PARLIAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1909, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

TO-DAY'S SITTING. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 10 a.m. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. On the proposal for the second reading of the Inangahua County Council Empowering Bill, the Prime Minister said he should have to oppose it. The Bill proposed to empower the council to contract with the Minister of Railways for the_ construction of a line of railway (about a mile) from the Reefton station to a point within the township of Reefton, the cost of running to be guaranteed "by the council, and any loss paid out of a special rate levied for the purpose. It would, he urged, be establishing a very dangerous precedent, and, if constructed, tend to considerably delay through traffic. The Minister of Public Works raised the point of order that the Bill was a private Bill, and not a local Bill. Mr. Speaker ruled that it was a private Bill. ' The Prime Minister said the matter was so important that he gave notice to move that the Speaker's ruling bo referred to the Standing Orders Committee. « The Minister of Public Works moved the adjournment of the debate, contending that there was not enough traffic at Reefton to run a horse tramway, much less a railway. The motion to adjourn the debate was carried by 27 votes to 23. WELLINGTON STREETS. Mr. J. P. Luke moved the second reading of the Wellington (City) Streets Empowering Bill, which empowers the City Council to take over certain private streets in the Roseneath, Kilbirnie, Brooklyn, Island Bay, and Wadestown districts, which have recently come into the area of Greater Wellington. The city proposed to get a portion of the cost of forming - the streets from the frontage owners, and to collect the amount by instalments. The* Local BHIb had struck out the clause exempting such streets from the street , widening clauses of the Public Works Act. Sir Joseph Ward objected to the Bill, as by authorising the construction of narrow streets it would tend to the creation of slums. Mr. Luke pointed out that the streets are already constructed. The Minister of Public Works expressed the opinion that the Bill was designed to enable the council to get past the Public Works Act. Mr. Okey thought^ the Minister should visit tie streets and" see if the Bill was not reasonable. The Minister : I know them. I have lived here for years. Mr. Arnold said the question was whether it wpuld not be a good policy to compel ' the City Council to insist on these streets being widened before asking for power to take them over. Mr. M'Laren said it must be remembered that a considerable portion of what is now Wellington was a few years ago under water, and owing to the configuration of the remainder of the area the authorities had been forced to permit of_ a state of things which would otherwise not have been desirable. *Mr. Luke, in reply, did not object to the Premier opposing the Bill, but he urged that the Bill was absolutely necessary in the interests of good government and sanitation. All but four of the streets in question were 40ft wide.' the remainder, at Island Bay, were duft wide. They were formerly in the Melrose and Onslow districts ; they could not be formed or drained unless this Bill was passed. They were a legacy to the City Council, and should be properly dealt .with. The Premier called for a division, and the second reading was carried by 32 votes to 21. The Bill was set down for committal on Saturday of nest week. OTAKI COUNTY. The Otaki County Bill (Mr. Lukei was withdrawn. LOCAL BILLS. • A large number of Local Bills were put through* their second reading stage. Mr. Massey urged that those dealt with should* be put through their co» mittee stage at once, so as to enable them to be sent to the Legislative Council in time to give that body time to consider them properly. The Prime however, would not consent, and Government business was proceeded with. HOSPITALS BILL— FRIENDLY] SOCIETIES. The Hon. G. Fowlds moved that the amendments, made by the Legislative Council- in the Hospitals and Charitabl* Institutions Bill be agTeed to. Mr. Fisher asked what the Minister, proposed to do about clause 72 (dealing with friendly societies), deleted by the Council. The Minister said there was as much power, under clause 69 of the Bill, given to make contracts with corporate bodies or individuals as had been provided by clause 72, struck out by the Council. Mr. Fisher moved that the amendments made in clauses 71- and 72 (dealing with friendly societies) be not agreed to. Mr. J. P. Luke said that the clause referred to by the Minister was very definite, and, as one with a large experience of hospital work and friendly societies, he was prepared to accept the Bill as it came back from tho Legislative Council. Mr. Massey opposed the action of the Council in striking out clause *72. He could see no objection to specifically providing that friendly societies should be empowered to contract with hospitals fot the treatment of their members for a yearly payment. « Mr. Stallworthy declared that it was the influence of a class which had caused the rejection of clause 72 by the Council. Messrs. Bollard and Jennings regretted the deletion of the clause by tho Council, as it would impair the usefulness of friendly societies. Protests were already being made by those bodies. Mr. W. Fraser thought the other Chamber had gone too far. It could have put in a provision that any agree, ment should be subject to the approval of the Minister. Mr. Arnold referred to clause 69, on which the Minister relied as giving th« necessary power to friendly societies. That clause, however, referred merely to any " society," and several members of the House did not agree that that would not include friendly societies. Replying to an interjection by the Minister, Mr. Herries said that it was "all moonshine"' to talk about losing the Bill. They would not lose the Bill. The discussion dragged on untiTnearly 1 o'clock, when The Hon. Goo. Fowlds pointed out that in 1899 two Government Bills were lost through disagreements with the Council. He again urged the House to agree to the amendments made. At 1 p.m. the Speaker left the chair without any decision having been arrivec 1 at.

Mr. Scott-Bennett, of Australia, will leave for the West Coast next week to further his work of organisation on behalf of the Socialist Party. The New Zealand organiser of the party, Mr. Robert Hogg, will also leave next week on a tour of the North Island on a similar mission. '