THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 698, 24 December 1909, Page 15

THE HOUSE.

TIMBER COMMISSION. .. - Yesterday's proceedings in the \House com-, •..'.m«nced at 10 iP\ ■ A Mr. J. DUNCAN ifWairau); said that Marlborough sawnullers . had wished; to - givo evidenoe befor* ..the Timber Commission, but wero too late to do, so before it concluded > tho ■- taking of evidence. • 'Ho read correspondence 'v:;v from some; bf,{thoso','ehgaKed , in' the; industry,: in . Marlborough, andasked: tho ..Government to i.' ;,:;v considerf ; the -representations "'made;;:./ He . also : .: compliment-jd 'the. Government on tho. valuable . ' ,-;Teporjs ;ofi the Lands - Department; :on : timber •>$ ;'qnite ■ eclipsed- . .-tho',report ofv the Royal Commission.'

IRRIGATION. '» >■ On the presentation .% .thc Hon. E. M'Ken--Messrsv 1 - Allen, Frascr, Luke, Scott, Buchanan, and Masyy^y'fV^MyJiMg^rtlie.QoTeitoentJto/givei:'assistance, to' ; the development' of Central ' Otagb .by. means -;h; /'/:#k/'. .raising/of : o; : :joyWOOiOOD;;forlj'this : ;work jihad/:been '.-..• / and/tho. Government wa3'not; going to rush ff'\;'s. ■Wrnm-soarariiyinto -;.® °st; Ja i i mubh i'lairper F;isnin v * Several -■ worki'v on: i :an' .-.experimental: .sb,nle: would be> carried, : ont, ' /. aiw n \:^fnttlMßr 6xiaatiqh>*Vp'uld^Tfe7"pbtained; i . A BATTLE OF ROUTES. I ,' ;. !;.--Tho< M-to Z ; Petitions. Committee, reporting 'ii- of;the North v ■ Auckland Trunk Railway, recommended •it to ..if, the >-■ Government -for: further, inquiry, , ■ .. Mr. .I\ .MANDEH (Mnrsden) 6poke.:. at con- ; stronglyajrainsti .the decisicn.of'the, Government to adopt.the ■ . '; western route for .the railway "a£ter::tho :cast- '. r: ,; 6rn route had been dotermined; upon.'He .urged.■ ■ ■ . that .-the:.(itiestion; should:.'be -referred te a • • ' w>t : do the proper/thing,'.he would, take ,tb!) -. '. fltump andmake.the/oountry: ring,if he could, ' /.Ho' questioned the legality 'or the .Government's overriding:; tho:ideoisioii': of ;Parlitt-: ment. Hon. R. M'KENZIE (Minister for Pub- .: lio Workb)!; said tho survey mado by his instruefcions had' shovr'n i.that the . western route ' '''.would bo'tho more profitable of. the'two, and would certainly not cost more, and that tho v : difficulties ;of-construction /Svere' less./' No, survey of the western ronte: was-: made before tho . eastern route, was: adopted. Ho had heard evidence on both -.sides.: >The Government had -. - done nothing ; illegal , -in .the matter.' The .v.' : ■ " opinion, of jtho . Crown law ' officers had been taken. \ Mr.. ,G. ; ; V. ._ PEARCJS (Patea) said .a. Royal . ..Commission, should bo appointed :in order * that ! r«ae«#od:-:of/.the .accusa- : tion, that-it .was a pQhtical -railway.' i ;v / Mr., ;i J. STALLsWORTHY • (Ifaipara) spoko ..... ..in support of the western'ronto, and the action ,-of„tho.Minister.. -He'had-no fear of the result . n .'. l ' l, l u ' r y> JlO. objected to tho delay.!. to « r,® ? T . cr (Auckland Central), and :. .r £i r v ,'Vv'."v' " u<! hanan .(Wairarapa) supported « the demand for. further inouirv. ' ' * l r, ® thoJ'e was still 'Q 1 doubt ; . I s P r ®P CT , route, and he hoped a Royal Commission.would-be.appointed. ' ' ■. . report - was, ordered.to: lio on tho table.

