HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 51, 23 November 1907, Page 7

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

RAILWAY CLASSIFICATION. The House, after receiving Legislative Council amendments to tho Nativo Land' Settlement Bill which were agreed to, : went into Committee on the Government Railways Classiiication Bill. An amended schedule to' the Bill was brought down by Governor's Message before tho rising of the Houso on i'fiday morning. • .-■• In roply to Mr. Hogan, the Promior said tho increases in pay would be commencedon April 1 next. . Some Grievances. Mr. Poland asked if railway men could not get equal leavo with the members of tho 1 ost and Telegraph service. They were conceded twelve days a year, while Post and Tolegraph servants received two, three, and four weeks, according to length of service, lot a-railway employee worked longor hours. Mr. Hornsby asked if better arrangements could not bo mado as to how and when railway employees received their annual loave. Tho Premier said he would take tho matter into consideration. The requirements of tho servants wore generally mot as much as possiblo, but to have arrangements running liko* a piece of machinery would be very difficult Sickness and tho fact that holidays wore allowed to accumulate had a good deal to do with it. New Schedule. In explaining tho now schedule, tho Premier said'it involved a total increase on last year of from £135,000 to £140 000 This included "allowances" upon the estimates of last year, which ran into an amount of j£6O,OOG. He proceeded to explain the alterations in the \schedule, and- said f-lio amount of tho increments wns £13,600 per annum over tho former schedule. Tho alterations had been made after representations hail been heard from the railway employees' representatives. Some Criticism. Mr. Massoy. said, with regard to tho total increase, that tho Premier had said it was between £135,000 and £140,000, whereas it included "allowances" that ,wore made prior to the last general olections. Those allowances wore now included as fixed additions to salaries, and as their total; according to the Premier, had amounted to £60,000, tho net increase in the schedule would bo about £75,000. He went on to say that stationmastors at country stations had been badly treated, and ho would like to know if their positions had been improved. Ho would

also liko to know if the salaries in the railway service would compare with those in the post and telegraph service. Ho had had numerous telegrams of complaint. The Premier complained that the officers instituto tad taken exception to tho Bill on incomplete information. It was wrong that telegrams should be sent round the Dominion by ono or two individuals tolling the employees to wiro to tho Premier and others regarding: tho classification, and if this sort of thing waG to bo done there would be a big reaction somo day. As to comparisons botwoen station-masters and post-masters tho salaries of the former ranged from £175 to £350. Ho thought tho relative positions wero fair. It was a mistc.ke to say that the post-office officials had been given more favourable treatment than the railway men. Ho had had a largo number of figures worked out in connection with tho matter.

Mr. Massey, in tho course of some remarks, asked, did tho Premier know that certain juniors nt Wellington had wired over the Colony to other employees telling them to express approval of tho schedule? The Premier: It- didn't como before him officially, though ho had hoard of it. Mr. Massey: Well, it had happened. Ho did not agree that employees should not have tho right of making their grievances known.

Tho Premier replied that what he had complained of was that one or two men instigated complaints that would lead those who did not know to believe that injustice in some cases was being done. There was a proper channel through which complaints should come. . Speaking later in reply to Mr. Massey who produced telegrams sent to himself from railway officials, the Premier gave an assuranco that nothing had been done by him or tho heads of the Department to have approval or otherwise expressed with tho schedule. He had'hesitated over the Bill because, haying heard that agitations wero to He .made, and knowing that lie was doing his best to improve .the service,, he wanted to decide whether it would not be better to ask the. House to, put the wholo case of Railway employees' salaries before tho Conciliation and Arbitration Court. Ho had, however, decided to bring the matter onco more before the House.

Tho classification was further debated till "tho adjournment, Mossrs. Hogan and Ross pointing out anomalies still existing in, certain of the grades. Tho Premier showed a disinclination to go into the schedulo then, and said he was not prepared to alter it. On the House resuming, the committee stages of the Bill wero completed; ' , CHRISTCHURCH DRAINAGE. Tho Chnstehurch . District Drainage Act Amondment Bill was also put through'committee with minor amendments, and was subsequently read' a third timo and passed. THIRD. READINGS. The Railway Servants Classification Bill was reported from committee. On the motion for tho third reading air. -Hogan (ft'anganui) complained that the Bill had bedn hurried through committee, and ho proceeded to.launch- out into a half-hour criticism of the new schedulo which ho did not think a good ono. . '■ Mr. Laurenson showed that great increases had been made on the last classification in 1901.. Ho showed that the avorage clerk was not so well paid as the railway clerk. ' Mri Jioland criticised the Bill, and, while recognising that it conforred benefits in some directions; regretted that more care' had not been taken to go deeper into the matter. He .wont at length into certain aspects. The Premier, in replying, said that tho last spoaker had devoted a good deal of time to a personal criticism of himself, but hejiad ■.■ record to show, and the lion, gentleman- had not. Sinco 1898 he had secured increases tor the railway mon of £500,000 per annum. An honest attempt had been made in-tho Bill, and those who wero urging the impossible were not friends of tho railway men. (Hear, hear.)

