PROGRESS OF BILLS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18186, 24 September 1924, Page 10

PROGRESS OF BILLS.

LAST NIGHT'S WORK IN THE HOUSE. (MESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, September 23. In the House of Representatives this evening, several Government Bills were advanced a stage. Third Headings. The amendment made in the Masseurs' Registration Act Amendment Bill bv the Legislative Council was approved on. the. motion of the Hon. Sir Maui Pomare. The Land Bill and the Local Bodies' Loans Act Amendment Bill were read a third time and passed. Post and Telegraph Bill. The Hon. J. G. Coates moved the second reading of the Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill, which, he said, was the result of conferences between listeners in and broadcasters on the subject of listening-in. Both' were agreed that the existing arrangements were most unsatisfactory. Not one broadcasting station in New Zealand to-day would give a satisfactory programme isnv it occurred to those interested and to himself that if they could amalgamate the different interests they might develop broadcasting in New Zealand in a way not hitherto dreamed ot. It was proposed to have a Board of Control, in conformity with the agreement arrived at between the parties and the Minister. The amount of dealers' fee? had not vet been definitely settled, but something like £lO had been mentioned. Other clauses of the Bill were of a machinery nature, and. were necessary fci the better working of the Department.

Mr Wilford said he wanted to put in a plea for the man, the small man. Who could say but that some day we would discover among our voung amateurs some genius who would work wonders in wireless? We had reared Sir Ernest Rutherford,- the first in his branch of science in the world to-day, and we might just as easily provide a wonder in wireless out of our voung men who weTe now indulging in wireless as a pastime. Only this week a young' amateur in New Zealand had talked with another amateur in California. -That was a wonderful feat today, but it would soon be quito a commonplace. But -sve must encourages our young men by making conditions for them as reasonable as possible.

The Minister, in reply, said the onevalve man could practically get his outfit for £2, and his annual license fee would be about- 255. He agreed that young men should bo encouraged. The Bill was read a second time.

Police Offences Bill. j The ilou. C. J. Purr moved the second reading of the Police Offences Amendment Bill, which had been revised by the Statutes Eevision Committee. ' He ex-,, plained that the law in regard to insuiting behaviour in a public place was to be enlarged to include shops, as well as streets, etc. Tines of £5 were provided for Sunday trading, and tho definition of a public place was extended to "any place used by the public." The scope of Section 51 of the principal Act was extended to give power to deal with rogues and vagabonds found "in or on any building, or in any enclosed yard, garden, or area, or in or on board any ship, launch, dredge, yacht, boat, or other vessel." Extended powers were provided in regard-to the power to search for .pillaged good 3, it being estimated that at present the annual loss to. shipping companies trading in New Zealand was £25,000. There was a clause providing that naval ratings arrested for drunkenness might be delivered to'their"Ships without further authority than that of the officer of the police station to which they had been taken. The penalty for obtaining credit by fraud, to an amount not exceeding £SO, was three months' imprisonment, or a fine of £2O. Wrestling contests, ae well as boxing contests, were to be subjected to police supervision. The penalties for taking motor-cars belonging to other' persons . without intent to commit theft (for joy-riding) were also the subject, of more stringent provisions in the amending measure. The existing law provided for a fine not exceeding £lO, or imprisonment not exceeding two months. The Legislative Council had originated an amendment last session raising the fine to £SO, and the term of. imprisonment to three months,' and in the present Bill the fine was fixed at £2O and the maximum term of imprisonment at three months. Trie House went into Committee on the Bill without a debate. In response to an objection by .Mr J A. Lee, the Minister said he would endeavour to broaden Clause 13, dealing with police control of wrestling contests,' so as not to hamper, ordinary athletic associations in carrying out ■ their programmes. The Bill was then reported without amendment, read a third time, and passed. Government Railways Bill.

The Hon. J. G.-Coates moved the second reading of .the. Government Railways Amendment Bill, explaining that the most interesting feature of the Bill was the proposal to make the classification of railway servants by regulation instead of by Act of Parliament as at present. The existing System was cumbersome, and not sufficiently elastic, as arrangements made between the men and the Minister could not be given effect to until Parliament again met. Moreover, 'he did not know of an instance where Parliament- had altered the schedule when it was submitted to members. He. denied that the change was contemplated for the purposes of making reductions in salaries.

Mr W. A. Veitch put in a plea for better working conditions for permanent way and works men. They were now compelled to work 48 hours a week, and often had to travel, long distances from their homes to their work. • He considered that they ehould be paid for travelling one way as recommended by the minority report of the recent Railway Enquiry Board. Shunters were also badly treated and badly paid. Their work was dangerous and arduous, and their conditions called for immediate reform. He deprecated two sets of employees on railways having different sets of working hours, as now existed. This did not make for harmony or uniformity. Mr Holland said the Labour Party did not propose to discuss the Bill at length at this stage, sinee it was proposed to send it to the Kailway Committee. There never would be satisfaction in the railway service until an adequate basic wage was established. Further, there could never be contentment amongst employees so long as different sections of thorn were subject to different working conditions. The central idea of the Bill wa3 management by regulation, and to that Labour had always been opposed. Mr McDvride complained that after he had obtained the permission of the Minister and the General Manager for certain railway men at Napier to in-

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terview them, the men were subsequently "blistered" from Wellington for "seeking-outside influence." This was most unfair and an enquiry should be instituted to discover who was responsible for it. Mr S. G. Smith contended that casual workers in the Railway service should receive a higher rate "of pay because they received no superannuation. The bill now before the House was designed to place men and their salaries absolutely in the power of the Minister, and to this he would not consent, as it was calculated to create greater discontent in the Service than even at present prevailed. •The Hon.- J. G. Coates, in reply, said that if any Zs'apier men had been "blistered," that was quite unauthorised, and someone would have to be sorted out about it. He' had said over and over again that if men wanted to see him and he had time for it, the door was always open to them. He denied that there was anything like victimisation in the service against members of the A.S.E.S. They were now working under conditions not fixed by Cabinet but by the tribunal for which they had asked. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Railways Committee. The Prime Minister, in reply to Mr Wilford, said ho would mako a statement, in the course of a few days, as to the work which he hoped to complete this session, but ho did not anticipate that the business would keep the House much beyond the end of next month. Tho House rose at 11.30 pjnu