PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1272, 30 October 1911, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

THE COUNCIL. BILLS THROWN OUT AS A PROTEST. ! A SERIES OF CONFERENCES ( Tlio Legislative Council met at II o'clock on Saturday morning. i NATIVE LAND CLAIMS, ' A message was received from tho Housi : of Representatives stating that tho Houa had disagreed with tho new clause in sorted in the Native Land Claims Adjust ment Bill, on tho motion of the Hon. W ! Pere. ■ ■ .The Council decided to insist on its ' amendment. The Hons. Sir John Fintllay, T • '■ Thompson, and J. Eigg were appointee , a committee to confer with representa ; tives from the House of Representatives I The managers failed to agreo, and a fur ther committee was appointed consisting ■ of Sir . John Findlay, the Hon. J M'Gowan, and the Hon. J. E. Jenkiuson 1 The Hon. WI PERE explained that ii , tho clause he had moved was not inserted in the Bill he would speak for three 01 four days. At the conclusion of the second con- ; ference the Attorney-General reported [ that tho managers had again failed tc agree. A third conference was then arranged, and this resulted in an agreement to delete tho clause on the understanding that a full measure of satisfaction would be ; given next session. ; ■ Tho amendment was agreed to. WORKERS' COMPENSATION. ' A further message was received from s the House intimating that it disagreed with tho amendment made by the Council in tho Workers' Compensatiou Bill The Council decided to insist on its ; amendment. : . The Attorney-General, the Hon. J. Ban and the Hon. J. R. Sinclair were appointed a committee to confer with a committee from the House of Eeprei sentatives in regard to the amendments. The Attorney-General subsequently tabled the report of the managers i 1 _ on the conference, and the amendments ; ' were agreed to. Tho further amendments, according to tho Attorney-General, limited tho amendments made by the Council and provided that in any case ; in which an action was brought that : the common employment should not be available, and that the amount should i . be limited to .£SOO in proceedings under tho Act. ( • The report was agreed to. !■ ' CHRISTCHURCH DOMAINS. Tho Christchurch Domains Amend' ( V raent Bill'was put through all stages and i;•' passed without amendmont. POST AND TELEGRAPH BILL. 1 An amendment to the Post and Telegraph Bill widening the definition of J documents which can bo stamped by ' stamping machines, so as to cover cablc--1 grams or any documents on -which duty is required to be paid, was brought down i by Governor's Message. The amendment was agreed to. MORE BILLS FROM THE HOUSE. (The Coal'Mines'Amendment Bill and the Taieri Land Drainage Bill were received from the House of Representatives md read a first time. i i PROTEST VOICED AND BILL j DROPPED. i The Hon. J. R. SINCLAIR entered an i emphatic protest on the second reading I of ■ the Coal Mines Amendment Bill against the Bill being introduced in I'ho dying hours of the session. He regarded if as a travesty on legislation that Bills i such as this should bo sent down on the i last day of tho session. To ensure the i. rospect of those represented the Bill should be conducted in decency and in ! order. Opportunity should, he urged, fce f ' given to make full inquiry into the conditions surrounding anj; measure which camo befoTO the Council. This was a i- reasonable and moderate proposition. As far as ho had been able to see thero was i nothing to object to in the Bill, but at tho same time ho had not had time to go thoroughly into it. Thte Hon. W. CARNCROSS also obj6cted ; to measures such as this being brought down on the last' day of the session. A better system would bo that members of Cabinet should bring down their Bills : at 'an earlier stage. Bringing Bills down late, as was done, was a deliberate attempt to force measures through after a number of members had gono' away and when it was calculated that tho balanco would forco tho Bill through in their anxiety to get home. While he entered this protest he was not against the i improvement of the miners' conditions. • t n ' a ' so protested against contentious measures being brought down at the eleventh hour, whatever the object might' bo. He did not think, however, that tho present Bill would enforce any hardship on employers. The Hon. J E. JENKINSON said'he thought tho time had arrived when Ihe Council should put its foot down and in- • dicate that' it wonld not receive Bills under theso conditions. Ho wonld voto against the Bill as a protest against its being brought down at this stage of the session. v -® on ' P- SAMUEL also objected to • blindly passing into law a measure which he had not had time to consider. Unless they were going to carcfiilly consider the measures put before them it was not inucli use their being there. On a division' tho motion for the second reading was defeated by 11 votes to G,.the voting being: Ayes, Hons. Sir John Imdiay, Captain Baillie, J. Rigg, J T Paul, W. Beehan, and, A. Baldey. Noes, ilons, J. Barr, J. E. Jonkiusou, H. Gilmer, W. Carncross, Dr. Collins, R. A Loughnan, J. Anstey, T. Thompson, J. M&owan, 0. Samuel, and J. 11. Sinclair.

ANOTHER BILL KILLED, Th® Local Bills Committee, reporting on the laieri Land Drainago Bill, recoup mended that tho Bill bo referred to the Joint Committee on Bills to consider the question 0 f whether the Bill is n local Bill or not'. The roport was agreed to, the effect being* that I'he Bill was dropped. THE APPROPRIATION BILL. The Appropriation Bill was received Irom tho House of Representatives and put through all stages and passed. After the usual compliments to the Speaker and the officers of t'he Council the Council rose at 11.55 p.m.