HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8523, 30 June 1893, Page 6

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thursday, Juse 29. AFTERNOON SITTING. The House met at 2.30 p.m. QUESTIONS. Replying to Mr Tanner, Mr WARD said it was true a large number of compositors were out of work in Wellington at present, and there was no prospect of employment for - them in the Government printing office. He would make careful enquiries to-morrow, and if he found there were any very bad coses amongst those out of work some of those men who had been empkryed for a considerable time would have to give way to men whose circumstances were of an extreme nature. i Replying to Mr Allen whether an amendment to the Auctioneers Act would be introduced to enable bona fide auctioneers to sell goods up to 9 p.m., I Mr SEDDON said the Government were I quite willing to consider the question, but | it was a matter for local legislation, Replying to Mr Earnshaw as to whether the passenger accommodation of the Wakatipu was sufficient for those who travelled from Wellington to Sydn y on the 22nd instant Mr CARROLL said the Government intended to introduce an amendment to the Shipping and Seameu's Act by which steamer passenger traffic would be regulated. Replying to Mr Fisher, whether Mr Reeves would introduce in the new Conciliation Bill a provision to meet cases such as *' ratting " cases in the New Zealand Times to wnich attention had been called, Mr REEVES said the Conciliation Bill would deal with the question of wages, and the New Zealand Times did not eucourage •• ratting." He moved the adjournment of the House to enable him to read a letter from the President of the Wellington Typographical Society to the effect that the allegations contained it: Mr Fisher's question with respect to " latting" in the New Zealand Times office vrere unfounded. He (Mr Reeves) as Managing Director of the Times had made considerable improvements in the working ot the Timrs office and had gone out of his way to, meet -the employees in a manner not usual with employers. Mr FISHER was intensely amused at the tone of the letter just read by the Ministei for Labour. He asserted that four men had been employed in the New Zealand Times office at 7d per thousand, whilst the regular wages were Is per thousand, and then those men were put into the Government printing ofhee on full wages. He was astonished at. the labour members in the House— those great champions of liberty and upholderof Unionism— supporting the emp.oymtiit

