POLITICAL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 30 June 1928, Page 5

POLITICAL.

LABOUR AMENDMENT. SUFFERS DEFEAT. In the House of Representatives yesterday unemployment was. discussed •throughout the afternoon, and .night, notwithstanding that the public galleries were practically empty,-and it was -a late hour before the ‘effective stages of the Imprest Supply Hi 11,., which involves appropriations totalling £2,937,000, were reached. An amendment was jnoved by the Opposition condemning the Government’s policy in connection with«unemployment,' but ‘this was defeated by an overwhelming, majority. ' By Oovernor-Gcneral’s .message the Local Authority Empowering. (Relief of UiMoployment) Amendment Bill, ■whichfenables local bodies to raise loans tfor the purpose of. unemployment relief without first taking a poll of the ratepayers, was introduced, and accorded urgency to secure its passage at the sitting.

DAYLIGHT SAVING. feeling of the House of Representatives on the re-cnaetment of daylight saving 17111 not bo tested until towards the end of July. Mr Sidey’s Bill on the subject was read a firßt time yesterday and July -25 was set down as the date for the second reading. form the measure will take has been finally settled. BANK INTEREST RATE. Government action in forcing down the bjjftk rates was sought in the .Housepf Representatives yesterday by Mr W. E. Parry (Auckland Central). The dissatisfaction of the farmers’ unions and industrialists, at the high .rates now being charged, coupled with the high dividends being paid on bank shares, was mentioned by Mr Parry, who. went on to ask the Minister of 'Finance if the Government would take steps to have the rates reduced to the minimum. In the absence of tho Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister advised Mr Parry to .(place his question on the •order paper, or defer it until next week.

COUNTRY SCHOOLS. A plea for more lenient.treatment of •country • schools in the matter of staffing was entered in the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr J. C. Bolleston (Waitomo). He gave notice to ask the Minister of Education if he -would take steps to have the staffing •of schools in the back country adjusted on the basis of tho roll numbers instead of on the ’average atMr Rollcston pointed out that thT difficulties of communication in tho backblocks militated severely against the attendances in wet wcarfcher, anfi as a consequence a number •of were under staffed when conditions permitted of ,fYrf|^q|Pnidanccs. BIBLE IN SCHOOLS* Notice of his intention to reintroduce the Religious Exercises in Schools Bill -was given in tho House of Representa- " Aives yesterday by Mr H. Holland (Christchurch North). The Bill is on the same lines as that •discussed by the House last session, but there is a widening of the explanation which may be given by the teachers from the manual to be compiled by the .Education department, in conjunction with the Christian Churches. Under .last 1 year’jMßill the reading was to be without jMerpreta’tiofl' or comment -other tha»was reasonably necessary for “grammatical” explanation. This • .year’s proposal replaces the word “grammatical” with the world “verbal.”' The Bill also provides that if the measure becomes law the Nelson system may be continued where it was on effectively on the passing of the new law. Another .amendment on last year’s Bill exempts .Native schools from the operations of the Bill. SETTLING THE LAND.

There has been a continuous shifting of ground in connection with the statements made from time 1o time .as to the number of settlers leaving the tland for the city, according to remarks anade by the Minister of Lands (Hon. A. D. McLeod) in. the House 'of -Representatives last night. “Originally the statement was made that 20,000 settlers had left the land,” said the Minister. “Then it was 13,<OOO, it came down to 13,000 has been no attempt iby these statistics to read whatrf'hje Government Statistician has •had to say in respect of those statis- , tics. The statement was made by Mr Parry that those men were forced from the land to swell the city workers.” Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East): Hear, hear. The Minister said the numbers had been very slightly reduced. The Leader of the Opposition: Did you not recently comment on the enormous drift from the country to the town? 'The Minister: “I have stated that it is to be regretted that the growth of rural population is not keeping pace with the growth of city population.” .'lf o'-one associated with the conditions of farm work could say it was possible for. tWc-quarters of the workers quoted tt&i female workers. With the introductiii of hydro-electricity the ' number o*female workers on outside occupations . had been reduced. Outside the ranks of the family the number of female workers engaged, apart from those concerned with fruit picking, was infinitesimal.

The Minister dreev the attention of members to the unreliability, as pointed out by the Government Statistician, of quoting figures regarding occupied areas over a number of years.