WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160724, 10 August 1920, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

MEMBERS’ FREE PASSAGES DECLINED WITH THANKS. (Special Correspondent). ■WELLINGTON, August 9. It was left to Mr T. K. Sidey, the member for Dunedin South, to bell the cat in connection with the .free passages between Wellington and Lyttelton offered to the South Island members of Parliament bv the Union Company. During the discussion of the Estimates on Friday evening, be called the attention of the Prime Minister to the matter and suggested very delicately the acceptance of such favours by the people’s representatives from a proprietary concern would place the beneficiaries in an invidious position and establish a very undesirable precedent. Mr Massey concurred with Mr Sidey, and after explaining how the free passages came to be offered, announced his intention to make the members’ travelling expenses a charge upon the public funds. THE COLLAPSED DEBATE. There was some recrimination in the House ou Friday night concerning the collapse of the financial debate, Mr Wilford implying that members who had wished to speak on the Budget bad been tricked out of their opportunity to do so. and Mr Massey indignantly repudiating the suggestion. The truth of the matter appears to be that quite a number of members were out of the House preparing their speeches and relying upon Mr J. P. Luke, who had moved the adjournment on the previous day, keeping the “pot boiling" for his full hour. But Mr Luke sent word to the Whip;l he would be unable to continue the talking, and Mr George Hunter, who took his place, held the floor for only twenty minutes or so. Then the Prime Minister got his opportunity and took it, probably as any other leader would have done. GETTING TO WORK. Mr Massev promises that members of the House will be kept more fully occupied for the rest of the session than they have been for the past five nr sis weeks just past. To-morrow’s Order Paper is a fairly full one, including the Civil List Bill and the Standard lime Bill. The Civil List Bill proposes the increase of Ministers’ and members’ salaries, and though it docs not contain a great deal of controversial matter, a considerable mimlier of members may wish to explain how the additional pay wia benefit their constituents and the country. The £450 a year now suggested is not considered by any means excessive, indeed, it is quite possible a further increase will be proposed, but it is generally thought this is a matter for the Government to determine. ENDOWMENT LANDS. There was a little flutter amoug the old leasehold stalwarts remaining in the House on Friday, when Mr D. H. Guthrie, the Minister of Lands, signified his intention during the present session of giving Parliament "a chance of removing the national endowment barrier.” There would be no robbing of the endowments, be declared, but the Government would give the settlors the right if they brought the land into productivity to make it their own. Mr Guthrie did not explain how this would be done, hut in replv to an interjection from Mr Witty, he said if the member for Eiccarron had a little experience in bursting up big estates, bo would not talk so confidently about this process. Bursting up sometimes cost more than the value of the land. The present House, with the exception of the Official Labour section, is not very keen on the land question, and the members of this section, unhappily, do not direct their zeal with a great deal of understanding.