EVENING SITTING.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11110, 31 October 1901, Page 6

EVENING SITTING.

The Houge resumed at 7.30 p'aock. RAILWAY CLASSIFIOATION. rO A *£* Gorernmenfc Department Unification BLI was introducedbv Governors m e9*a ge .. It replace the Bill which ™d already been circulated. SrrJpSBPH WARD that tie erst dmsion. of the original bill had Wen fwouraibly received by the officers interest(!(lt " b ' jr ll1 l consequence o f representations made b/the staff, the second division had been amended. This amendment, he added would tend,-to still further improve the rt " t ,! ,s *£ fck* workers in the Department. Ihe Bill was read the first time. STATE COAL MINE. i Tbe State Co*! Mines Bill was committed. At" clause 3, "Land Board to ascertain whether land contains coal before di.«m>sma thereof," l v , j Sf^ Rt ES said if the Government Had decided to work the Cardiff mine there wa* no necessity t« put this clause in the UIU. g' Mr SEDDON said the clause was put in to obviate the necessity of cancelling leases of land on which coal or metals was discovered. The clause: was agreed to. Much exception was taken to suH-clftuse 6 of elanm-4,. which provides tJfit coalmay "be leased until required for coal raining, when the lease may be determined without payment of compensation. * „ Mr.SEDDOX moved to insert the words, provid-ng that the lease shall be under the Land Act, 1892," together with a protiso that in case of lands in the first, second, and third «chedales of {he and JTeleon Coalfields Act. 1877, section 44 of the Mining Act, 1898, shall apply. ' This was agreed to, and the clause passed as amended. l At clause 5, "Minister may open and worn coal mine*," Mr MILLAR said the Commissioners in their report on the Cardiff mine virtually condemned the very property which the Government proposed to work, and he urged that if money was spent on that mine it would result in failure Mr BEDDON said this mine was in possession of the Government, and it was estiwould take from £ SWO to iIJ.OOO to commence working, the present plant being estimated to be worth ±2 7000. lije clause passed- witii amendment. .At clause 8, "Every resumption to be subject to the approval hy Parliament," Mr SiLDDON moved an amendment to provide that the Minister shall Jay before the House full particulars of such resumption or contract within ten days of the opening of Parliament, and if the reso'ution approving the same be not passed by the >House within thirty days, the resumption of the contract shall not be proceeded vrnti, bnt shall be deemed to be void for all purposes, Mj- Q. W. RUSSELL said thi s . proposal '• might induce the- Legislative Council to refrain from parsing the Bill. | Mr GUINNESS urged that the carryinc !

out of the details of the measure should • * e J , entirely to the Government, but if Parliament was to be consulted at a 1, both branches of the Legislature' sJiouid be consulted. He moved an amendment with the object of freeing the Government from tSiVi necessity of getting "the qoneent of Parliament to its operations under the Act. . , r This was 'negatived on the voices. > Mr GUINNESS th£n moved that- the resolution of approval "stated in the Pie- , mier'e amendment.should be passed by both ' branches of the Legislature, instead of by . tho <Houee only, as proposed by -the Premier- . . i This wae rejected by 38 votes to 18. ' Mv SBDDON'S amendment was agreed to on the voices, and the clause as amended was added .."to. the Bill, • At Clause 16, the price of coal may be :<?dui?ttd if the pjcoliu exceed 5 per cent., Mr ALLEN urged ilmt some provision should be made by which, in case -'the < profits' of a irune'dfd not reach 5 per cent. 7 iif any one year, the price off coal should • tie raised in the following" year to enable- a sinking fund-to be formed; and he moved in that direction; bofc the motion was jiega- t tived by 35 votes to 16, and the clause jiissed mtmended. ~ , . . _ * The remaining clauses passed without amendment. , - , A ;new clause wae added on.the motion of Mr Seddon, empowering the Minister to work, Airy-ship, hulk, of other appliance necessity for carrying out -tint operations of the AM.'- " =' Mr HER&IES m<*ved' a. new.; clause by which, tfbrker* under the Act- would be hrpxifrkk- under tfie-jpravieions tifhtie- Industrial Conciliation; and Arbitration. Act; and making the "Minister an *'«nployer". under thut Act. * ' ' i MrtKEDDON said h& was willing that : worksrs in a. State' coal mine shoula abide V -by any award of the, Court in operation in the district* ,>- ■- ~- ~ . < : - : . ,■- ~.-, > .In.fch* course of * long discussion, which!] ensued, <, ; •. i ;■ •: - * j Mr SEtiDON said, that'Mr- Willis, at! whose instance the amendment was made ' by the Hoc&e ia tint Industrial Conciliation " end Arbitration Amendment : Bill, allowing fither disputant to go direct to the Arbitra-... fci(W,,Cgarrt f .should Have giye&due notice, so tftat it might hSye been coniudered by a full Httjjsje, and.not.vbave ruvhed jitttot, lawihat which, wculd s&p conciliation ;tmd l?he genend strnciure of tlie. Apbitrataon Act> HB*wa,«, ue'deolared, going toetand by .Conciliation Boards and the cpncjliatioD law, and so give * the couaify an of considering the' matter before so important a departure was made. . > Mr \TTIXIS declared he gave Mr Seddnn . , two hours' notice of hia intention to introduce the clause. . t , , ~•> f Mr feEDDON , denied tliia, and wiid it was ' another clause that Mr WilKs drew his nt^ 1 tenfcion to. He raised a point that Mr Ferries'e prbpoeaU if carried, would take- fromtlie State and vest, in- another tribunal the power of fixing the ratee of pay of Government employees, and that ths propossd could only be brought d&wn by Gore-rnor s message , Miijor STEWARD, * Chairman, said he - coiiid>np4 l eotsrt;«n the * '. lifter , farther ctiwrusasion Mr Heirness propotted'bevr chune was rejected by 29, votes , to 23."''."-, \y ' t Mr SEJDDON moved * new claose to provide Jhafc. any award of t!*e Arbitration"Court ■ ra&tipS , tix coal min«e 'iu/tlte industrial di*trict Jit. xs'hich any State., coal mine ijj situ- ■ ated nliall, subject to such iocaX valuations as the Co«rt thiii -justified, apply to the fj'.afe coal ttiJiie. ' , ' .- The clan w was; agreed to on - the voice*. Mr HURRIES moved tbefoMowing new clau«e;~"irKaiienat«d Crown hund* ritali in- < elude all CroM-n land held under any lease < for 'depasturing .purptßiss or «»t- occupiitirm lictnee, but shall not include any lease in per-' < pstuity." '•'. ~ _, '. Lc&L hi- oT votes- to 11. | Tβ* Bill mi vmdtsr discussion when the < Telegraph Offica closed at 2 a.m. < • ' 7~ .