Si! - William Fraser states that, owing to the money scarcity, there is no likelihood of further*'hydroelectric undertakings being gone on with until after the war. The Hon. G. W. Russell replies that it will be impossible to regrade the Public Service until the return of at least a large number of the public servants who are at present on active service. That as the question of Commissioner control is one of policy, it cannot be considered until after the war. That nassports are allowed by the Home Governments to be issued only in cases of extreme urgency, and wives of soldiers are debarred from them. The Hon. I). 11. Guthrie, in reply to a question as to whether the Government will prevent persons of enemy alien races acquiring the freehold of land in New Zealand, says that Part 1 of the War Legislation Act deals with the matter, and the Government is taking the necessary steps.