PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 157, 5 July 1899, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day. SETTLERS' GRIEVANCES. The member for Wallace is urging the Government to remove the ano- ! malies that exist in distinguishing1 beitween Crown lands proper and lands resumed by the Crown in respect to optional system of selection and the rate of interest at which the rents are fixed/ Mr Gil tedder also desires j amendment of the Public Works Act, 11894, in the direction of deciding the I liability of settlers to clear gprse j and similar noxious growth from roads opposite their properties. PUBLIC CONTRACTS. The Public Contracts Bill, to provide for fair wages and working * hours on public contracts, deals with i contracts entered into with the Gov- ! eminent or any: local authority. The third clause provides that in the employment of every description of skilled or unskilled ktbour a .contractor shall be deemed to have a«reed with his workers to observe such length for a working day and pay such rates of wages as are generally considered to be usual and fair. Rates are not to be lower than those fixed under any award of the Court of Arbitration, and no worker may lawfully contract himself out of these benefits. Clause five enacts that in every public contract shall be ex'presslv set out in writing the maximum length of working day to be observed in the case of each description of skilled or unskilled manual labour employed by the contractor in carrying out the contract, and the minimum rate of wages or other re^ numeration to be paid by him for such working day and for overtime respectively. OVER-AGE OFFICIALS.

Mr Lawry gave notice in the House to-day to ask the Premier is it true that a number of officers are retained in the public seivice who have passed the prescribed ace of 65 years; if so, have any complaints reached the Government that the officers indicated are obstacles in the way oi" promotion for younger men in the public service, and, if such is the case, will the Premier take steps to rectify the matter? REPORTS. The Rakaia Commission report has not yet reached Mr Cadman. It will probably be completed in a few days. The railway and mines reports are nearly ready for presentation to Parliament. " Mr Taylor has given notice to ask if the Ministry will immediately pass through all its stages a Bill indemnifying. Captains, Allman and Jones arid ■Mr Yon Schoen from the consequences of. their disclosing- the whole truth regarding Ministers' connection with the issue of a master's certificate to Captain Jones.