TRAMWAYS,BILL DROPPED. MR.'TAYLOR'S THREAT. ■ .■?' 0 2P?%1® : °5.f 16 Tramways Bill roconu mended .that the .Bill: .bo. allowed to proceed, with amendments. iS.v(Christchurch North) Bam the Bill, if passed, would, result in the Tcr? a r L ttss Itnos);?9:f'.Wljthe;1 tno s) ; ?9 : f'.Wljthe; tramway-systems in' • ' that v>the ■ '. Minister; i .-9f- .jP6wors .to compel one par-' "w, U i r T f orap ? ny A° c °raply with i the Public 't s's® !■ requirements as to brakes. /Yet the Alim^tor- had said- that he already, a " ,TO r6 w , o f .'hani ho: cared to use.- Ho *®® r ™ ln ister, to,use Jus power under tho Public Works Act and hold up the Auckland .until; the.-company agreed to instal P'J'TO, ll^o brakes, was required, m ,,i ln "Hfrff six months, ? f h0 ™ « Why not get on' "} r .*. :"Ay^P^ : 4 nni helping tho llouso to ??• ! ?£:« •* i-W-'.KWg'.to.' divido: the Houso on tnis iiil! at every I'iyant to get;houio and no a li«lo .Christmas shopping, but it is ~ ®Pt. to. Bill is going to lie minutely ) s '.'going .to• bo: , checked. If the; Government had 'not. ''got power to bring • ..Tramways Com-' .pany to its sensps, I would be prepared to i ;'mpp ;-hero as ;Jlopg;jas' ;"riiight • bo necessary: to give tpom, that, power, but the Minister had/i

said; he had thepower; ••but." was reluctant to •Use-it.' If.'the' Minister would deriiand a written arid sealed undertaking from the Auckland' Tramways Company to instal the"proper brakes and' woiild say that if. it .was not forthcoming, the- tramways would lie stopped, that underinking- would be .'forthcoming-right away.

Tho Minister's- Counter Threat. • ' -The Hon. R. MTCENZIE (Minister for Public Works) said the Christchuroh tramway system was not perfect. Not only in. Auckland, but also in Chnstchurch, - they were committing murder on thoir trams. The Government was determined ito put the Bill on tho Statute Book for the sake of the protection of the lives of the tramway: employees. All the ■ tramway :unions ; desired the Bill. Out of 281 tramway accidents in Now Zealand, 188 occurred in Aiickland. --" -' v ■ Sir. -Taylor: Why didn't you bring it down earlier in the session? • . i Mr. M'KENZIE: I brought it down as soon as I could. . Mr. Taylor: And now, get it through if you can! . Mr. M'Kenzio: If the hon; member does as he says,-'I may find it necessary to hold up tho Christchuroh trams, as well as the Auckland trams. 1 ■

Premier Moves for Postponement. The PRIME MINISTER suggested that, the discussion'"-should be adjourned, so that -the House-could get on with other Bills for which the Council would'be waiting. If that course !were not' adopted, it was clear that the House' would havo to roassemblo on Tuesday. It would be far'better, seeing that the Bill could not go through this' session, to postpone the. -question', and bring a. Bill down next session. He moved the adjournment of the debate. • Mr. MASSEY said ho held a commnmcation under: the previous day's date from the Auckland Tramways Company, offering to instil the air brake on all their oars, if approved by tho Public Works'.Department. What more was wanted? Mr M'KENZIE said he would consent to 'adjournment, but when he brought the Bill in next session there would be more in it- than there was now. • ■ • Tho PRIME MINISTER said tho statoment from 'Auckland- showed that the-Bill and tho Committee had' done: a great deal of good. He withdrew his "motion' in -order :to : allow the report and evidence to be printed. . ; The report was adopted, and the matter then t dropped. - -

' REFORMATORY INSTITUTIONS. ;; Minor,• amendments .'.to the-Reformatory InHtitntions Bill- were received ; ty'Governor's Mossage .and' adopted, ; and tHe;Biu, was. put through its final. stages and-passed.

