YESTERDAY'S PARLIAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 19328, 14 August 1926, Page 3

YESTERDAY'S PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUHCIL The Mildred Elaine Smyth Divorce Bill was put through its final stages and passed. , The Land and Income Tax Amendment Bill, tiie Samoan Amendment Bill, Scenery Preservation Amendment Bill, Cook Islands Amendment Bill, Cinematograph Censorship Amendment Bill, and tho Cemeteries Amendment Bill were ■ received from the House oi Representatives and read a first tune. HOUSE OF REPRESEHTATIVES Mr P. Fraser drew attention to a published statement, alleged to have been made by Dr Valintine (DirectorGeneral of Health) at Mastertcra, during tho course of which Dr Valintine was reported to have said in reference to the public hospital system; Wc have been too extravagant in our views here. Wo have five bods per 1,000 or population, while England has only one bed per 1,000,” etc. Ho asked whether Dr Valintine was speaking officially and whether these views represented tho policy of tho Government.Tho Hon. J. A. Young, in reply, said tho reported statement by Dr Vahntino did not represent the views of the Government. It was possible Dr Valmtinc had not been correctly reported. Leave of absence was granted to Mr T. D. Burnett (Tcmuka) for the remainder of tho session of account of illness. For the same reason three days leave was granted to Mr H. L. Tapley (Dunedin North). The Local Bills Committee, reporting on tho Napier Harbor Board Empowering and Loan Bill, recommended that the Bill be not allowed to proceed. Tho Hon. 11. F. Bollard moved tho second reading of tho Fisheries Amendment Bill, the object of which, he said, was to empower the making of regulations permitting the issue _ of_ fishing licenses in tbo Rotorua district, the local Acclimatisation Society at present being practically without funds. The second reading was carried on a division by 43 votes to 10. The Hon. F. J. Rollcston (Minister of Justice) moved tho second reading of the Guardianship of Infants Bill, which briefly adopted the .principles of tho English Act of last year, placing the mother on an equal footing with the father in regard to all matters concerning the welfare of infants.—Mr H. G. R. Mason welcomed the _ Bill as a forward step in tho emancipation of women,—Sir Joseph Ward asked if the Bill conferred tho power in the courts to remove a father, for instance, from the guardianship of a child after the mother’s death if his conduct proved him unsuitable to exercise tho duties of guardianship.—Mr Fraser pointed out that tho Bill did not go _so lar as the British Act in providing for complete equality of status of the lather and the mother in tho guardianship of even' legitimate child, and also in giving tlie mother equal responsibility m the matter of tho education of tho child.—The Minister, in reply to Mr Fraser, said it had been felt that such provisions would lead to a good deal of difficulty in practice. Clause 5 met the case suggested by Sir Joseph Ward. —Tho second reading was carried on the voices. The Industrial Societies Amendment Bill was reported without amendment. The Hospital and Charitable Institutions Bill was further considered in committee and reported without amendment.

Tho Bills which were reported from committee were then read a third time and passed. Sir George Hunter raised, as a breach of privilege, a report published in the ‘ Dominion ’ giving an account of the proceedings before the Local Bills Committee on Thursday concerning the Napier Harbor Board’s Loans and Empowering Bill before that Bill bad been reported to the House.—The Clerk read to the House tho report complained of, after which tho Rrimc Minister moved that a broach of privilege had been committed, that the House regretted that such a broach had been committed, and that tho editor and publisher of the ‘ Dominion ’ bo called upon to explain prior to the House dealing finally with the matter. RAILWAYS BILL. The Minister of Railways moved that the Government Railways Bill be committed. He said ho had already given an assurance that it was simply a consolidating measure, and therefore ho did not think it necessary to say more at that moment. Mr H. E. Holland, in referring to freights, said it was contended than tho railways must be made to pay, but ho had found in Queensland that tho railway policy was to enable tho producer to get his goods to market at reasonable rates, which would not be done if freight rates were put up to 'a balance-sheet paying basis. Mr Holland also questioned the wisdom of the endowment of the Minister with so much power to veto decisions by the Appeal Board, especially since it really amounted to making it possible for the Railway Board as tho Minister’s adviser, to veto decisions that reflected upon or did not please it. Tho oompeti-

•.ton of motor ti n (fit; with tlio railways in certain districts where the roads followed nearly the same route must soon receive serious consideration. Cars were adding to the cost of road upkeep, and at the same time were competing seriously with the existing railway service. Sir Joseph Ward commended the railway administration as having been intended for the benefit of the people, but lie disagreed with the policy in the matter of rates of freights. These should be designed to help the people inland to market their produce. This was better than trying to squeeze an extra, percentage of profit out of the railways. The extra percentage earned was of little real value if to attain that result certain industries had been penalised by unduly high freights, ft was also unfair to withdraw train services such as the Invercargill express two days weekly. Night trains from Invercargill to Christchurch should he tried. He believed they would he fully justified. He believed that motor traffic had come to stay, but the railways must retain long-distance traffic. If freights wore kept up at a high level a much greater amount of trade would he diverted to the motors. Interest of 3J per cent, was what he had in former years required from the railways, and if more were earned the balance was given hack to the railway users in concessions on freight which, from Oha knno to Wellington, fm instance, were higher than from the United States to New Zealand, and nearly as high as from the Baltic. He would cheapen freights on fertilisers in the belief that we would get more hack through increased produce, and he would reduce freights on timber, because he was convinced this would encourage many industries which would use the railways. It was a mistake to attempt to extract large direct profits out of the railways.

Mr M. J. Savage said lie was not one who believed that one should regard the railways from the point of view of the balance-sheet, but we should have regard to their general effect on the country and the extent of development thev encouraged. The Prime Minister, in reply, said the freights on the New Zealand rail-

ways were similar to those of Queens-< land. So fax as the interest earning capacity of the railways was concerned, he pointed out that last year the railways earned 4 1-S per cent, li the railways were run at a loss thea someone had to pay for those losses. Previously it was not possible to trace the losses, and it was a question whether we were running our railways sensibly or not. To-day all the cards were on the table. The present success of the railways was largely due to the energy of the officers, and if there were any suggestion that the tariff rates were prejudicing business, then an inquiry was made, and, if possible, alterations effected. The qubs-

! tion of more frequent through trains from Christchurch to Invercargill was one which had received and was receiving careful consideration by the department, but it must bo remembered that wherever the department made innovations it was extremely difficult to discontinue them if they were unsuitable or unprofitable. So far as motor competition was concerned, they .1 bad to face the facts, and since they had £50,000,000 invested in the rail- , ways they must protect that capital by going on the roads themselves and capturing some of the road traffic. The Bill was then committed without ; amendment. The House rose at 11.20 pan.