DAYLIGHT SAVING

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 7, 3 October 1929, Page 12

DAYLIGHT SAVING

BILL CALLED ON

LAST MINUTE INCIDENT IN HOUSE

By a matter of seconds, perhaps, the Summer Time Bill failed to secure its second reading in the House of Representatives last night, but there is small likelihood of its passage being opposed. After a languid day, the House speeded up toward the close of the evening session, and, although .only three minutes remained, the Minister of Justice (Hon. T. M. Wilford) moved the second reading of the Summer Time Bill. “It is the same as the Act passed last year,” the Minister explained. “The only different provision is that it is now proposed to make the advancing of the clock by half an hour during summer time perpetual until the House repeals it. There is a right to consider it at any tjme. The half-hour has again been proposed ns a compromise, and it is proposed that the clocks should be advanced on Sunday week. I would like the second reading to-night.” Mr. -H. M, Campbell (Reform, Hawke’s Bay), rose to suggest that the half-hour advancement should be made to apply throughout the year. The Minister (with an eye on the elock, almost marking the hour of the adjournment) : We can consider that in committee. Put it off until another day, shall we?

Mr. Campbell sat down, but Mr. A. M. Samuel (Reform, Thames) then rose. Mr. Speaker had only time to call Mr. Samuel's name before interrupting him owing to the arrival of the time for the adjournment.

Mr. Wilford: “That’s the finish. We will drop it.” The Minister paused dramatically before adding “until another day.” From Mr. Wilford’s later explanation in the lobbv it seemed that he was only joking. There would still be ample time for passing the Bill, he said. RAILWAY METHODS GENERAL MANAGER’S VIEW To enable the best results to be obtained the Railway Department should operate entirely under a non-commercial or entirely under a commercial system. This is the opinion of the General Manager of Railways (Mr. H. H. Sterling) as expressed in his annual report to 1 arliament yesterday. Mr Sterling described as unfair and harmful the practice of judging the results of the working of the Department from a commercial standpoint when the Department was not a commercial institution. In the internal working of the Department, commercial methods had been adopted, but there,was a limit to which the management as such could carry that commercialisation process. Whether the Department should be thoroughly commercialised was a policy questWSome steps had already been taken which seemed to be consistent only with a policy of commercialising the Department, • The action taken in that direction could not, however, be fully effective until all non-commercial influences had been eliminated. The point was that to get the best results under either system—that was, under a non-commercial or commercial policy—one or the other should be definitely adopted both as a standard for the operations of the Department and as a standard by which to test its results. To adopt one for one purpose and the other for the other purpose was inconsistent, futile, and harmful. THE AGRICULTURAL BIAS COST OF LAND A PROBLEM Dealing with the proposed amendment of the education system to give a bias towards agriculture, the Hon. G. M. Thomson stated in the Legislative Council yesterday that he considered that land was far too dear to carry out the suggestion, and that the area available was not sufficient. He was afraid that after two or three years’ tuition in so-called agricultural education, the pupils would be thrown back on their own resources if they were placed on sections. Sir Francis Bell: Are you. against the bias? Mr. Thomson: “No, but against the suggested application of it. I want to see the young people going on the land. But where is the farmer who can afford to employ men to-day at 14s. a day for eight hours? Neither is any man worth it to the farmer.” The Hon. J. Barr expressed surprise at Mr. Thomson’s statement, and thought he had failed to realise that the employer always reaped a full return by the employment of the efficient man at proper wages.

The Hon. V. Reed held that under the present system proper attention was not paid to finding out the vocation a child was best fitted for, and he would like a see a change by which they would be directed into the future vocation, be it agriculture or a trade, they were fitted to adopt. ‘ LAND SUBDIVISIONS CONSTRUCTION OF DRAINS The right of appeal by the individual has now been provided for in connection with the proposals in the Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Bill, which enable the corporation to impose the construction of drains on owners subdividing land. The provision for appeals by aggrieved owners has been made by the Local Bills Committee, which returned the measure to the House of Representatives yesterday. The committee has, in addition, modified the proposal that special orders relative to loans be unassailable by permitting Court proceedings to be taken within three months after the passing of the first resolution.

When the report of the committee was presented to the House, Colonel T. W. McDonald (United, Wairarapa) said the Bill proposed to go right outside the general laws of land and give extraordinarily wide powers to the Wellington City Council. He intended to oppose the passage of the'measure in every way possible. RATING POWERS MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER BOARD The Manawatu-Oroua River District Amendment Bill has been considerably altered by the Local Bills Committee of the House of Representatives. In short, the proposals now are that the board’s rating powers are to be extended to provide for compensation payable by it, and discretionary power is to be given for the purchase of certain river works. New clauses prohibit the board from constructing works involving an expenditure of more than £lOOO for the benefit of any separate area without the consent of a majority if the ratepayers oonoerned.