LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 42, 13 November 1907, Page 9

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

RULES FOR ELECTING SPEAKER.

Yin the Legislative Council yesterday, aftcr- /'. rioon,'tho Hoii.:W. C. Smith moved to agree with the recommendations of -tho Standing Orders Committee, in'regard to ,tho election . of Speaker. ' ...-■'. ,- : - ■ ' Y .The change recommondod by tho Coirimitteo consists:of tho introduction of a form of nomination .for candidates for tho Speakership;- nominations to, bo handed, in on. tho third .day'before the. olection. . Hithorto, •■ the ballot.paper has consisted of a list of all the members of tho Council, ; ahd. thero havo been-no proceedings in the matters prior to tho.call of the Council for the election, The motion was carried by, 20. votes to 8. FACTORIES ACT AMENDMENT BILL. " The .second reading of tho Factorios Act 'Amendment Bill was agreed to on the motion of the Attorney-General (Hon. Dr. J. G. Findlay). FOOD MONOPOLIES. In .moving the second reading of tho Flour and Other Products Monopoly Prevention Bill, tho-Attorney-General said that the' complete removal or the duty on whoat was undesirable,-because it would cause farmers,, to give up growing wheat, and, would also result in tho stoppage of every, flourmill in, the Dominion. The community would then .bo 'at the mercy of foreign monopolies, : or at least of foreign markets. Tho proposals, of the Bill would'continue the protection' afforded to wheat-growers arid flourmillfls,: while safeguarding the interests o'f ; the corisumor. Ho suggested. that the Bill ' would act as a check upon, or a preventive i. of, combinations in tho futuro, and he asked, the Council to consider it from that point, of view, rather than in tho light of its . possible effect upon the present prices of foodstuffs. ' Tho Hon. C.' M.. Luko (Wellington) supported, tho Bill,'but ipointed out that thero were necessarily combinations in all trades and professions.' Combination among om- , ployerswas a natural sequence of combination _ of; labour.. • The ' whole trade of this Dominion.was practically divided up among 1 combinations. "Very Harmless." The Hon. S. T: Georgo (Auckland). said the measure would be a vory harmless one, As 'potatoes seldom reached £7 a' ton, it could not affect them much. Tho price of flour .could not be kept down unless tho general yield could be increased at will. Ho would vote for the Bill, as it was right that the' duty should bo taken off potatoes when they .touched the prico named.. As for wheat, it would probably bo impossible to decide when the duty should be removed in terms of the'Bill. 'The' Hon. W. W. .M'Cardlc (Auckland) said tho Government should encourage wheat growing by means of bonusos. He would support tho Bill. Ho was pleased that a qualified farmer was to be joined to tho Arbitration Court for tho purposos of tho , Bill:': ,'. . , . i ! The Hon. J. Anstey (Canterbury) opposed tho Bill., It was quito unnecessary to-take off the small duty on flour or wheat, which only added a third of a penny to tho cost of the 41b. loaf. Tho Bill would bo utterly unworkable. Tho Arbitration ■ Court was already, overloaded with, business, so that, long before the Court could deal with a question of, the markets, the prico' would have changed.. Tho representative of tho Agricultural and Pastoral Associations would be elected chiefly by wheat importing districts, and thus practically tho whole weight of the Court would bo against tho wheatgrowers,. It would bo bettor to set up a special Board as was done under tho Agricultural Implement Act. It would bo aliriost impossible to dotermine tho averago price of wheat at the several ports mentioned and at the different markots in Australia. . Flourmlllcrs' Trust Defended. The Millers' Trust was not employing the tactics.of a ring. This was proved by the fact that the margin between the price of wheat and tho .prico of flour was smaller sinco tho Trust was' formed th'an it was before'.. ..< One cause of raising tho cost of living was tho plaoing of silly and needless restrictions on tho bakers, resulting in fines being imposed upon them in the Arbitration . Court. If tho advanced Socialists wanted to buy a flour mill they could got one at a lower prico now than at any previous time. "A Remarkably Good Bill.", Tho Hon. J, Rigg (Wellington) supported fcho Bill, which, he said, would do no injury to tho farmer. Ho did not suppose that any farmer would advocate that tho duty should be-retained when crops failed throughout Now Zealand, and in such a case valuable relief would be afforded to tho consumer. Tho Bill would also havo a good effect in protecting tho pooplo from tho operations of monopoly. Tho Bill was a remarkably good ono. Tho Hon. T. Kolly (Taranaki) said prices would jump up and down too rapidly for

