ABOUT PARLIAMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11512, 7 October 1915, Page 5

ABOUT PARLIAMENT.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY. COST OF LIVING. (By Telegraph—Special to ilic " Star. ) WELLINGTON. Last Nighi>. | The Cost ol Living Bill introduced l»y Sir Joseph AN ait 1 this afternoon. d not quite all tho nuuv democratic members of the Housn ha<l hoped d would be, is a. distinct advance upon any legislation ot the kin*' vet passed 111 this country. It provides for the establishment of a Boord of 'lmdo consisting of tho .Minister of- I ndusi.rtrs and Commerce, and two other members appointed by the Govornor-in-( ouncil, with power to report to Ins Lxeollenc.v upon ;mv complaint in regard to pxeessive prices. and upon any other matter affecting tho trade, industries and commerce of fhe country. .And it gives borough councils authority to establish milk supplies, refrigerating chambers, bakeries and briekmaking works. It is tlio clauses dealing directly wir.ii prices that chiefly concern the public, and those naturally have encountered some criticism. FIRST SIGI IT OBJECTIONS. "It boars too strong a. resemblance to the Regulation of Tntdc and Corn-n-.orco Act; o.t : last session to satisfy me,'' was the comment of one of the. Jdibour members. " 'The same obi machinery is there, cumbersome and slow, and l>v the tinio the. Board ol Trade has inquired into a. grievance, reported to the Governor and got authority to deal with the grievances the trader will have secured his excessive profit- and there will be nothing more to do about the matter. It- would have been far better to have appointed a capable business rann as commissioner, with full authority to fix prices by proclamation and so stop abuses at the vciy start. Tt would havo been autocratic, of course, but it would have been effective." MIuYfCfPAL TRADING. The proposal to allow borough councils to engage in the milk and bread trades is receiving almost unanimous approval. .Fvon the. champions of private enterprises admit that, the milkmen and tlio bakers would be all the better for a littlo municipal competition. The ba.ke.rs, they allege, ar* stiJl making the high prioo tor wheat which prevailed five or six mouths ago an excuse for keeping bread at a, famine rate, and, it is stated, housewives who havo taken to doing_ their own baking, declare that? in spite of the exorbitant price of flour, they are saving nearly half their bread bill. The complaint against the milkmen, njembers say, is rather ono of quality than of price, and, of course it does not apply to all the tradesmen. A municipal supply, it is urged, would ensure a uniform quality, and to secure this consumers would bo ready to pay a fair rate. Mr Massoy. it may be as well to mention, is the present Minister of Industries ami Commerce. He probably will have a largo shave in the appointment of his two colleagues. A LLEtTED BBFACH OF FAITH. Mr H. G. Ell led a. band of indignant leaseholders in a strong protest this evening against what they described as a breacli of faith on the part of the National Cabinet in introducing highly controversial matter into the customary "washing-up" Bills, which included several clauses professing to grant th>D freehold to a number of Crown tenants. The member for South expressed profound astonishment that the Liberal Ministers should join with their He-form colleagues inyvoting away the people's estates in. this fashion, and appealed to Mr Massoy and Sir Joseph Ward to place a more generous interpretation, on the conditions of the juirty truce. Tlio Prinip Minister, however, was obdurate, and with, a big majority «t his back wsis able to get his dame through without accepting any ot the proposed amendments after explaining that- the price i>aid for the leasehold would bo the present capital value less tho value of improvements. On a subsequent clause. giving tenants of certain laud in the township of Te Aroha tlio richt to acquire the freehold, a stonewall was threatened, and ultimately the Prime Minister withdrew the clause.