POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17783, 7 August 1929, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

YESTERDAY’S BUSINESS. BUDGET DEBATE OPENED. SIR J. G. WARD EXPLAINS, (Times Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. When Parliament meets to-day the new set of Standing Orders will come into operation, the House yesterday having approved of the recommendations of the Select Committee. The main alteration will be the inauguration of “daylight sittings.’’ The principal incident yesterday was the commencement of the financial debate, the. opening speakers being Hon. W. Downie Stewart and the Minister for Lands, Hon. G. W. Forbes. A preliminary skirmish on borrowing took place In the afternoon, when the Prime Minister (Sir J. G. Ward! informed the House that he had been precluded for eighteen months, not two years, as stated by him previously, from borrowing on the London Market. The explanation did not satisfy Mr Stewart, who returned to the attack in the course of his speech on the Budget. L n nn The debate was adjourned at 9.30 p.m. on the motion of Sir G.-Hunter (Waipawa).

THE PRIMAGE DUTY. OPPOSITION AMENDMENT. (Times ’Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Notice of his intention to move an amendment when the Customs Amendment Bill came before the House was given by' the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Coates, to-day. It is presumed Mr Coates’ amendment will relate to the doubling of the primage duty. HOURS OF SITTING. .STANDING ORDERS REVISED. ADJOURNMENT AT 10.30 P.M. . . .WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The House this afternoon resumed consideration in Committee of the proposed new Standing Orders. The proposal to prohibit the circulation of newspapers in the House was rejeoted. A number of formal amendments was adopted, and the new Standing Orders were then agreed to. They come into operation as from to-morrow. The Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, tendered the thanks, of the House to Sir Charles Statham for the work he had put into the revision of the Standing Orders. Replying, Sir Charles hoped the new orders would stand the test. The most interesting change is that concerning the sitting hours of the House. The new hours are:—2.3o p.m. to 5.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. to. 10.30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and 10.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Fridays.

LABOUR MEMBER’S HINT. SURPRISE IN STORE. • (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. In an article published in’ a Southern paper a Labour member throws out a hint that there is a surprise looming in political matters. He says: “ Without wishing to be unkind one can say there are no ‘ volcanoes ’ amongst the new members. They are men in earnest who want to do their job, but they want to do it in the same way as it has been done for years. In another two months the old * bus ’ will have settled down and the work of Parliament will go on just as the ‘ heads of departments ’ want it to go on. The new members will have forgotten all the great things that they were going to do, and as a fact they will begin to make excuses.

“If it were not for those Labour members on the cross benches the trip would be a smooth one and happy but that little band want to reorganise the whole machine. Both of the ‘ orthodox ’ parties watch them keenly and wonder what they are going to do next. Now, as a fact, no one would be wise to set up as guessers just now. Anything might happen and dear old ‘ Maoriland ’ may wake up some morning and find quite a new phase has opened up in politics. It’s not this writer’s place to say just what that surprise may be, but all the possibilities are there, and it won’t hurt New Zealand."