MORE WAR LAWS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 29, 29 October 1917, Page 6

MORE WAR LAWS

A COMPOSITE BILL

WORK FOR DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

AWARDS MAY BE SUSPENDED

SEVERAL ACTS AMENDED,

Important general legislation was submitted to the House of Representatives on Saturday afternoon and evening in a composite Bill named the Statute Law Amendment, Bill. It contained several -.. parts, of.one or more clauses each, all dealing with amendments of different Acts, and in Committee .the Government - added four more parts. Before the war all these matters would probably have been dealt with in ten separate Bills. The House in the end did pass this Bill, but not without protest. The Bill was in charge of the Hon. 0\ A. Hanan, tho two most important parts of the Bill being those to amend the Education Act and the Prisons Act. ' Education Reforms, i > The first clause of the Bill provides for the establishment by education boards of normal, or practising schools in connection with training V colleges. One or more of these practising schools may be established in connection with every college, and the schools are Lot to ba under the control of the school committees in their districts. It is provided that the organisation of model schools may be altered in order that a teacher may not be required to teach classes of more than forty children. Special provision is made also; for the . appoinment of extra assistants if classes ' are kept for backward children. An increased capitation allowance is to be given to sohools with an average attendance of less than nine pupils. The present allowance is £6 per head, end it is proposed to increase this to £8. The purpose of the clause is to make it pbss'ible to get teaohers for the very . smallest sohools. . ' ■

Another clause proposes a change in the method of assessing the amount of grant to be paid to a high school, with the object of giving more generous grants to the schools not well endowed. The provision is as follows:—"There shall be paid to each secondary school in cases where the total annual income from endowments is less than .£2 per head' an annual grant of .£2OO, and in all other cases an annual grant of ,£IOO, together with, in all cases, a capitation allowance for eaoh pupil equal to the deficiency of the net annual income per head below JEI3 10s. per annum." Tho Government is asking for power to make regulations to vary the provisions of the Education Act in order to meet war conditions. The regulations may have to do with the appointment of temporary teaohers, with the staffing scalo and salaries, and the payment of additional capitation to sohool committees. These provisions aro to remain in operation until the end\of the war and for six months thereafter. ,

Another clause is very important 1 as affecting education administration. ■ Tho Minister has been advised, and he. has openly declared, that the loss to the country through the irregular administration and account-keeping of some of the education boards has been considerable, and the. new clause is to ensure that moneys voted to boards for a specifio purpose shall be used for that purpose and for no other. -Power is also taken by the Minister to declare any school established under the Industrial Schools Act a probation home for children, and to appoint juvenile probation officers.

The Prisons Board. • The functions of the Prisons Board are to be' enlarged. Hitherto tho board has had to do with indeterminate sentence men, and those undergoing reformative treatment. It is in future to be the duty of tho board to make inquiry from time to time at the request of the Minister as to whether there are grounds for the release of any prisoner serving a sentence of more than two years' imprisonment. There is a proviso that no person may be released in this way on probation until ho has served at least half of the original sentence imposed. In the.case of persons who have been sentenced to imprisonment for life, including ' prisoners whose original sentence was the death penalty, the board may consider the question of their release'after they have served eight years' imprisonment. Power is taken by the Minister'to make regulations for the administration of prisons with the object of introducing a system of classification. One of the other ; proposals is that prisoners not sentenced to hard labour may be set to do some, work of a kind to be prescribed, with this safeguard for tho prisoner: that the Judge imposing the sentence has power to order-that any prisoner shall not be compelled to do 7 any work whatsoever.

The Counties Act; . A very important proposal was made by fne Government ior amendment of the Counties Act, to provide that no peifon who has made default in tho payment cS the rates due by him shall be entitled to bo elected to the council, or, to vote in any election or other poll. The Minister of Internal Affairs did not in the 1 end press the clause, saying that it perhaps went farther than was wise, and the clause was excised on his motion. A clause referring to defaulters in respect of another matter was passed. This second olause provides that no person shall sign a petition under the Counties Act or the River Boards Act as a ratepayer while any of the rates due by him remain unpaid.

Defence Act Objectors. '' Under -the present law a person who litis to fulfil lii 6 obligations under tho Defence Act is liable to a fine, or, in default of payment of the fine, to military detention. A clause was inserted - ia thiß Bill to provide that in tho dis- ' cretion of tho Magistrate the person convicted might be committed without "the option o£ a lino to military detention for a period not exceeding twentyeight days. The Minister of Defence said that the clause was meant to make it impossible for rich men to escape their obligations to'render personal service under the Act. To such men the pay"ment of a tine was no real deterrent, and it was suggested that tho Magistrate should have power'in such cases to order imprisonment. Mr. M'Conibs who invariably opposes any proposul to givo more power to the military rased objections to thisdause, and tho Minister did not press it. t

Work for Discharged Soldiers. Ono of the clauses introduced in Comjnitee on the Bill was perhaps the most contentious in the whole Bill. It provides for the modification or suspension of industrial awards and all legislation restricting the liberty of private contract in matters oHtrade, commerce, business, or employment, but for the purpose.only of securing tho employment and training ■of discharged soldiers who have been disabled or partially disabled in this war This olau6e was asked for by tne Minister in charge of the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department (Hon. A. L Herdman). Ho said that without some suoh provision it would provo to be practically impossible to allow a returned soldier, unable owmg to hia in-, iurios to follow his old occupation, to eot work at another for tho purpose of learning it. The under-rate permit system was far too cumbersome, and if the Department had to depend upon it the result would be that it would be impossible for many returned soldiers to let work at all. The Labour men did Irotelt for a time, and Mr Herdman ■said that ho would drop the clause, but in the end the Labour men were prevailed upon to allow the clause to pass, and it was added to the Bill. More Freezing Space. Since the shortage of steamers has been a serious matter, a demand has sprung ud for more freezing space for refrigerated produce, in which this produce may be held for considerable periods until ships are available. Dairy factories have . not as' a rule big. freezing plants, and »h~ could not now acquire them It

they had the money to do it. It appears . that sonio of the meat freezing companies with power to spare are willing to uiako provision for the cold storage of dairy produce if the dairy companies will find the money by buying additional shares in the ireezing companies to erect larger insulated stores. These dairy companies aro prevented by articles of association from entering the freezing business in. this way, and a clause in the Hill empowers them to do it.

Other Clauses'. Provision is made for restricting increase in prices of commodities under the Regulation of Trade and Commerce Act. Apparently the amendments aro intended to-get over legal difficulties in case the Government should endeavour to fix prices of commodities. The last clause of the Bill deals with the registration of aliens under the Act passed this year. In that Act it was provided that all aliens should be registered within 28 days of the passing of the Act. This period has now* almost elapsed, and it has not been possible to complete the registration, so that the Government Statistician line had to ask for more time. Tk* date now fixed for the completion of the register is December ■ 1, 1317.