WORK OF THE SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 992, 6 December 1910, Page 6

WORK OF THE SESSION.

THE" MOST IMPORTANT MEASURESBRIEF SUMMARIES. Altogether 117 public Bills were passed during the late session, but one, the ■Shipping 4iii(l Seamen Hill, was reserved tor the signification of his Majesty's assent. Tho restrictions" on space will not permit of the insertion,.of a summary of each of the measures. Below will bo 'found, however, a synopsis of some of tho most important Bills passed.

NATIONAL PROVIDENT FUND ACT. The National Provident Fund Act will come into operation on January 1, 1911. Under the scheme i the decision of the board as to claims on fund are to be final. Applicants to go on the fund must at the time of application be resident in New Zealand; be over 1C years of age; be under 45 years of age; and bo in receipt of an income not exceeding .£2OO per annum. The income of a contributor shall be deemed to be the average yearly income received during, the preceding three years. If a contributor to the fund" is in arrear for more than IS months, tho contributor shall cease to be -a contributor, and not lie entitled to any of' the' benefits. Every person who ceases to be a contributor shall, on the expiration of .12 months thereafter, be entitled to receive a return of all his contributions. If any person who has been a contributor for not less than five years continuously dies, while he is still a contributor,' or if any person dies while in receipt of a, pension under the Ace, and in either caso leaves surviving him a child or children under the age of 14 years, an allowance will be paid to the'widow of 7s. Cd. per week in respect of every child and 7s. Cd. per week in respect of herself so long as any child is under the age of li years. Benefits are to be given in the case of a contributor who becomes incnoacitatpd either permanently er temporarily while under the age of GO years. It will be at the rate of 7s. Cd. per week in respect of every child under H years of ago. No such allowance shall be payable in respect of any incapacity which lasts for a shorter period than three months, and if the incapacity lasts for more than three mouths, no allowance shall be payable in respect of tho first three months: In estimating the pecuniary loss benefits accruing from any registered friendly society shall, not be taken into account. If the joint income of contributor and wife be less than. .£2(10 per annum, a payment of not more than shall be made to cover maternity expenses. . No contributor shall be entitled to my benefit unless he satisfies the board that ho has not. since be became a contributor been absent from New Zealand for a longer period than two years at any one time, or for a longer period in the aggrerate than five year?. . The weekly contribution , : will ramre from 9d. per week to -Is. lid. per week to secure a pension of 10s. per week, nnd 3s. to 19s. fid. to secure a pension of Ms. per week. No allowance shall be payable for a longer period than li years.

THE LICENSING AMENDMENT ACT. Important amendments were made in 'Tegard to the-licensing law. The reduction , vote was eliminated. As , regards local option, electors will be required to vote either for Continuance or No-Licenso In the case of Nc-License districts, the issues will be: Restoration or No-License. At every licensing poll there shall be submitted for the determination of the electors of each licensing* district tho question whether national prohibition shall come into force throughout New Zealand.. The proposals on the ballot paper shall'bc: I.vote against National' Prohibition, and I vote for National Prohibition. As in the case of local option, the majority is fixed at three-fifths. If the determination-is in favour of National Prohibition it is not to come into force for four years, whilst Notional Prohibition would remain in force until superseded by the restoration of licenses. During. National Prohibition, liquor is not to be imported, manufactured, or sold in New: Zealand.' There are to be no licensing polls while National "Prohibition is in force, except polls as to national restoration. A determination in favour of national restoration is to come into force after three months. . No bottle licenses are to. bn -granted or renewed. After June 1, 1911, employment of barmods will % be prohibited, but the section will not apply to the wifo. sister, or daughter of the licensee, the licensee, being a woman, or any barmaid who. previously applies for registration to the Secretary for Labour.. No building,room, or other premises in any No-License district shall be kept or used as a place of resort for the. conumntion of intoxicating liquor!;. This, section will not prohibit the consumption of liquor by any person on the premises he occupies or the consumption of liquor supplied to any person by-way.of gift on the donor's premises., 'The' storing of liquor in a NoLicense area is deemed to be illegal. License's shall not be Granted in respect of breweries within a. No-License district or within five miles' of the boundaries of such a district, and brewery depots are not to bo established within, a similar area. ; ' .

