ABOUT PARLIAMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11511, 6 October 1915, Page 1

ABOUT PARLIAMENT.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY. f%Tde«;rapl]-...Spmal to tho t; Star.") WELLINGTON; October 6. EDUCATION" DISTRICTS. Replying 1.0 Mr Craig e in the House ibis altvnioon tlie Minister of Education -said the Cabinet did not agree with tiie recommendation of the Boundaries' Commishion to reuuee the number of education districts to .seven, and would introduce a. Bill to increase the number. It was not incumbent upon Mr Hanan, who did not hold office at tho time, to explain why a Commission was set up to settle this question if the Government was not prepared to accept its decision, but the member for Tiniaru, who has been fighting for the retention of the South Canterbury district, enjoyed his laugh all the same. ■WATCHING THE WORKERS.- _ Members were interested at question time when Mr Webb started reading a circular which he said had been issued by the Minister,,, directing the police to keep a close eye on the workers, with a view to discovering any manifestations of impending labour troubles. The member for Grey had not got half through h'.s task when he was interrupted by Mr Herdman on a point of order, and prevented going any further. He had read enough, howevei, to suggest that the Minister had not been altogether reassured by the recent semi-official assertion of the Labour leaders that another strike was not among the diversions the workers were promising themselves for the coming, season. NATIVE AFFAIRS. One or the Bills dealing with Native affairs, introduced by Mr Herries this evening, gave rise to a very interesting debate, which was opened by Mr Paruta with a fervent appeal for justice for,the South Island Maoris. Mr Parata repeated! the old and very true story that in the early days of European settlement the natives had sold some thirteen million ao»es of land for a paltry £2OOO, and that later on a further seven million acres had been taken from them for nothing. Mr Wilford. in a few temperate, earnest words, supported Mr Parata's appeal, and then Mr Payne, in quite his old style, said hard things about the missionaries and their treatment of the natives. IN DEFENCE. Mr Isitt took up the cudgels on behalf of tho missionaries, _ incidentally administering an unmerciful flagePation to the member for Grey Lynn. He eulogised in the warmest terms ! the good work done by the early pioneers of Christianity in this country, and especially the work of the men Mr Pavne held up to execration. Mr Ngata, with all the eloquence of his race, confirmed what Mr Isitt had said, and added on his own account, that the lay descendants of the . missionaries in his wide district had laboured unceasingly for tho welfare of the Maoris, and had earned the unstinted esteem and affwtion of the native people. THE SCRAP 0* PAPER. A very interesting debate was concluded by the Minister, who claimed that the "one purpose of his administration had been the betterment of tho Maori people and tho amelioration of their conditions. Warming to his subject, he declared that no other aboriginal race had been treated so well as the Maoris had been, .and was

proceeding to enlarge upon tlm ispect of the question when Sir Jamw; Carroll interjected -> \o\ yes. But there was the scrap of paper." An apt allusion to the Treaty of Waitangi, bat, was readily appreciated by the, douse. Mr Hcrrics could not promise aU Mr Parata hnd demanded, but he fore- i shadowed legislation to be introduced • ext session to make_ better provision for the landless Maoris. CLOSE OF THE SESSION. Friday is still the day tipped for the close of the session, but even Mr Massey cannot say how the Order Paper is'going to be cleared in time to allqw members' to eat their Sunday dinner at home.