AFTERNOON SITTING.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13612, 22 December 1909, Page 7

AFTERNOON SITTING.

The Hou.se resumed at 2.30 p.m. CUSTOMS DUTIES. The F-ocoud reading of the Customs Duties Act Amendment Bill was agreed to by J.'J votes to 23. OLD AGE PENSIONS. .Sir JOSEPH WARD raorcd the second raiding of the Old Age Pensions Act Amendment I?ill. He explained that the Hill was dsf,i;jncd to provide for owners of homos bx-iiiß allou-<d pensions, the property value starting at £'310. Oiviu-rs of liou?cs of thus value ■would receive pensions reduced l>eloiv £'2(i a voar on a sliding E<-ale, ascending a;> the value of the honso exceeded £310 until it reached £<x;o, when the- pension V.Ollld «>ar>P. Mr MA»S>EY supported the second reading. Mr JAMES ALLEN said he could fuid no it fere net- in the Hill to the property limit mentioned by .Sir Joseph Ward, or to tho property value of £3-10 Ho said tho effect of the Bill would be to make owners oi property ten tiniPi wor-- oti than they ire re at present as re> r :iras <>M « r ;o pensions. Mr T. E. TAYLOK approved tho principle of tho Bill, v.hich was a vajuah!f> concession to humanitarian principles. He credited the Government

with courage in granting this concession at a time when many financial demand* were being made upon it. The PRIME MINISTKR explained ;he comparative effects of the existing law nnd those- of the Bill, as follows:— Taking a house valued at £200, a single person owning Mine under the present law would get £21 pension, under th<> Bill £'2s: hot!.™ valu-xl £-*>0. present system £"li. under Bill .L 4 2iS; house vahii-d £300. sinelo person at present would n-c<>iv.> £"H. under Bill £"-<>; innrriod couple- :;t prese-n; would receive £•10 each. iimW Bill £'2$ <v.eh : :i WOO property, at present debarred from a pension, would entitle <i sinjilo person to i'lo nnd n married coujdo t<> £0 each. The eo«t. of the cc-n<v?,siions would amount to C 25,000 a voar. Tho second reading was agreed to. RACE MEETINGS BILL. Th" Hon. D. BI'DDO the second reading of the Race Meetings Bili. briefly explaining its provisions. Messrs R. HKATON RHOIMuS and HERRlESroferro-.l to th" Bill, tho latter stating that the- racing clubs had no o!>»oction to it, if the Act was well administered. Tlu» second reading was agreed to on the voices. SECOND READINGS. The following BilK v/ere read o second time:—Urewera Native DistrictReserve, Workers' Compensation Act Amendment (.which amends the principal Act by omitting th<? word "pnenmoconicsis" as affecting miners only), Reformatory Institutions, New Zealand .Society of Accountants, and Magistrates' Courts Act Amendment. The House* rose- at o p.m.