YESTERDAY’S PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 14513, 3 November 1910, Page 7

YESTERDAY’S PARLIAMENT.

The Council appointed managers to confer with the other House on ite amendments to the By-laws Bill. Tho Attorney-General replied at considerable length to the criticisms of the Water Power Bill, and paid special attention to the observations of the Hon. Mr Jenkiason. Ho contended that if it could bo shown that 5 per cent, could be saved , by water power it would bo of very con- j siderable advantage to manufacturers, and : this could bo shown. At Addington Workshops it would be possible to secure 50 per cent, more [lower at £7,500 per annum less cost than by the existing steam power. It had been said that Wellington was paying per unit for its power, but if the Government, by means of the Hutt scheme, could supply power at Id, the advantage to manufacturers would be at once apparent. As to what had been said in opposition to the electrification of railways, ho pointed out that that was no essential part of tho scheme. He admitted that upon tho estimate of Messrs Beattie and Coom the electrification of tho Lyttelton tunnel could not be successfully carried out on a commercial basis, but the Govern- j ment had data to slum that it could be : carried out at under half that estimate, | which would enable tho work to bo profitably undertaken. The treatment of iron ores was not an essential part of the Government’s scheme, but estimates of their engineers showed that it would be practicable to profitably utilise water power in tho treatment of such ores. The calculations of the Hon. Mr Jenkinspn were made on an erroneous basis.—The Bill having been road a second time, tho Standing Orders were suspended, arid the Bill was put through its remaining stages. In tho House the second reading of tho Justices of the Peace Act was agreed to, as was the second reading of tho Companies Act.

’Pile Noxious Weeds Bill was taken in committee. An' amendment by Mr Field to make local authorities responsible for keeping roads clean was negatived by 4: to 19. Mr Allen moved a new clause to amend section 17 of the principal Act by providing that charges for breaches thercoi should be heard by a stipendiary magistrate and two assessors, the latter to be appointed by the county council having jurisdiction over the lands forming tin subject of the proceedings. This w:u negatived by 48 to 18, and the Bill rope i ted without amendment.