PARS ON POLITICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 800, 6 July 1905, Page 26

PARS ON POLITICS.

Alengthy discussion took place in the House of Representatives on Tuesday laml' on the motion for setting up an education i committee. A number of member* attacked the Premier as the cause of the backward trend of education matters.. Mr Hardy considered that the Premier was turning the Department into a voting machine, whilst Mr Bedford be lieved that the Premier had the cause of education sincerely at heart, but that he was too heavily loaded with other work. Mr Jas. Allen urged that a change should be made. During the past three years the sum of £41,000 had been voted for schools in newly-settled districts and onlv £25,000 had been spent. The House was willing to vote the money, Government would not spend it., members spoke in a similar strain. In yeply. lh Seddon said that when members said there was dissatisfaction re Warding the Education Department, they, were making statements that had no foundation in fact. He knew the cause of Snew-borS zeal f- the education question on the floor of the House. It was because of the approaching general elections. An endeavour was being madej to make the boards of education political machines, and the Opposition were trying to capture the boards. They had an i stance of this in the speeches o' Messrs Buchanan, Hardy and Jas. Allen. JI first duty of the Minister was to see to the education of the children of the colony; then to see to the teachers; and then to see that the necessary accommodation was made for the teachers. The training system of education has been vastly improved during the last three and since he had been Minister for Education the expenditure of money on education had increased, by half-a-million sterling. The Education Department, above all others, had had full time devoted to it by him. In conclusion he said that if, after all the proposed, the country was not satisfied, they could take it from him that this was the last session they would have him as Minister for Education, for there was no one in the country who desired the welfare of teachers and children moie than the present Minister for Education. The motion for the setting up of an Education Committee was then agieec io.

who has been regarded as the most silent Mr Hardy, the member for belwyn, member of the House, and who J only once last session, astonished Ins fel low legislators recently by making vigorous speech in connection with the motion to set up an Education Commit tee On rising, he made the frank avowal that he had been told that di he did not talk more his constituents would not send him back. His reply to this, he slid, was that if he talked too Mfc another Canterbury member ILom y Tavlor ” talked too much. Mr iayioi likes talking here, but 1 hke working, and do not care about talking, ne ue clared amidst the unanimous hear, heis ’’ of the House. Mr Hardy, who addressed himself chiefly to a Canterbury grievance, spoke of the political influence which was being brought to bear on the administration of the, Department as shame and a scandal,

Mr Field, is protesting to the Government against the regulations, which have the ette withdrawing the ral^.^ „ g P^Q S whi C h Gothe'annual championship meeting* * * * *

The appointment of a Speaker of the LeMe Conned took jlaee on Juday atternoon, and i e sU^ ted ßowen , Ther e no 1 ss e than sk grants for the potion, but the only two • who were at »!’ i“ the f . rU S“ g an We X H w«e G ih& Feldwmk T. Kelly Tieeves and Sir Maurice 0 TlectioL was decided by iour bajots The first ballot “ «°^" for Mr Sir Maurice U JtorKC. vu t- . lot seventeen tW o each Bowen, fourteen to Mr McKean isoweti , p eg one ea ch. Ine final ' V ’ ok > t “'ias Bowen 2°,, McLean 14, and ‘Sk wick 1 no votes being oast for the Feldwick i, no Bowen W as warmly £n£at“"n his election, which is a very popular one.

Sir Maurice o’Rorke has given notice to introduce a Bill to enable the University of New Zealand to grant degrees in divinity. #

Interest in political affairs in Christchurch has reached such a stage that, even during the session, the work of organisation will be carried on by the Opposition party in preparation for the struggle in November. It is a foregone conclusion that the elections will create more excitement than on any previous occasion for the last fifteen years, and it is quite on the cards that more than one Government supporter will lose his seat.

Referring to the policy foreshadowed in the Governor’s speech re the branding ot New Zealand goods, a dry goods nierchant has given it out as his opinion that while goods manufactured locaby are genuine and first-class in qua iy, there is a noted prejudice against them, and if in future they are to be branded as being a New Zealand manufacture the result will be that our industries will languish, and the bulk of our manufactures will diminish. Sold as imported goods, however, they give every satisfaction.”

In the course of his remarks on theShops and Offices Bill in Parliament, th« Premier, referring to the non-enforce-ment of the Act, said that the Act was imperfect and unworkable, and that the people who had been fined for infringing it need not have been fined had they been aware of the fact. He also asserted that there were other laws on our Statute Books which were in the same nosition, and which no Government dare attempt to enforce. ‘‘Tell us the names of one or two,” interjected Mr. Jas. Allen. “1 am not a walking encyclopaedia,” retorted Mr. Seddon. “I refer you to your Attorney-General, the member for Mount Ida (Mr. Herdman). You go to your Attorney-General, and I wiH go to mine.” . . Mr. Allen: “ Is the Liquor Act one or them?” “ No, it is not.” snapped the Premier. The Old Age Pensions Bill, introduced by the Premier, provides that the amount of the pension shall be increased to 10s a week, and that it shall be diminished by £1 for every complete pound of income shown above £26 and also by £1 for every complete £lO of the net capital value of all accumulated property.

During the continuation of their discussion with the Premier on matters connected with labour. the Employers’ Federation suggested that with reference to compensation for accidents, there should be examination of injured employees by a medical man appointed by the Government, and persons injured periodically report themselves to Government officials. It was also represented that various technical requests that had been made by the Trades Conference would greatly hamper owners of engineering works. The Premier urged that both sides should stand by the Arbitration Act. As a body the workers were all right, but some of their leaders did not look far enough ahead, and would lead their fellows into trouble. While employers had prospered the workers were in the same position as they were years ago. It was the Government’s duty to hold the scales between the employers and employees, and be just. He would be no party to favour one side at the expense of the other. He knew that industry could not bear much more than it had at present to carry.