GALLERY NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 251, 21 September 1929, Page 8

GALLERY NOTES

day in parliament. NEW STANDING ORDERS. (By Telegraph—Special to Standard). WELLINGTON, Sept. 20. It seems now to be generally agreed that the new standing ordere ofthe House of Representatives, ° ver much time and a considerable amount of money were spent, ~h ave broken down. At all events, tlio Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) seems to think that they have broken down. Before the luncheon adjournment to-day Sir Joseph complained of the slowness at which the police est.mates were being dealt with and said that the Government was not prepared to stay there unless they could get through the estimates in reasonable time. One member had taken up time in discussing Hokanui whisky. As a matter of fact, no one cared what the lion, member thought about Hokanui Mr *P. Fraser (Labour) complained that the Prime Minister had himself been wasting time on the same subject. SLY-GROG SELLING. In the House to-day the Minister of Justice said that the sly-grog question in Southland was being well tackled and he was satisfied that practically no illicit manufacture was going on now. Last year the police had had. a very difficult time over the matter, but eventually a still was run to earth and he thought the business had been cleaned up by the tremendous fine imposed on the men who had carried it on. Rewards were paid to the police constables engaged in cracking illicit stills because it was a “rotten job, ’ and it was very difficult to detect it as men would not give one another away. The success of the police officers -last year bad practically stamped the evil out. MAORIS AS POLICE. To-day Mr Tau Henare (Northern Maori) said he had been informed that it was not intended to take any member of the Maori race into the police force. If that were true, he would like to know the reason. , The Minister of Justice (Hon. T. M. Wilford) said that the matter had never been brought before him before. He would look into it, and if he could do what Mr Tau Henare wanted he would do it. Mr K. S. Williams (Reform, Bay of Plenty) said he thought that if the Minister looked into the question he would find that good use as policemen could be made of the younger generation of Maoris in the outlying districts. Mr W. E. Barnard (Napier) referred to tho arbitrary powers which were vested in the Commissioner of Police and mentioned the case of a constable who was dismissed from the force. The constable had been fined for a certain alleged offence and then had been sacked out of hand by the commissioner. Mr Barnard said he did not think the legislature ever intended to vest such large powers in the hands of the commissioner.