HOUSE BUILDING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 256, 23 July 1920, Page 8

HOUSE BUILDING

, THE NEWEST SCHEME.

Information was asked by Dr. Newman in the House yesterday regarding the scheme being put to tho Government by the building contractors of Wellington to build a large number of cottages. He ivished to know wheiher the Government could adopt some such scheme to provide better housing for the people, and whether there was any chance of the houses being erected at an early date.' Sir William Herries said that a depu-tation-had waited on him that morning with regard to the matter, and had put forward a scheme which appeared to him to be very good. His Department was going into it, and ho hoped that something might come of the proposal. He could not enter into but it was a echeme by which the contractors and the labour organisations combined for the purposes of this work. Mr. Parry asked the Minister whether he could make this scheme applicable to other centres, in order that similar undertakings could be put in hand there. The Minister said that he would be nble to tell the Houso all about the schemo so soon ns it was developed. At present negotiations were going on between, the contractors and the Labour unions with regard to details. As soon ns these were settled he would bo able to inform the House as to what decision had been arrived at. He would _also nave to consult his colleagues, especially the Minister of Finance, because _ the 6cheme as proposed was rather a bigger gcheme than had been anticipated when the Housing Act was passed last session. There would have to be an amendment to the Housing Act (this session.

REVOKING NATURALISATION "GOVERNMENT MUST HAVE THE FINAL SAY." In the Legislative Council debate on the second reading of the Revocation of Naturalisation Amendment Bill, which gives fhe Government power to compel denaturalised persona to deliver up their naturalisation papers, Sir Francis Bell said yesterday that the Government had always exercised the greatest 'wire in order to avoid doing injustice to aliens, in the country. It had resisted a demand that all who had been interned should he.deported; and not even nil who had been internal had had their naturalisation revoked. The Hon. W. J. Geddis urged that eomo. provision'should bo made in the Bill to grant a right of appeal against, the revocation "of naturalisation, The Hon. P; J. Nerheny spoke in a •imilar vein. ' Sir Walter Buchanan asked tho Council whether it -was not clear that there nmst he eases in which it would not he in the interests of the Dominion that the evidence should he disclosed. Surely discretion should be allowed the Government. Hft' knew personally of cases in his district in which evidence could bo secured that it would not be well to disclose in any public court. The Hon. W. Earnshav agreed that the Government should bo trusted.

The Hon; W. H. Triggs said he was .not one of those who believed in'the | '. relaxing of. precautions merely because ;the war was over. He quoted published .information regarding tha Bolshevist. menace,' and eaid that the Government was justified not only in taking the pre•'cautions proposed in tho present Bill, and in another Bill also before Parlia,'ment, "but in taking very much more sli'ingent precautions, if such were neces- ; eary, to ward off danger. Tho Bill was rend a second tiftie. QUALIFICATION OF BARRISTERS • , A DISCUSSION ON K.C.V Sir Francis Bell yesterday moved in the Upper House the second reading of the Law Practitioners Amendment Bill. The first operative clause of the.Bill ■is as follows:—"The pericd of continu' ous practice, ns n solicitor or managing clerk, required in tho case of a solicitor making lapplioatioiMinder section 5 of the principal. Act for admission as ft barrister, shall bo deemed, in the case of n solicitor who . . . has served abroad with tny portion of His Majesty's forces in the late war, to include the period elaps-

ing between his Acceptance for such service and the expiration of six months after the date of his discharge; provided that a. solicitor shall not 1» admitted as a barrister under section 5 as amended by this section unless ho has been in actual practice for an aggregate period of two years, or has been employed for an aggregate period of two years as managing clerk to a solicitor in actual practice. Section sof the main Act, Eaid Sir Francis Bell, offered a "backdoor to tho profession," mid Was vol specially popular, admission by way ot examination being generally preferred. However, the "backdoor" existed, and it should not lie closed to any man merely because war service had broken into the requisite period of practice. There was another matter dealt with in the Bill, continued Sir Francis Bell. A clause had been inserted to repeal the following "aTjsurd provision" that existed by reason of a. revolution or reformatory agitation of a particular year:—"No practising barrister cf tho rank of King's Counsel shall also practice as a i-olicitor either alone or in partnership with any otlibr solicitor." That clause did not

Apply to K.C.'s made before it was passed, rind its effect was practicably to create a monopoly. K.C.'s and those, who should have been elevated to that rank but for the operation of the clause resented the disqualification so widely imposed. The lion. J. MacGregor said there was a feeling that the fact of a member of a partnership being a K.C. was apt to influence the public in the direction of the firm to which ho belonged. Sir. MacGregor did not think the K.C.-ship was well suited to conditions in New Zealand. ~' ', ,~' The Hon. C. H. Izard indicated that in Committee- he would move to stnko out the words "managing clerk.■ there, vera in law offices solicitors who did ,iot hold the position of managing clork, hut wore quite as well qualified as other solicitors who did.. He ;dul not agree v/i'th ; th,e present distinction in tavom of the managing clerk. Sir I'rancifi Belli said that he proposed to refer tho Bill to the Statutes Revision Committee, and would bo pleased to consider any aniciulnionfe proposed. •The Bill was read a, second timo and referred to the Statutes Revision Conijnittee.