PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1271, 28 October 1911, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

THE COUNCIL. DENTISTS' AMENDMENT BILL. PROTESTS FROM THE SOUTHTho Legislative Council met at 2.30 yesterday afternoon. A message was received from I'ho House of Representatives agreeing to tho amendments made by his Excellency the Governor in tho Public Works Amendment bill. Tho Council agreed to tho amendments. A further messago was received lrom tho Houso agreeing to the amendments made by the Council in tho Public Service Classification and Superannuation Bill. MINING AMENDMENT BILL. The Mining Amendment Bill was further considered in Committee. The ATTORNEI'-GENERAL said ho had consulted the Minister in charge uf tho Bill in regard to Clause 12 which provided that tho payment to contractors who do not sublot shall not be withheld until the completion of the contract. The position, said Sir John Findlay, appeared to be that tho clause as it stood was quite useless as it could be evaded with the utmost simplicity. It was also open to doubt as to how fnr the section would ■affect claims for compensation under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act. Personally ho could seo no way of improving the clause. On a division the clause was retained by 12 votes to 9. Tho Bill was reported with amendments, i RESERVES AND OTHER LANDS. The Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Bill was recommitted, and several new clauses added, dealing with additions to the Inglewood Domain, New Plymouth Borough extension, and changing a reservation at Belmont from railway to post offico purposes. The Bill was reported with the additional clausos, read a third time, and passed. DENTISTS AMENDMENT BILL. The Hon. J. E. JENKINSON (Wellington), speaking on tho second reading of tho Dentists Amendment Bill, read a telegram ho had received from Southland, i'his ran: "Dentists of Southland will be disgusted if Dentists Amendment Bill is passed." Tho Hon. Dr. COLLINS hoped the Council would not pass the Bill. Last session the dentists objected to any further legislation, but a Bill had beeu introduced, and the idea gained then was that that was final. He understood that this idea was conveyed by the Minister who introduced last year's Bill. Dentists felt aggrieved that this Bill had been brought in again. The Hon. W. CAR.NCROSS welcomed tho Bill.'' Certain gentlemen, ho said, had succeeded in gaining their diploma and wished to niako dentistry a closo corporation.

The Hon. J. B. SINCLAIR opposed the Bill, and read the following telegram which he had received from Dr. Pickerell, principal of the Otago Dental School:— "University and Dental Association strongly opposed Dental Amendment Bill, and especially suggests that Clause 3 be deleted, as it only applies to one man, and ho was eligible for re-examination and failed very badly last time." The Hon. J. B. CALLAN said he also had received a telegram from Dr. Pickerell, stating that there.were strong protests against the Bill, which was considered unjust to the public and tho university. Tho Hon.. 0. SAMUEL approved tho Bill. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL'aIso read a telegram from Dr. Pickerell. He (Sir John Findlay) recognised that this class of legislation was undesirable, and should bo limited as ranch as possible, but it seemed that the' Council recognised the special .merits of the.cases in question. The second reading was agTeed to by M votes .to 8. The Bill was put through Committee and reported without amendment. The third reading was agreed to and the Bill passed. THE ARBITRATION ACT. Tho second reading was agreed to. In Committee on the Bill, the AttorneyGeneral said he had consulted tho Minister in charge of the Bill, and the Law draftsman, as to Clause 7, and they agreed with his view of it. It was considered that the tronble could be got over by adding a sub-clause, providing that when no settlement has been arrived at, and the Council makes no recommendation, the Clerk of Awards shall refer tho dispute" to the Court for settlement forthwith. The Bill was reported with amendments, and put through its final stage. MILITARY PENSIONS. Tho Military Pensions Bill was received from the House of Representatives and put through all stages without amendment. NATIVE LAND CLAIMS. , An amendment' was made in the Native Laud Claims Adjustment Bill at the instance of the Hon. 0. Samuel, that the provision affecting the assignment of leases shall not apply to transactions which took place on or before October 1, 1911. This was agreed to on the voices, and the Bill was put through its final stages and passed. WORKERS' COMPENSATION. The Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill was reported from the Labour Bills Committee, with various amendments, which were agreed to in Committee on the Bill. Clause 70, which amends Section 18 of the principal Act, wa.s altered by tho following proviso to Clauso 3:—"Provided that except in the caso of a person under tho agi. of 21 years, the approval of a magistrate or of an inspector of factories shall be necessary only in tho event of the death of the worker, or of his permanent disablement, whether total or partial. In Clauso 13, the Labour Bills Committee made an alteration confining the operation of tho clause to the repeal of Sub-section 3 of Section G2 of the principal Act. The effect of this is that instead of restricting the liability of the employer, it removes tho restriction formerly in existence, and Which limited tho employer's liability for damages to a worker injured through negligence of a fellow servant to .£SOO. The striking out of a clauso leaves the compensation recoverable unlimited. This was agreed to. Clause IG, which provided for the appearand of barristers or solicitors for parties before the Arbitration Court was struck out. The Bill was reported with these amendments, but later the • Hon. j. Sinclair moved that it bo recommitted.

This wag agreed to, and the. Bill was recommitted.

The Hon. .1. R. Sinclair moved that Clause 5, which provides for a medical fee of £1 for first aid should bo deleted. This clause, he said, would mean an additional tax of a year on employers. On a division, tho clause was retained "by 11 votes to i. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the alteration made by the Labour Bills Committee in Clause 13 be revised, and that provision be made to give right of action in connection with the injury of a servant up to .6500 for any action brought under this Act. and if the action is brought independently of the Act the claim to be unlimited. The Bill was reported with amendments, and put through its final stago, and passM. The Council rose at 0.-15 a.m., and will meet at 10 o'clock this morning to receive tho Appropriation Bill from tho House of Representatives. Subdivision sale particulars of Mr. H. A. Bygiim's Mungahaupo Estate, adjoining the famous Matahiwi Estato, near Mastorton, are advertsied in this issue by Messrs. S. R. Edwards and Co., land agents, Masterton. Tho estate comprises rich flats and low-lying hills, and is well worthy of inspection by sheep-farm-ers or dairymen. ■ The terms aro remarkably easy. The Rov. J. G. Chapman will preach at Wesley Church, Taranaki Street, tomorrow evening on the "Gospel of Emphasis'." Mr, N. L. Gur.r, land agent, Dannevirke, advertises 26 acres of freehold land for sale in this issua,