PUBLIC SERVICE SUPERANNUATION. ■ ' The Public' Service Classification and Superannuation Amendment Bill was. committed. •vA ' subclause Yra3:.added> rotiking the -measure come into force on April 1, 1910, and-con-sequential'amendments were made, in; Clause 5, ;-'-Clause:B, limiting the retiring' allowance to a' .maximum "of r^6Soo,' : was retained : on; .the prime -Minister's with" a. proviso that it should' .apply; only . to. future . entrwits. A ; similar proviso .was; added ' to* Clause 12, - which provides a similar limit in -the case .of teaohers : aM.'railwayvservants. • . .. v The -PRIME MINISTER stated thatthe limit would: affect hardly anyone- at• prosent, but if there was»any iniustice he, would introduce ; an-/amending : Bill \ next It would: be necessary ,to . provide for. a reduced scale of - - contributions' ;on\ salaries . 'of 'over ' t , n- The Bill . was read a, third time, \and f passed at\s.3o:p.m, •••:; f: .V

ROTOITI VALIDATION BILL. • • The : Rbtoiti' Validation.- Bill: (No. • 2) was' put. through Committee and iinally passed.'; MINING AMENDMENT BILL. '- In-moving; for - the committal ■ of the Mining Amendment Bill, the Hon, R.' M'Kcnzie briefly summarised its.provisions. ;.. r . ■ -*• . Mr; ERASER' (Wakatipu) expressed that '.this- Bill'-had been left till. the; dying hours ofthe 'sessioh, beoiiuse there ;were some, very impbrtant clauses in-it.-.• " . '.' Same disonseion took place on Clause' 15 (ec), which, it whs' .'urged ' would i be.. very ■■ injurjon* iii 1 the - oaw :of . the' Talisman"inline..''; The' sub-;' clause reads;—"ln every working shaft exceeding 200 feet in depth provision shall.be-made and. employed . for raising' and - lowering per-sons-employed-in, the'-;mluet-by; msaiisof cages ■"' ; Thb ;'MINISTBBi: said.'i'h«:) amendmenty n'r.Oommittee ;in frsgitrd' ■ ttf i^the'-; clause. - : I** h ';,-.: -v''■•.'"fl«'!! Mr. POLAND (Ohinemurl) ■ objeoted to,' the proposed amendment- on the -ground: that/while the would suit : or:;two miner owners, :, it would' rob miners as a whole of the --benefits of the original clause. ' • ' The Minister. said that Mr; Poland 1 wos.tryins to kill tho Bill. .. • • . Mr. Poland said he hoped that the Minister wonld bring, down a oomprehensivo Mining. Bill next year, v Mr. Scott (Tuapeka) Stated that the : Bill contained soma »ery debatable provisions. 1 Mr. E. H. TAYLOR (Thames) generally, ap-1 proved tho ißill, ■ Be thought that the'mineworkors were: entitled .tb more consideration than tho owners. After. 1 further,.' disodssida, .<;■ and ' a ■'•; somewhat I lively y tho t Minister and; Mr.; Polantj,.'.who .stated that there was no truth in an explanation of the . Minuter, and had to withdraw the. expression! the Bill was committed at 5.10 p.m. Mr. POLAND moved to strike out' Clause < i (5) which allows a mine to be run without a I certificated mine. manager, when thero are less | than twelve employees, ■; . . .<»■ .; | >, Tho; MINISTER ■ opposed the amendment. • Mr. POLAND urged that the amendment was necessary'; in -theinterest - of'. 'the schools of mines. •.' Tho i Minister replied; that the i mining industry, was not. run for the benefit of tho schools of mines. 'If the. sub-clause were deleted, every alluvial miner .who went out with, a':. ; partn6r;; ; would have ■: to take .- a 'certificated :manager; .'V.; 1 --.'' The discussion was suspended by the 5.30 p.m. interval. .• . . • i-x'-