tho Court to follow thorn; Tho best way to givo tho working man cheap broad would bo to tako away the duties altogether, Tho Hon. J. Marshall (Wostlund), supported tho Bill. ' The Hon. W.'Bcchnn (Auckland), said tho flour Trust would have dono much mo r u harm than it had, and would havo made tho prico of flour much highor if tho mills in Auckland had joiiiod it.' Ho hoartily supported tho Bill. An Inoffcotlve Measure. Tho Hon. H. F. Wigram (Canterbury) said tho Attornoy-Goncral, in introducing tho Bill, seemed to have somo doubts as to its aotuai effect. Ho agreed with some previous spoakors that the methods proposed would be too slow to bo offeetivo. Tho Flour Trust would not bo affected, because the olausos relating to wjioat and flour would never bq put into operation. It would bo unfair to tho small grower of potatoes to tako off the duty whon there 'was a failure of crops, becauso these men doservod compensation for the risks they undertook in growing what was always a difficult and ex* ponsivc crop. Ho Would voto against this Bill. The Hbn. R. A. Loughnaii (Wellington), pointed out that legislation wan on the way which would roliove tho Arbitration Court of part of its work, and ho thought tlio proposed oxporimonts should bo tried. Hand in hand with protection should go safeguards against excessjvo protection. DR. FINDLAY IN REPLY. Tho Attorney-tionoral said there was hehind this measure a groat body of public opinion. This was shown .by its passage through tho other Houso with almost a minimum of opposition.lf tho council wero to throw out the Bill, it. would bo placing itself iii opposition to public opinion, Ho thought tho Bill should bo treated seriously as a measure of reform in which tho peoplo were interested, and not made tho subject of ridicontempt, as it had been by tlio Hon. Mr. George.. In regard to what had boon said of trusts and rings, he could assuro lion. _ members that such things were quite possible in Now Zealand. Ho did not mind admitting that ho had, as a lawyer, drawn .a ,document for the formation'of a ring—and one that would work if the members acted in-their own interests. There might be.rings not very far from Auokland or -from Chrishchurch.

Hop. Mr, Anstey: "What about the Labour ring?" . .•'''•'' Hon. Mr. Paul: " The Labour ring is quito a different thing." .The Attorney-General: "Tho Hon. Mr. Paul sh'oidd know that the, Hon. Mr. Anstey sometimes makes a joke, mid this is' one of them," " A. Blindfold Sense of Wrong." Tho Hon. Dr. Findlay said that this Bill would provido tho Dominion for tho first time with a moans of lotting in light upon tho operations of monopolies. Thoro wa,s at prosent a widespread fooling that the high prico of broad was duo to monopoly; and whether that feeling was well founded or not, it was most dosirablo to havo jt set at rest.by enquiry. Thoro had beon a strong feeling against what was supposed to bo taking place in tho agricultural imploment trado, but tho apprehensions that . had been . formed woro quieted by tho enquiry ;lmt had taken placo under tho legislation which was specially provided, Thoro was no greater danger to society anywhero than a blindfold sonso of wrong"on tho part of masses of■ the people, and that danger, could only be mot by enquiry .and information. 'In consideration of what he had said, ho hoped that those members who had spokon of the Bill as usolcss or moroly harmless would not hinder its Council. ..ifiv.v.:.-..-••; '■'-'■■'•" viji-;.-'.;!?.-••"'! :>-• "The .second reading was carried on tho voices, - and tho Bill was immediately committed. When five clauses had been passed, with pno. verbal amondmbnt, tho iAttornoyGoneral moved to report, progress. This was agreed to, .and tho Council roso at' 4.65 p.m.