of "rats," men who worked for low wages. He spoke at some length on the whole question, and prophesied that it the present Government came bask with a majority after the elections the Trade Unions would have a bad time of it. They had already had a specimen of what they would receive Iby the manner in which the unemployed deputation was recently treated by the Premier. I Considerable discussion ensued. ! Mr REEVES replied at some length to Mr Fisher's statements, and said his relations with the Wellington Typographical Society had always been of the most cordial character. Hs reierred to Mr Fisher's connection with the Atkinson Ministry, and said he was literally turned out of the that Government because his colleagues could not work with him. It was then that, the littleness, of that hon. gentleman's nature was seen, as he used every effort to annoy and discredit the Ministry of which he had lately been a member. He complimented Mr Fisher on being an excellent platform speaker, bat said it was rather remarkable that the hon. gentleman had not dared to address his Wellington constituents for two-and-a-half years. He had recently ventured to do so in a remote part of Wellington, with 200 people present, and received* Dare vo t e of thanks. When the next election came round he (Mr Reeves) prophesied Mr Fisher would be at the bottom of the poll. IMPREST SUPPLY. The House went into Committee of Supply, and the Imprest Supply Bill for £250,000 passed through all its stages. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. Mr Rolieston asked the Treasurer whether the Puolie Works Statement would be brought down with the Financial Statement, as it would be a very convsnienb course to adopt. Mr SEDDON said he had never known such a course taken before. He had already told the hon. gentleman that the Financial Statement would be brought dowa early next week, but he could not yet say when the Public Works Statement would be ready. NEW "BILLS. The following Bills were introduced :— Bill to Confer the Electoral Franchise on Women, the Property Law Consolidation Act Amendment Bill, Direct Veto Bill, Distress for Rent Abolition Bill, Imprisonment for Debt Abolition Bill, Payment of Members Amendment Bill. BANKING X.AWS. Mr McLEAN moved—" That the Government be requested to appoint a Committee to inquire into the banking laws of this colony, with the view to assimilating them to the laws of the Australian colonies." Mr SEDDON said the Government intended dealing with the question of bank audit, and no doubt any measure referring to that question would be considered carefully by the Public Accounts Committee. That being so he hoped this motion would be withdrawn. Mr TA YLOR was speaking on the motion at the 5.30 p.m adjournment. EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. SHOPS AND SHOP ASSISTANTS BILL. Mr REEVES moved the second reading of Shops and Shop Assistants Bill, which he explained was a similar one to that of last year. He said he had been approached in several directions in reference to the Bill, and there was a general consensus of opinion in approval of it. The Bill contained the same provision as that of last year—namely, that of a compulsory half-holiday, with the exception that all shops were to close ou Saturdays at one o'clock. Strong representations had been made to him to have a uniform day put in the Bill, and although he had inserted Saturday in the Bill, he recognised that it might not suit every place. To meet that he haa provided that every City or Borough Council may change the day from Saturday to some other day. The principle of the half-holiday had been discussed very fully and affirmed last session. He intended moving that the Bill be sent to the Labour Bills Committee. Mr ROLLESTON suggested that the second reading should be postponed in order that the'cOuntry might have a chance of studying its provisions. The Bill had only just been circulated, and it contained a very material alteration from the Bill of last year. He should do his best to see that the people had an opportunity of learning its provisions.' ■ Sir R. STOUT said as the Bill was to go to the Labour Bills Committee they might pass the second reading now. He was glad to see the principle of compulsion in the Bill but he regretted that hotels and similar places were not included. If the Committee did not move in this direction he should endeavour to have hotels brought under the Bill in the same way as shops. MrDUTHIE regretted that the Bill was so hurriedly brought on.. He was strongly opposed to the principle of compulsion in matters of this kind, bub as the Bill gave power to change the half holiday now that the principle of compulsion was conceded, it probably would meet the case as well as could be expected. .Mr REEVES explained that he intended allowing sufficient time after the Bill came back from the Committee to enable members to make themselves acquainted with the alterations that might be made in it. Mr SCOBIE MACKENZIE thought the Bill was of far too serious a character to affirm its principle straight off. It was also in no sense a cure for the evil which existed in the countrj for many, years. That evil was keeping shop 'assistants in shops too many hours a day. If those hours were shortened it would be much better than allowing a half-holiday on one day in the week. The great objection to the Bill was that it proposed to do by law what clearly should be left to the moral sense of the community. Mr MACKENZIE (Clutha) supported the Bill as he always believed in a half-holiday for recreation purposes. He thought the Minister had met the case by allowing boroughs and cities to change the day for the half-holiday, but it should have gone further and provided that shop assistants should receive au hour for their meals. He was informed that many employers had reduced the time for meals to forty minutes and he should move in Committee that an hour be allowed. Mr FISH protested against the hurried second reading of the Bill. He had been waited on in Dunedin last Monday by several shopkeepers who stated that if they were compelled to close on Saturday afternoon they might just as well close altogether. The Bill was loosely and badly drawn, and if passed in its present form it would cause the greatest confusion. He held that if all shops, such as hairdressers, tobacconists, butchers' shops were closed on Saturday, it would cause great injustice. Mr HOGG was surprised at the opposition to the Bill, and it seemed to him that the proper time for criticism of it was when the Bill came back from the Committee. He had great pleasure in supporting the Mr TAYLOR was surprised that no attempt had been made by Mr Rolleston or Sir J. Hall to include domestic servants in the Bill, and he hoped Sir R. Stout would include them in his amendment as well as barmaids in hotels. Mr REES suggested that further consideration of the Bill be postponed until next day, as it had not received sufficient publicity. He was glad to find that the Government were determined to enforce" a compulsory half-holiday. Mr Fl * "3R supported the Bill, and agreed also th the amendments shadowed forth by Sir K. Stout. Sir JOHN HALL thought the mind of House and the country should be ascertained before the Bill "went to Committee. The Bill should also have been circulated through the country before the session. He agreed with Sir R. Stout that, if shops were to be closed fgr half a day, hotels should be closed also. He was entirely friendly to the principle of the Bill, and would do his best to make it workable. Mr EARNSHAW said the Bill was only an amending measure, and the only alteration in it that appeared to h*m of importance was the Saturday half-holiday. He hoped the Bill would be allowed to go to the Labour Bills Committee. Dr. NEWMAN thought the Bill a great improvement on the Bill of last year, but he pointed out that many shopkeepers made up the half-holiday by keeping open late hoars at night, and that was a practice that -hould be guarded against. He hoped the ■Saturday half-holiday would be affirmed as i-.eing much more convenient than Wednesday.

Messrs Buckland, Tanner, T. Thompson, O'Conor, Pinkerton, Dawson, Shera, and Rhodes also spoke on the Bill. Mr REEVES in replying, said he should never dream of asking the House to affirm a new principle in the Bill circulated at such a short notice, -but the fact was the principle of the Bill had been agreed to by a large majority last session. He entirely agreed with the amendment referred to by Sir R. Stout as to closing, hotels oa the half-holiday. Sir R. STOUT explained that he had been misunderstood. He did not mean to close hotels, he meant to give hotel employees a half-holiday. The motion wa3 agreed to and the Bill referred to the Labour Bills Committee. ELLESMERE LAKE* LANDS. Mr SEDDON moved the second reading of the Ellesmere Lake Lands Bill in further relation to the sale of Crown lands round Lake Ellesmere. The Bill provided \hat land, orders or laud scrip should fcot be available for t_3 purchase of Ellesmere lake lands, and all he wanted now was to provide thaA-the Public Trustee's fund should be «Qited with the money it was entitled to. The motion was agreed to. Mr SEDDON moved the second reading of the Electoral 8.11, explaining shortly that it was very similar to that of last year. It contained the principle of woman franchise and one man one vote, and several amendments with respect to voting. He had endeavoured in the Bill to protect, as far as possible, the secrecy of the ballot. Sir JOHN HALL moved the adjournment of the debate until Tuesday. Agreed to, and the House rose at 10.20 p.m.