PARLIAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 93, 17 October 1906, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY'S SITTINGS. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Cotincil continued its sitting after the Post went to press yesterday. PRIVATE HOSPITALS. The second reading of the Private Hospitals Bill -ras agreed to after a short discussion. WORKERS' DWELLINGS. The Attorney-Geiferal moved the second reading of the Workers' Dwellings Act Amendment Bill, which was fully discussed in the- House. The Hon. Mr. Pitt said the cottages were very comfortable, but the fa-ct remained that few of them had been let, and for this reason it. had been deemed advisable to extend the definition of "worker" to that of a man who is not in receipt of moTo than £4 per week. . . The Hon. J. Rigg said there was no doubt that the homes at Petone had been erected in the Wrong place. They were too far away from the city. If the homes w«re to be token up they would have to be much simpler ; they were really too "swell." It was a matter foT regret that the Government had' made such a bad start, but he> was (satisfied the Government had token all reasonable precautions, and erred only on the side of generosity. The homes were too elaborate for the purpose for which they were' intended. In Teplying, the Attorney-General said the Government did not intend to be discouraged by this slight, reverse. They were anxious not to let the homes degenerate into- the tenement class. Throughout the colony in many instances workers and their families suffered great inconvenience because of the poor living conditions they weTe obliged to submit to. In future, however, less pretentious dwellings would be erected. The second reading of the Bill wbb agreed to. TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS. Th* Tonrist and Health Resorts Bill was committed. The Hon. Geo. M*Lean moved a. new clause, and progress was reported in order that the new ckus© might be placed on the order-paper and fully discussed. LANDLESS NATIVES. The South Island Landless Natives Bill was further considered in committee. An amendment was agreed, to on the motion of the Attorney-General affirming the desirableness of issuing individual titles to landi allocated under the Bill. With this and minor amendments the Bill was reported. WELLINGTON HARBOUR. The Hon. T, K. Macdonald. moved th* second reading of the Wellington HarbmiT Board Reclamation and Empowe* ing Bill. — Agreed to. The Council rosa at 4.10 p.m. , ■ OF REPRESENTATIVES. PROGRESS OF BILLS. Three measures — The Unclassified Societies Registration Act Amendment Bill, Agricultural Implement Manufacture Importation and Sale Act Extension Bill, and the Fisheries Conservation Act Amendment Bill— were read a third time. The last-named Bill was responsible tot a discussion in which, the Auckland members objected to Rotorua being taken over from the Auckland. Acclimatisation Society by the Government Tourist Department." Their grievance was that the revenue of the socioty would' be greatly depleted, although it had done a lot for the Rotorua district. ■ Several important Bills (referred; to elsewhere in this issue) were introduced by Governor's Message. „ A lengthy discussion took place on the Advances to Workers Bill. The debute will be found in another portion of this issue. When the House adjourned at 5.30 p.m., the Offensive Publications Bill was under discussion. EVENING SITTING. At nine o'clock the second reading of the Offensive Publications Bill was carVARIOUS* BILLS. Th« Police Offences Act Amendment Bill, which makes the detection of Sun-, day trading lteEs difficult than it is at present, was iread a, second time on the motion of the Minister for Justice without discuseion. The Hon. Jas. M'Gowan moved the second reading of the Thames Deep Levels Enabling Bill, which makes special provision for the disposal of certain mining privileges in the Hauraki mining district.— Agreed to on tlie voices. The Hon. Jas. M'Gowan moved the second reading of the Firearms Bill (introduced in the Council), which prohibits the sale of firearms to, and their use by, young people. The second reading was agreed to on the voices after several members had spoken of the pernicious and frequently disastrous results of the indiscriminate use of pea rifles. Mr. Symes thought the- Bill was a Bpecies of grandmotherly legislation. HIGH SCHOOLS. The Minister for Education moved the second reading of the High Schools Reserves Act Amendment, which empowers tho trustees of any High School to borrow money on, the security of the rents and profits of the lands Vested in them. Mr. James Allen desired to know if trustees would be empowered to sell lands entrusted to them under this Bill, but the Minister did not reply, and the second reading was agreed to on the voices. SCHOLARSHIPS. The second reading of the Queen's Scholarships Bill was moved by the Minister for Education. Tho Bill makes provision for the payment out of the Consolidated Fund of the amounts due under the scholarships to the Victoria College Council, Mr. James Allen said it appeared that these scholarships were peculiar to Wellington. Ho did not desira to raiss any question of ' provincialism, but he thought the scholarships should apply to Dunedin, Auckland, and Ohristchurch as well as Wellington. The Minister, in reply, said no was under the impression that the scholarships did apply to all tho centres. He was not, however, familiar with all the phases of the question, but would look into the question and refer to it when tho Bill was in committee. The second reading was agreed to. THE DAIRY SCHOOL. The Minister for Lands moved the second "reading of tho Waimate Agricultural Roserves Bill, which seeks to sep apart a certain area of land for a dairy 'school for tho North Island. Mr. Speaker ruled that the Bill could not proceed, • bocauso it had not, m terms of the standing orders, been referred to the Lands Committee. The Bill was thereupon referred to the Lands Committee. COALMINES. The Coalmines Aci Amendment Bill was further conßidored in committee. Tho principle of Mr. Colvm's Bill— the banlt-to-bank clauses — was adopted by the Government. Mr. Colvin moved that a new clause be added to the moasure as followa:—"A minor i!hall bo entitled to bo paid overtime when no is employed underground in a mine for more than eight hours in any day, counting from tho time he enters the underground workings of the mine to the time he leaves the iamo." This clause is included ip

the principal Act, but it is made "subject to any award in force under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act." It was this latter proviso that Mr. Colvin sought to have repealed. Messrs. Jas. Allen and E. W. Alison • objected to the clause oij the ground that it was taking out of the hands of the Arbitration Court the power to fix the hours of luboar. The Hon. Mr. Guinness strongly supported the "bank-to-bank" proposal. Mr. Baume said he was unable to vote for tho new clause. He also agreed that it was_ tantamount to the killing of the Arbitration Court's powers Mr. Colvin strongly defended his clause as something that had been demanded by thousands of miners. At 1.30 Mr. Alison moved to report progress. This was defeated by 38 votes to 12. The motion to read the new clause a second time was carried by 31 votes to Mr. Guinness moved a now clause affirming that no land shall be set apart or be deemed to be set apart under the provisions of the Act unless it shall have been taken by the Government under the provisions of the Public Works Act, 1905. The Minister in charge of tho Bill sought to block the clause on a point of order, but Mr. M'Kenzio ruled it in order. Mr. Guinness then claimed that the State coalmine at Point Elizabeth, which has been paying so well during the last two years, is situated on one of the Greymouth Harbour Board's endowments and that the Government ought to pay tho rents and royalties, which he claimed the late Mr. Seddon had promised On the motion to read the clause a second time it was found that tho votmgwas equal — 27 votes to 27. The Chairman of Committees voted with the "Ayes" in order that the committee might have an opportunity to further consider the clause. Progress was then reported. NEW BILLS. r,- T , he PuWic Revenues Act Amendment JJiU and the ' Scenery Preservation Act Amendment Bill were brought down by Governor's Message shortly after midnight and read a first time. The House rose at 12.15 a.m.