PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2568, 16 September 1915, Page 7

PARLIAMENT

THE ESTIMATES

Defence department vote INTERESTING QUERIES TRIENTHAM CAMP AND OTHER MATTERS. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 ■p.m.; ' • The Auckland City Markets and Empowering Bill, and-tho Wellington City Empowering Amendment Bill, were introduced from the House, read a first time, and .referred;- to the Local Bills Committee.' V. Subvention of' Friendly Societies. The Hon. W. BEEHAN asked] the Leader-of the Council whether the Gov-, eminent will take into consideration the advisability of bringing in a Bill this session having for its object the subvention of friendly, societies, in view of the fact that, according to the report of the Registrar of' Friendly Societies, ' the - 'societies' for the first time .have shown a decrease in membership?

■The Hon. SIR, FRANCIS BELL,; in , reply, said that in previous years he had stated tho full intention of tho 'Government to cause a scheme of subr ■ volition to be devised, not for the piir- : pose of promoting the work of ' the ■friendly societies, hut for the purpose .of ensuring tho solvency of the societies, in which the moneys of the poorer classes had been invested for benefits uliich .possibly could not be provided .as tha funds now stood. He said, how-ever,-that he did-not think the hon. /member's question quite disclosed the j reason ; for the fall in the membership of. the friendly societies. ' 1 Mr. Beehan:' There are various rea- '. cons.-

Sir Francis- Bell said lie did not deny . that the establishment of the National I'rovident Fund - might have had - its effect, but the National Provident Fund ' was not established until the year 1911, and the real fall in the rate of progress of friendly societies was in 1909, when the drop occurred from 6.4 per cent, to 2.2 per cent. From that period .the Tate of drop had continued-• The only 'answer that he was able to give was the Departmental one: "That the Government .lias under consideration the question of subvention for friendly societies, but at the present time a definite date for the introduction of the measure;could not be fixed. , The idecrease in 1914 is probably temporary, as war conditions liaye>adversely affectied 1 the business of -tb6 societies in' New . 'Zealand as elsewhere." TRIBUTES OF RESPECT. On the motion of the Hon. Sir Francis Bell, seconded by the Hon. G. Jones, "tho Council recorded its sense of ' the . services rendered the country -by the late Mr. George Beetham, ex-' member for Wairarapa.. 'A similar motion, moved by tho Hon. Sir Francis Bell, seconded by : the Hon. C. A. G. • Harcly, and' supported by the Hon. C. H. ;Mills, was carried in respect to the late Mr. J. M'Lachlan, ex-member for 'Ashburton. The Council rose at 2.55 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow. .