PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1591, 7 November 1912, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

i THE COUNCIL. • LAND AGENTS' REGISTRATION./ ( The Legislative Council met at 11.30 o'clock yesterday morning, s The Hon. H. D. BELL moved the see- • ond reading of the Land Agents' Registration Bill and gavo aii outline of its provisions. Tho Hon. O."SAMUEL-.repudiated any • responsibility attaching to-'this Bill and . objectcd-to the passage of such a measure i affecting, as it did, the whole public, with- .. out the Council haying had a sufficient' opportunity of discussing it.' ,' Thß Hon. J..ANSTKI considered that . tho Bill was necessary, but''lie thought its details were ineffective. He urged . that tho measure should bo -referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The , Bill did not deal with tho "amateur" land agent who, oii occasions, brought buyer and seller together and caused much trouble. The wording of the Bill was simply jargon and certainly should be revised. Tho Hon. J. KIGG held that tho Bill did cover persons other than land agents. Why, he asked, should V j the _ man who occasionally had tho opportunity of making a few pounds by effecting a. sale be debarred from doing so? The Hon. T. PAR ATA expressed tho opinion that the measure would seriously damage tho Maoris.' He argued that it should be delayed because of its importance. '•!'.".•■- The MINISTER, in'his reply, claimed that the Bill had been available for some time and members could have ma<le themselves familiar with it. He had done that himself. ' ' Tho second reading was-agreed to on the voices.. • .-- At Clause 2, which defines a land ilgent, The Hon. J. ANSTEl r moved the addition of the following words: "and =included any 'person who acts as a paid agent in the sale or other disposal of any land," . The amendment was thrown out on tho voices. The Hon, J. E. J.ENKINSON moved, just before the luncheon adjournment, that progress be reported, and that leave to sit again be not asked for; . The Hon. 0. SAMUEL suggested' that the Minister should agree to this "course as justice could -not bo done .to tho measure.. ... Tho motion was rejected by 11 votes to 3. ■■'.''■ The Hon. H. D. BELL moved a new clause to the effect that a land agent should not be entitled to recover a commission under the Bill, unless (1) ho was the holder of a license, or (2) his engagement in the sale or disposition of the land was .in' the writing of the person to be charged with such' commission. Tho new clause was agreed to. ..,'.- . It was decided to make the date of .the coming into operation of the Act January 1, 1913. .;,■; • . The Bill was' read a third time without discussion arid passed..' TAIERI DRAINAGE. ... A Message was received from the House of | Representatives disagreeing with the ■ amendments'made by the Council in the : Taicri Land. Drainage Bill in! regard to the protection of Native fishing rights. : It was.decided that the Council should • iiot insist on' its amendments. ■ t SHEARERS AND FARM LABOURERS. : The.Shearers and Agricultural Labourers Amendment Bill was received. from the.House of Representatives and read a first time. " - ; ;:'N'- , The Hon. J. ANSTEY, speaking on the second, rending,. remarked that unless 'the Act was very judiciously administered it would be liable to,f create a considerable amount of' He thought rcason T able time should be given to allow of carrying put alterations to conform-with the air space provisions. The Bill was passed without amend-' ment; ' .'■ -. :.'■'■'''"'• . OTHER BILLS PASSED;;'..'. v The Wcstport Harbour 'Amendment Bill was put through its final stages and passed, with several ': technical amendments. The Education Bill •and the. Opunake.Harbour Amendment Bill were also passed. Thelatter Bill; was amended slightly, Clause 3 being struck out.: This '.clause provided that when the harbour' works had' been .completed the Public Trustee might, under certain conditions, pay to the board out of, rents such contributions as lie'thinks.reasonable, .in aid of the interest and sinking fund, on the moneys raised-by.the board. 1 REGISTRATION. . ' Considerable discussion . took place on i the Plumbers' Registration Bill. An amendment was made at the instance'of the Hon. H. D. Bell-in order to provide in Clause 22, which lays it ; down that inspectors of sanitary plumbers-must be registered, so that men afupresent in the employ of local bodies may be'secured ' their'positions so long as they are in .their present employment. — ':'- ' , ' Tho Bill was reported with the above amd other machinery amendments and liassed. .'" ' ■ ~',;.' RAILWAYS AUTHORISATION. ' The Railways Authorisation Bill was read a second time, after -some discussion. It was put through, its'final stage's and passed. % : ,' ■ • .■ PUBLIC SERVICE-SUPERANNUA-. : V '•■:. TION ' -' : - The Hdn. H. D. BELL explained the ; details of the Public Service . Classification and Superannuation Amendment Bill, i The Hons. J. E. Jenkinson, J. Rigg, • and J. Anstey spoke? There were liun--1 dreds; of workers in New Zealand, who ■ had no assured incomes, who were -yet , taxed in order to pay an enormous super- , annuation allowance to people who re- : ceived a good.salary all their lives. The Minister replied, and the Bill: was , read a third timo and passed. NAPIER HARBOUR BILL. ' Tho Napier Harljour Board Endowment L and-Improvement Bill was reported from, f the Local Bills Committee, and was put , through all stages without amendment L and passed. ■'.•■. THE CORONATION INVITATIONS. i . In regard to a return asked for by the 1 Hon. C. H. Mills, in relation to the pro- . du'etion of the correspondence in connec- ;■ tion-with' the invitations to members of Parliament to visit England at the time ■ of the Imperial Conference, > The Hon. H. D. BELL said that the t correspondence was of a confidential naturo, and ho hoped that next day when i he presented a'"nil"/return the course ' adopted would be approved by the Coun- - , cil. l The Council rose at 10.20, and will re- - sume at 11 a.m. to-day.