• The' Hill was read \a third time on- the .voices,- and passed. i ■ . , On the motion of tho Hon. R. M'Nah, tlio ,second reading of the Water Supply Act •Amendment Bill, which is designed to- nieet a, situation'that has arisen in ' tho Sclwyii County, was agreed to.•■•■••■■ • >■• -,-.-

i CAMINC AND LOTTERIES 81LL...-■"• - ! ; . THE COUNCIL'S AMENDMENTS. 'The Gaming and Lotteries Act Amendment Bill was-received back from the Legislative Council with amendments, as reported elsewhore. Tho Premier moved that the amendments bo agreed to. ' . ' Mr, Davoy, speaking briefly, regretted that the clause limiting raco meetings by onesixth should have been struck out. by the Council. He hoped that tho House would reinstate it. Others who, liko himself, we're not against racing, considered there .was too much of it in the Dominion. He moved as an amendment that the clauso be reinstated. Mr. Hemes thought the vote of the House on the previous evening would be sufficient indication to tho> clubs as to the feeling regarding the number of meetings. The Premier said ho was as anxious as anyono to see racing curtailed, but he would be sorry to havo this Bill jeopardised by disagreement with the Legislative Council, because that was what it, meant at this'period of tho session. . The amendment was lost by 27 to 21. Mr. Massoy regretted the clauso had boon struck out. This was the first occasion on which the bookmaker had been recognised by Parliament. Mossrs. Witty and Tanner also regretted the action of tho Council. There were men in the House who-wero dotcrmiried to seo this matter through. ■ "Wo.will seo noxt session whether the proposal,- which was sanctioned by a number of men-in this'Hous'o (several of whom went.back on it to-night), is to be maintained," . said Mr. Tanner; "whether the calm, cool, independent decision arrived at last night is not to bo carinto offect, and this roproach lifted from tho national life." (Hear, hoar.) - Tho amendments were agreed to ou tho voices.

RAILWAY AUTHORISATION. The Railways Authorisation Bill, to provide funds to carry on existing linos, was read a second time. Tho Premier said no now _ lines wore proposed beyond thoso authorised in the Public Works' Statement. , The Bill was put through Committee without discussion, and read a third time: OTHER BILLS. The,- Water' Supply Act Amendment Bill was then put through all stages, and completed. The Shops and Offices Act Amendment Bill was committed. The Bill provides that refreshment rooms, which includo accommodation houses, shall close at two o'clock o'uo day in tho week. Tho Minister also introduced an amendment to givo every hotel einployeo.a half-holiday onco a week. Fixing the Half-Holiday. Tho Minister then introduced a further now clause of twelve sub-clauses dealing with tho half-holiday question. Ho explained that it affirmed the oxisting law. The local authority would fix the closing day, but if tho people desired to alter the day they could, by a requisition signed by 10 por cent, of tho electors, apply for a poll to fix the halfholiday. The poll would bo taken on tho day of tho Borough Council election, and the municipal roll would bo used. The clauso would apply in that case to boroughs' and town' districts as well as combined districts. The clauso was debated for some time, mombors prophesying trouble and complications if if passed. • Tho Minister believed tho clause was wanted. Ho, however, was prepared to lot the question bo decided on the voices. A division was called for, which resulted in its adoption by 28 to 18. Tho Bill was then read a third timo. DISPOSAL OF RESERVES. Tho Rcsorvcs and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Bill (Hon. It. M'Nab) was committed. Tho Bill is practically a washing-up Bill, dealing with purely local matters in different parts of tho Dominion. Inter alia, it vests in tho Crown forty-fivo acres of a borough reserve at Palmerston North as an endowment for a dairy school and experimental

station, such land to revert to tho borough if the school is not established at Palmerston within two years. • It also empowers tho Manawat'u A. and P. Association to convey to the Crown a site for the school. The Minister said the locality for tho school was not yet decided on.

It also validates the extension of the Wellington City boundaries to include part of Karori, and grants tho site of the lato Mr. Scddon's grave (5J porches) to his widow. The clause authorising tho Wellington Harbour Board to acquire land'adjoining" the proposed reclamation at. Evan's Bay had been struck out by tho Select .Committee. The clause was reinstated. The Bill was reported, read a third time, and passed. ■, The Fire Brigades Bill was amended in Committee so as to make tho Government, contribution to i the Boards in each of the. four' cities £250, with £200 additional for Wellington. Tho Bill.was read a third time and' bassed.

(Left Sitting.)