ABOVE THE CHAIR

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3100, 19 September 1899, Page 3

ABOVE THE CHAIR

.■,..., j. u - .: r^-.t'x <jW-% j.-:;.i;.-.in- ; .; ■■ ;.■ ; '■'•• .-'■'■' "(By i '■' "On Tuesday? in the august chamber ofNew iZealaricl's gilded'unemployed—politicians—'■the Factories Act Amenduieiitf Bill-was oiijthe boardst '■■■; The principih clause in the-billuisirone providingoth^ no .person shall-; lemploy ;in any f actorjy ; .or^workroanidany > [or girl iif q|r v more than eight hours ; per, day nor fox" more than ,45 hours in a week, nor : - between six \(n the ' evening ' and eight, da : the ;: morning. -Mv ; M'Lean said the , 'measure 1 biad beeilPdrafted 'in ; a -most one-sided manner. : ■When the heatlof the^Babor Department was before the Labor • Bills :J "Committee '■■ heP admittell ; thafr'such -Bills- were' compiled 'on thebasis' - of ■& ' resolutions < passed by ; the Trades and, Labor Council. ; Mr Kigg "contended "that the previous speaker had misvepresented' Mr Tregear's evir eence, which had clearly shown that bdtli 'employers* and employes'sugges'ti.bhs:; received ' ecjual consideration; JVir ; Macgrefgbv looked upon it "as erktra"6rclihary that the Order Paper should be continually fitted 'up wjtli nothing but Labor Bills. Apparently ;a- tin) e was> - approaching when -resoluf tions -passed at Trades Union^meetings would cake the force: :of law. Mx Boltj thought . these t .reflections^- .on -T-rades .Unions were,! ignite _ unjustifiable j iiioreover-, ther^e.was. ,-no. .eyidence to 9how that the .(ioxerament, paid undue> heed, to-,. Unionists, .-Mr -Fraser...defended the cause of the Unionists, but could not believev that the Labor Depaxtment gave sole "attention to union 'repVeserit^ations^ Mr Bbnai* entertained dpiriioii8 J similar to those voiced by Mr Macgregbiyhis belief being that these '"TaJbb'r measures were foisted on Parliament 'without due consideration. Mr Pinkertoh could not see why -trades unionists should be debarred from asking for relief and protection from Parliament. Mr Jones had no doubt \ that in framing the Bill care was' taken to see that its provisions met whatever difficulties existed. In Committee the Bill was passed. In the Lower House the Premier moved that the House shall after Mo Iday 25th sit on Monday evenings for tne remainder of the Session fur the transaction of Government business only. Mr J. Allen thought it was early in the Session to ask members to sit on Mondays. The time of members had been so much taken up by work that they had not had time to study the question of federation, and it would be better to extend Parliament another month rather than impose ! such hard work on members. Captain j Russeli had no objection to sitting on Mondays, but objected to taking new business after midnight. —Mr Pirani who evidently thinks that the beginning of the end is not yet, but only the end of the beginning, said Monday night; sittings were always a failure until near the end of a session, which was not in view yet. — Mr Moore thought it too early in the session to extend the days of sitting.— Mr Massey pointed out that the work entailed on members had been unusually jfheavy this session, and objected to further demands being made upon them. — The motion was carried by 26 to 21. A great deal of speculation has prevailed in the colony for sometime past as to which side of the House Clutha Tom M'Kenzie intended to support j when he returned to the colony. Now that he has returned speculation is still rife, even although the astute Clutha ; Tom has hung his hat in the Opposition whip's room — and winked the other | eye. But the Opposition seem quite j satisfied that although Clutha Tom left them for London he hag not left them for good. This is evident for the Opposition leader supported the Bill brought in by the Premier to allow Messrs Whiteford and M'Kenzie to go up for election at the forthcoming poll. On Thursday the Premier moved the second reading of this Bill called the Electoral Apt Amendment Bill, which provides that a person, by reason of absence from the colony or by reason of not having voted, shall not be deemed, to be disfranchised if his absence does not exceed three years, or if he has not permanently left the colony ; it also provided that at a polling place where les3 than 50 votes are recorded the ballot box ghoulij be gent to the principal polling place for counting, and a penalty on a returning officer or registrar if the roll is not properly corrected. Mr George Fisher posed as the caudid friend of the Government, and pointed out that tb r e Premier and the leader of the Opposition have an understanding regarding the clause of the Electoral B,ill, whioh will enable two returned New Zjeajanders to wqo the electors at the general election, and the clause will pass as if greased when both sides of the House are agreed, added the member for "Wellington. The unanimity -was both striking and beautiful. The Premier interjected a denial of the soft impeachment, but Captain .Russell held his peace. The provision of the Bill lumping together the votes polled at minor polling places met with opposition from country members on both sides of the House, who contended that half the interest would be taken out of politics were the proposal carried, and many electors would not trouble to vote. Several ministerialists opposed the Bill, chiefly on aopou'it of the clause re small polling stations. The Bill had a tight squeeze, the ■ division resulting in a tie, the first for years • and the Speaker gave his vote for the Bill and it accordingly passed... It looks as if Mr Thomas M'Kenzie, .who pretends to snifp at tlje popular idea that he wants to get into Parliament, will have to keep or* sniffing for another three years— onteide poUtics,