EVENING SITTING.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6494, 16 July 1886, Page 3

EVENING SITTING.

The House resumed at 7-30 p.m. THB OTA*O; CBHTBAI. KATtWAT. Mr BjcHA&rJsbH desired to inform the House that tenders had "been received for a small contract on the known as the Livingstone branch. The tenders were of a satisfactory nature, and the amount of the contract was under 412,000. CUBBBNCY BILLS. The Sfbakkb said with reference to the New Zeatond Note Currency BiU, introduced by Mr Brown, that he oould not allow the Bill to proceed, as it proposed to deal with the issue of notes amounting to I four millions of money and the Government j had entire control of matters of that kind. SALMON AND TROUT ACT. Mr Bed moved the committal of the ■almon and Trout Aot Amendment Bill, which passed without amendment, was read a third time, and passed. hAwxxbs and pxdlabs bill. The House went into Committee on the Hawkers and Pedlars Bill, to regulate licensing of hawkers and pedlars, which passed with some amendments and a new clause. Mr Moss moved the recommittal of the Bill, in order to reconsider certain clauses. Lost on the voices. On the question that the amendments in the-Bill be agreed to, considerable debate ensued, several members objecting to the Bill as being unnecessary, and without the sanction of the local bodies. The amendments were agreed to on the voices. On the question that the Bill be, read A third time, farther discuseion took place. . Sir B. Srotrr pointed out that instead of the Bill being an injury to hawkers and pedlars, it would be a great benefit to them. He bad."received several letters from hawkers urging that something should be done to meet their case. : Mr Dabsavhab said he opposed the Bill because it interfered with tne functions of local bodies. 4 Messrs W. P. Bucklahd, Newman, and Guinness also opposed the third reading of the Bill, whioh was lost on division by 2* to 21. - ■ BHFLOTBBS' I.TABILITT A*T. Mr Donaid Bbid moved the seoond reading of the Employers' Liability Act Amendment Bill. He explained that the Bill was meant to provide that want of notice should be no bar to receiving compensation for injuries received by employes through defective machinery. Agreed to. : NXLSON CBOWN TENANTS. Mr O'Conob moved the seoond reading of the Nelson Crown Tenants' Belief BUI, and briefly explained its provisions. The Nelson tenants, he said, were subject to very severe conditions with regard to their : payments. This BM proposed to mak* the ; conditions lees stringent Mr Bollkston opposed the Bill as one that should not be allowed to pass the i House. He said these tenants undertook i their engagements with their eyes open, ' and now wanted to get out of them. Sir B. Stout understood that the Bill was to go to the Waßte Lands Committee, but he would not support it, as he thought it undesirable, to establish a dangerous precedent of this kind. Mr Daboavillb agreed that the Bill would establish a dangerous precedent, aad it would be no relief whatever to the Crown tenants at Nelson. Mr Hubsthotobb supported, and thought its provisions very reasonable. Mr Conollt objected to the principle of passing seoond readings of Bills of which they did not approve. He said those persons had entered into the leases witii their eyes open, and now, when they found thugs were not so prosperous, they wished to be released from their agreement' He hoped the second reading would not be agreed to. Mr Mxnteath supported the Bill, and said the House should: look at each claim as it waa put before it Mr O'CcJrob pointed out that Nelson had the worst syetem of dealing with its tenants of any part of the colony, and it was only a matter of justice to give them, relief. The Bill was read a seoond time and referred to the Waste Lands Committee. FOISOBOTJS XATCHXB. Sir G. Gbxt moved : she second reading of th* Children Preservation Bill. He aaifi that to Save the lived of children from a painful death was an act of the greatest mercy they could perform. Since last session, two deaths had, occurred from eatisg poisonous matches, and he thought it shameful that matshes of this kind should be sold without poisonous labels pasted to them. ' The motion was lost by 16 to 18. BBHT HOUB3 BILL. Mr Bbadshaw moved the seoond reading of the Bight Hours Bill, whioh provided that eight hours should be a day's work, and fetty-eight hours a week's work. He thought eight hours a day were quite sufficient, and he had men working for him who only worked for that time. He pointed out that the question was receiving attention all over the world, and there had latelytbeen demonstrations on it in Belgium and America. Mr Tatlob supported the BilL Mr Ttjbbbou. supported tine Bill, but would move in Committee that it should not apply to agricultural laborers. -Mr Sbddoh thought the House should enact that eight hours a day was sufficient for a day** work. Mr Bbtjcb opposed the Bill, and thought if it became law it would be vicious in the extreme. The Bill assumed to be a liberal measure, hut instead of being in the direction of self-reliance it was exactly the opposite, and would treat a man as if he Were' a child instead of a sensible being. He should vote against the Bill from a working man's point of view. Mr Buchanan opposed the BilL Bir B. Stout said he would support the Bill. He denied that it was a Conservative measure, and said that the State must protect those who required protection. The moral effect of the Bill would be very great, because it would proclaim to tile colony that the Legislature and the oountry look upon eight hours as a sufficient day's work. He hoped the Bill would, beallowed to pass, as it would be a useful rueasure. Mr Downib STBWABTwas not aware of any practical necessity for the Bill in ite present form, and he thought if it passed it would lead to a large amount of litigation. If the Bill were intended to apply to domestic servant* he ventured to say no member of the House would observe its provisions. It would also be highly inconvenient if applied to agricultural laborers. Mr HoattiTnoTJSß thought there was no necessity for the BilL He pointed out that agricultural laborer* could sot possibly be brought under it as they had to Work BfiOfndiug to circumstances. The $iB would lead to aa enormous amount of : Mr Jotcb said the only way by which the working iilaiisn could-derive benefit was by a reduction cf the hours of labor.

held out to jwming.ta^thia.odonyyha tha eight hours system prevailed in the country. He thereforewduld ask why should the House hesitate to put such a rAeasureou the Statute Book. ' ;Mr Mbntbath thought the Bill would do no harm, as it was an affirmation of a principle that eight hours were a day's work. While the Bill did no harm, however, be did not think it would do much good, and he could not understand the warmth and seal with which hon. gentlemen supported it :Mr Sbttxb said the Bill was aa old friend introduced by the same member who had formerly brought it in. He said it had recently been affirmed in several older opuntries that laborers should be allowed to fix their own hours of working. He held that the working men could look after themselves quite as well as anyone in the oountry, and it was a slander on the oountry to talk about a starving population. . ' t Mr Lbvbstab opposed the 831, and said it was the law of the country that eight hours were a day** work. The Bill would have no efect if it were placed on the Statute Book. He would ask why four hours wer* not made a day's work, and wished to knowwhy Mr Bradshaw had not iniarodueed a clause rnefrfag it; felony for anyone working over eight hoars. 'Mr CAdblan supported the Bill, and thought it -would have a good effect. Mr W. F, Bvcxxabb thought the Bill would do a great deal of harm, and no good whatever. -Mr Duncan opposed the Bill on the ground that it would interfere with harvest operations. ; Mr Soobtb Mcßensh also opposed it, and said it was a thoroughly bad and visions measure. It might fairly be called si Bill to enable members of Parliament to gain a little eporioua popularity. - He held it was a bad principle to place measures on the Statute Book which would do no good. , Mr Guinness supported the principle of the measure,.but could not agree with the method adopted of carrying it out , The motion for the seoond reading was lost by 84 to 23. ; The House rose at 12.40 a.m.