DEFENCE AMENDMENT ACT. It is provided in the Defence Amendment Act that a" commandant shall be substituted for the Council of Defence. The commandant is to be responsible for the organisation, discipline, training, and efficiency of the forces. As regards transfers from the general training sections to the Territorial force, they nro not to be by ballot, ns was originally intended. Every member of. the Territorial Force shall, on attaining the age of twenty-five years, be drafted Into the reserve, but there -is provision that on application any officer, warrant officer, or sergeant may, if approved, be permitted to continue-in the Territorial Force until the ago of retirement in respect of his rank. New provisions arq inserted as to the liability for service in the general training section or the Territorial Force, and the reserve. As regards the former, it is to be from eighteen years of age or from any later date on which attendance at a secondary school ceases to twenty-iiv-D years; and with reference to the latter, the period is made froni twenty-five years to thirty years. Any person who on the commencement of the Act is over the-age of twenty-one years is.exempted, but he will be" liable to be trained up. to thirty years. The Minister of ■ Defence and the Minister of Education may at the request of the controlling authority take over the control of the boy scouts, or permit the formation of boy scout units in the senior and junior cadets. It is further provided that the training of the cadets . shall be as prescribed for the senior and junior cadets, and, in addition, they may practise tho training set out in the scout-training text-book. AH scout cadets on reaching eighteen years, or on any later date, when they leavo school shall be drafted into the general training section. The compulsory training in the senior cadets in any year shall not bo less than sixty-four hours. Provision' is made as to the setting up of general or district courts-martial in the case :of persons subject to military law. In the case of officers this section refers to (a) officers of the Permanent Force aud Permanent Staff, and, (I)) all other officers of the Defence Forces on all occasions when' performing military duty or going to or from the place of parade, exercise, or military duty. As regards soldiers, they shall include non-commis-sioned officers aud men of tho Defence Forces under the fame circumstances. The right of trial must be claimed within three months from the passing of tho Act.

TRAMWAYS AMENDMENT ACT, Under Uio Tramways Amendment .Act, all persons employed us drivers on any tramway must lie holders of an electric tram driver's certificate on and after January 1, 1912. The certificates will be issued by a board of examiners appointed by the Ciovernment, and ono of them shall bo an electrical ■ engineer. Applications for certificates must bo made not later tlian December LH, 1911. As regards motormen, the applicant must have served ns a conductor for ono year, and undergone n course of training for a period' of not: less than twenty-one days for the position of motornian. Tlio manager of every electric tramway shall give such reasonable facilities to the conductors as will enable'in each year at Jeast 20 per cent, to qualify, for the examination as motormen. It is : further

provided that the Government may tit any time authorise any qualified person to inspect any tramway, whether hi the com-se of construction or open for traffic, and the rolling stock used or to bo used, also tho plant, appliances, and machinery. If considered necessary, the Government may order alterations or repairs to be made to ensure the safety of tho. public or employees. Then again, the Government may from time to time innlca regulations providing for, inter alia, tho periodical and other inspection of tho cars, for the licensing of the. cars, prescribing the maximum number of passengers (hat may be carried, providing it shall not exceed 75 per cent, in excess of • its seating-capacity; prescribing tho limit of speed, providing for ihe use of proper appliances. anil furnishings, defining tramway districts, for the keeping of a car-report book, etc. .An appeal boai'd'shall be set up in each tramway district, consisting of one representative to be appointed by the employers, one by the employees, and the senior magistrate, .who shall be chairman of the board. It shnll hear nil nppmls by tramway employees against dismissal's, disratings,-. fines or other punishments, or reductions in nay, and also appeals on the ground of promotion being unreasonably withheld. Inquiries may be ordered in all cases of accident arising out of tho working of a tramway.

THE GAMING ACT. Next •'to the licensing legislation, probably ho measure dealt with during the session caused more interest than the Gaming. Amendment ' Bill. After the measure had been through the Legislative Council, there was a general fear that the amendments made did not make it sufficiently clear that the bookmaker was to be barred from plying his calling on a racecourse. However, after a meeting of Hie managers of both Houses, it was decided to make a further amendment to make the law in this respect more definite. Another point which caused much debate was a clause inserted in the Lower House to the effect that in determining the clubs to which totalisator licenses shall be granted preference, shall ba given to those clubs which use'the totalisator for.one meeting in the year only. This clause, however, was struck out beforo the Bill finally passed. A determined effort was made to limit the number of races to be run in any one. day to seven, but it was eventually decided that the maximum number of races should be eight. Under the now Act, which is to come into operation on January 1 next, every person who frequents, loiters, or is in any street for the purpose, of bettiug is guilty of an offence, and is liable on summary conviction to a line not less than ,£2O and not exceeding .£IOO for \a first offence, and to a like fine or to imprisonment not exceeding three months for a second or subsequent offence. Similar penalties are provided to m6et the case of a bookmaker betting on any street, licensed premises, racecourse, or public place. It is laid down that, every racing club must use all reasonable and lawful means of preventing bookmakers plying their calling on the racecourses. The penalty for negligence in this connection is the cancellation for one year of tho totalisator license of the club concerned. After July, 31 next the aggregate number of days in the year on which the totalisator is to-be used is not to exceed 250. Provision has , been made whereby the' Governor may appoint a commission of five, person* to determine tho to which totalisator licenses are to be issued. Investments on tho totalisator will for the future only be received in cash, bank notes, or cheque, either before or at the time of the investment. No investment on the machine is to be taken from ■ any person under 21 years of age, a fine up to ,£IOO against the club being set! down for a breach of this section. A penalty of JCSO is also provided, in the case of a person falsely representing that he is 21 years of ago or more, in order l to make an investment.