THE "WASHING-UP" BILL.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15657, 1 August 1916, Page 6

THE "WASHING-UP" BILL.

IN COMmTTEE IN THE HOUSED J (j*RESS ASSOCIATION TF-LECRAM.I , : 't WELLINGTON, July 3L ' In the House of Representatives thif ; ; evening, tb-o Prime Minister moved tho second reading of the Reserves ;j Other Lands Disposal and Public a Bodies Empowering Bill (tho "Wash-Jui ing-up" Bill). Ho said as he had r r e pared and circulated explanatory on each qlause, lie had,no intention delaying tho House by describing - Bill. Any furthor explanation v be made in Committee. The Bill was read a second time on the voices. Tho House then wont into Committco . on the Bill. " i Mr "Wi'lford said tho Bill this year showed that lpcal bodies that promoted * local Bills were needlessly spending t their time and money. This Bill was -»«s > death-knell of local Bills, and tho sooner tho Standing Orders relating to . local Bills were repealed tho better., ■ He did not believe in tho jnethod adopted, because the ratepayers should , have a knowledge of what was going on in their districts, and he protested against the practice of putting locil Bills into tho "Washing-up" Bill. Mr Jennings contended that the BiU, was a measure of law reform, safittg as it did local bodies vast sums of / money. Mr Ell protested against local Bilw , being smuggled through in this way. The Prime Minister replied that * there were not nearly so many local Bills in tho measure as members . • seemed to suppose. He did not agreo that local Bills should be included'in a measure such as this, but most of tho '?j clauses which looked like local Bills were simply amending weaknesses i» local Bills that had already been passed. The remarks cf the member » for Hutt did not apply in these cases. , Clause SO. dealing with the revaluation of tho Wellington citv leases, ai>n clause <38, dealing with tho supply of, electrical nowcr beyond the boundaries, of Waimairi County, wore postponed for further consideration.