PARLIAMENT. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue LXIV, 13 September 1902, Page 2

PARLIAMENT. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

The sitting Avas continued yesterday afternoon. MINING ACT AMENDMENT. Tlie> Mining Act Amendment Bill avuh recommitted, and clauso 2 dealing Avith the l'uiapara lnnds Avas further disuus^d. On the motion of the Hon. J. Rigg a jnovbion was inserted that the manner of fixing tho terms on Avhich the lease may be purchased by the State must bo set forth in the lea>ic. It atus also mude clear, on tho recommendation of the Goldfield* und Mines Committee, ilud no area in respect of which any mining privilege already exists shall bo included in the lease. The clause as amended Avas then passed. There Avas considerable discussion on clauso 8, which provided that, subject to the provisions of any Arbitration Court award, a miner would bo entitled to bo paid overtime Avhon ho avos employed underground in a- mine for moro than eight hours in any day, counting i from the time he entered to the time [ ho left the underground Avorkings of the mine, but no miner must bo required to be underground for a longer period than eight hours continuously, One of the main points at issue was whether the Avhole matter should not be left entirely for the Arbitration Court to Hx without this special legislation. Several amendments Avero proposed, Avith the view of settling whether the clauso should refer to any award made prior fo the passing of the Act, or to any award, before or after the Act. Tho Minister moved to make it apply to " any award now or hereafter in force," nnd declined to AvithdraAV it Avhen* strongly urged to do no by- the Hone. J. E. Jenkinson and J*. Rigg. Ultimately, th,is amendment avos carried by 24 Vot<js to 2. A motion by tjlie Hon. R. $. J. Reeves to strike out tho provision tfoftt too miner shall bo required >to be underground for longer' than eight, hours continuously was earned by 17 to 7. ' , The clftuae as amended Avas carried. The Hon. Colonel Pitt brought up several amendments, devised Avith the object of giving the Supremo Court jurisdiction in xniniug cases Where the value of the property involved is' over £6000, anA of providing machinery for the removal of cases from the Warden's Court to the Supreme Court. The Minister said that no far as he could gather, the people concerned in gqldlield? hnd no desire to bring in. the Supreme Court. They were quite satisfied with the. tribunals now, provided. ,He objected to the propbsal tb .degrade tho District Courts, aud opposed*, the amendments. On the first amendment being lost on ' the voices, the Hon. Colonel Pitt said he Avould not pwss the others. Tho Bill was then reported with pmendmentp, and the third reading set doAvn for Tuesday next. The Council rose at 4.30.