PARLIAMENT.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7720, 16 May 1916, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

GOSSIP FROM THE GALLERY. POISONED SWEETS. (Special to the “Mail”). WELLINGTON, This day. In the course of a speech in the House Mr John Payne made some startling allegations regarding German methods. He stated that two ladies bought sweets at a certain little shop and afterwards visited a picture show. When they commenced to eat the sweets they were taken violently ill. They went to a chemist, who told them that they had been poisoned. The lollies were sent to an analyst and it was found that they contained arsenic. He did not mention the name of the shop because he was aware that the proprietors were innocent. The same shop had sold dessicated cocoanut to a shop in Nelson, and this, too, had been found to contain arsenic. They had all heard how an enemy aeroplane had, on the Continent, dropped sweets that had been found to contain germs of disease. Mr Payne then went on to attack the Government for allowing officers and men of German descent to be included in the Expeditionary Forces, quoting cases of treachery which were alleged to have taken place on Gallipoli. In one instance, he said, an officer had been shot for taking his men across a zone swept by enemy fire. “I have heard of dozens of instances of treachery on the part of the Germans,” said Mr Payne. “The policy of allowing Germans in the ranks is not only neglectful, it is criminal.” Mr Payne then made a statement to the effect that there was a certain house in Wellington where Germans foregathered, and he accused the Government of being apathetic in dealing with the whole question.

CRIMINAL COURT OF APPEAL. A measure, entitled the Crimes Act Amendment Bill, 1916, is being introduced iuto the House by Mr T. M. Wilford. The bill provides that in addition to the provisions in the Crimes Act, 1908, regarding the reserving of questions of law for the Court of Appeal, any person may, if the Court before which he is tried refuses to reserve any question of law, appeal to the Court of Appeal against his conviction on any question of law or fact. A further provision is that if the Court of Appeal thinks a different sentence should have been passed, it may quash the sentence and pass any other sentence it thinks just. SOLDIER MEMBERS.

I hear on good authority that the member for Pahiatua, Mr Escott, is likely to enlist. There are already two members of Parliament, Messrs Seddon and Downie Stewart, at the front, Mr Hine is in camp, and Mr Coates shortly goes under canvas. CONSCRIPTION.

Everyone is looking forward to the completion of the debate on the Address-in-Reply, for it is generally understood that the first actual business of the session will be the Compulsory Service Bill. The need for pressing it forward has been forced home on the. Government by the steadily decreasing number of volunteers, and it is recognised that if the reinforcements are to be kept up to their full strength immediate action is necessary.