CUSTOMS DUTIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 250, 16 July 1920, Page 8

CUSTOMS DUTIES

■ THE RATES OF EXCHANGE. The Customs Amendment BiM, which authorises the collection of Customs duty either 011 mint rates or commercial rates of exchange, was before tho House of Representatives yesterday. The duties are being collected on this system al ready, on authority of a Cabinet minute, and the Minister of Customs asked tho House to facilitate the progress of the Bill in- order- to regularise the position The importers were being given the benefit of tho doubt in ovary case. The Bill was .put through' atl staces and passed.

INDUSTRIAL LAW LABOUR MEMBER'S BILL. Mr M J, Savage (Auckland West) moved the second tending of his Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration . Amendment Bill. The Bill, lie said, propo»*l (1) to authorise the formation of unions covering the whole Dominion in any particular-trades or industries; (2) /to permit conciliation commissioners to vote on the making of recommendations; (S) to reduce to one week the period •withm whichthe failure of conciliation proceedings should be notified to the Arbitration Court; (4) to bring employees of clubs -within the scope of awards. Some m m, or were included. five Minister of Labour (Mr. Hemes) • Mid he would agree to the second reading, provided that the Bill went to the Labour Bills Committee. J? ?'!! -If read a time and referred to the committee. • HOURS IN SHOPS COUKT OR LEGISLATURE ? For some, two years now shop assistS for nn amen<immt of the Shops and Offices Act to take out of. it the clauses defining the hours of business in shops. Thfc hours of business have been the hours of labour for employees, and the Court of Arbitration has refused always to deal with hours of work of shop assistants while the hours of business are fixed in the Act. Mr. M tombs brought down in the House yesterday a little Bill to deal with this dif- . faulty. The Bill, he explained, had been twice previously before the House, and •on both occasions the House had affirm- ' 6(1 the Principle of it. Ho urged the Government to take up the Bill, faying that , in these days it was utterly unreasonable : to ask any 'body of workers to labour for 53 hours per week. The Bill ms rend a second time and referred to the Labour Blllp Committe.e

.... MAORI WAR MEDALS QUESTION AGAIN OPENED. The Maori War Medal Bill, which make? provision for the issue of war ,medala to persons who served in th#i Maori ware -without coming -under fire, was before the House yesterday afternoon. Mr. Wright (Wellington &iburbs) introduced this Bill first in 1917, and has plflce put it on tho Order Paper in succeMire sessions. Ho argued yesterday that, all the men -who served in the forces during the Maori ware ought to have recognition, rind asked the Government to odopt tho Bill. Tho veterans covered by the Bill were a small and rapidly decreasing band. Mr. ,T. A. Young (Wai-:-kato)_ supported tho Bill, and Mr. W. T. 'Jennings (Waitomo) opposed it. The veterans' associations, said Mr. Jennings, objected to medals being given to men who had not been under fire. The debate went on with somo ker-n----ness for half an hour or more, in which time a succession of members expressed their approval of the Bill, somo even asking for tho pension for all classes of veterans of the war.

The Primo Minister sought to quiet the fire of enthusiasm with' a little cold .water. "I don't want always to bo preaching economy to honourable 1 members," he said,'"but I do want them to consider where wo ore getting to. I am not unsympathetic with these veterans, for I fought for recognition for Maori war veterans long before tho present law was placed on the Statuto Book. When the Reform Party came into power I was instrumental in having the present Act introduced and passed through Parliament. ... I would ask honourable members when they come along with all these demands to think of the financial condition of tho country. Tho financial position of the country is good, but there seems to 'be a tendency to overrun tho constable—to run too fast and too far. Presently we shall got into this position when the Treasury will rot bo able to find tho money required for moro urgent purposes." Mr. Ma?soy explained tltat his remarks had reference- to tho demands for additional pensions for veterans, and not for demands for the medals merely. The Bill was read a second time.

"A SIMPLE PERSON" Mr. A. Harris (Waitemata) moved tlio second reading of the Destitute Persons Amendment Bill, requiring tho appoint- • ment at the cities of officers authorised 'to collect inonoy payable to destitute "persons under maintenance orders. An Act fathered by Mr. Harris in 1915 had ""authorised tlio appointment of such offi"cers, but no appointments had been j'made, owing to the expense. The member wished now to. make the Act of 1915 mandatory as far aB the cities were concerned, in order that deserted wives and others might have thie aid of officers in collecting maintenance payments. Mr. A. Ngata (Eastern Maori) thought that the Bill was not merely a simplo Bill; it was tho Bill of a simplo person. (LanghteT.) Its mandatory clause "h"nd'"iio"penalty and 'thereforo was not mandatory at all. Nothing would hap"paifto the Minister if he failed to make '.the appointments. . . The. Bill was read a second timo find referred to the Statutes Revision Com•mittee.

The Legislative Council met for a feiv minutes yesterday, but after transacting merely formal bnioneM adjourned till Jnesdajt neit.