POLITICAL NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14616, 17 March 1921, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES

THE BUSINESS SESSION. MEET BEFORE PREMIER RETURNS. (By Telegraph.—Speckil to Times.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. . Mr Masses" indicated, in an interjection, that he proposed that Parliament should meet a week or two before his return, and dispose of the Address-in-Reply and other formal business. Pure Seeds Bill. The Minister for Agriculture, answering a question, stated that a Pure Seeds Bill was still under consideration. It was to be referred to another conference of growers and merchants, and he hoped to be able to introduce it during the second session. Waggons for Sale or Hire. The Minister for Defence told the House that farmers are to- be invited to tender for the purchase or hire of military waggons now held by the Department, but they could be commandeered in the event of war. Morning Sittings. Mr Massey intends to continue morning sittings until the business is ended. He will have no difficulty in ending the session this side of Easter. A Challenge Accepted. Wordy waftare between Mr McGombs and Mr Braithwaite has ended in the former accepting a challenge to forego parliamentary privilege and repeat publicly on an Auckland platform his statement in Parliament that the petition was forged and fraudulent. Mr McCombs explained that his reference was to 4000 signatures alleged by Mr Potter to be those of shopkeepers. He admits, however, that the shopkeepers' signatures appearing in the petition are genuine. Arapuni Power Scheme. The Minister for Public Works was asked by Mr F. F. Hockly (Rotorua) recently whether he was yiet in a position to say when the hydro-elec-tric scheme at Arapuni would be proceeded with. Mr Goatcs replied that he was not able to make any statement until the committee of experts appointed to investigate conditions at the dam site had made its report. He expected to receive the report before the end of the month, or about the end. Whether it would be completely or sufficiently convincing he was not yet, able to say. Until he received the report he was not able to say what, were the proposals of the Government in respect to the scheme. ,