POLITICAL POINTS

Evening Star, Issue 19613, 20 July 1927, Page 3

POLITICAL POINTS

CLOSING HOURS OF SHOPS [From Our Pakliamenxart Kepokter.] WELLINGTON. July 19. Asking that a conference of representatives of all retailers’ associations be convened in Wellington to determine the closing hours of shops and to consider legislation to remove several existing anomalies, 1,170 small shopkeepers of New Zealand have petitioned the House of Bcpresentatives. They ask that, in the interests of all shopkeepers, the dosing hours of all shops should be definitely fixed by Act of Parliament, if not governed by Arbitration awards. Any retailer carrying on a business dealing exclusively in one' class of goods only, such as fruit, confectionery, or milk, shall have the same privileges as under the existing laws, they suggest; and ask. also, that any small shopkeeper prejudicially affected by the legislation have the power to apply to a magistrate for exemption. Mr Harris presented the petition. « * * * LAND FOR SETTLEMENT,

The main provision in the amendment to the Land for Settlement Act, introduced in the House to-night, is a change in the constitution of the Dominion Land Purchase Board, The Minister of Lands explained that there would he no land purchase officer from outside the Public Service, but that the board would be constituted of a laud purchase, insnector. who will be an officer of the Public Service, the land purchase controller. the Under-Secretary of Lands, the Surveyor-General, and the Superintendent of the State Advances Department. The Minister statecl_ that there is no power under the original Act to resume Crown lenses for disposal in sections under the Land Settlement Act. This Bill provides a method of adjusting payment for improvements to the original lessee, compensation being taken from the Land for Settlement account. Provision is also made for the Minister to grant a remission or postponement of rent to settlement land lessees in cases of hardship. If the settlement land, in the opinion of ,a land hoarcL is not i likely to he immediately productive, they may permit its selection under renewable lease. ± * * * NOXIOUS WEEDS AMENDMENT. Borough councils and town boards may appoint inspectors lor their_ own districts under the provisions of the > Noxioas Weeds Amendment Bill, intro- j dneed by Governor’s Message to-night, j The former definition of “clear” with i reference to a. direction io clean up land i is repealed, the definition being that clear means to “cut down, grub, or pull up the stem or root of any noxious weed.’ 7 A person convicted of failure to clear noxious weeds within a specified time after notice is not relieved from the necessity of _ clearing such weeds, hut must do so within one month after conviction. Failure to do this would involve a further offence, punishable by a fine of not less than £5 nor more than £SO. « * * * INSPECTION OF MACHINERY. A measure which, the Minister of j Labor stated, will bring the inspection.j of machinery up to date was introduced | in the House to-night, read a first time, ; and referred to the Labor Bills Com-; mittee. ft contains a large number ot clauses of administrative character, and also provision that persons under fourteen shall not bo employed working with machinery. The powers ol inspectors regarding the safety of defective machinery and inspection of boilers and machinery arc strengthened, and certificates are limited to six months in the. case of lifts, two years in the case of mnciiinery used solely lor threshing, chaff-cutting, nr crushing grain, and not worked more than six months in a year. In other eases the certificate is limited to one year. A new provision is that all drivers of steam stationary engines and boilers must bold a suitable certificate granted by examination, which will bo in four grades, called extra firstclass land engineers, first-class land engineers. first-class engine-drivers, secondclass engine-drivers. The provisions do not apply where the area of the engine! cylinder does not exceed 14-fin, or to a boiler of 15 horse-power nr under. Hie rights of holders of existing certificates are preserved. i * * * ! DIPLOMAS OF HORTICULTURE. The purpose ol the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture Bill, introduced to-night by Governor's Message, is to afford statutory recognition of the certificates and diplomas in horticulture to he issued in accordance with its rules by tlio institute. An explanatory' memorandum attached to the Bill says: 1 "There is, of course, no legal obstacle , io the issue of such certificates and diplomas without specific statutory an-j thority, hut their value is likely to ho | enhanced by flic fact that they arc: issued after examination, in accordance I with a, scheme approved by the Govor-nor-Goneral-in-Council. The Bill empowers the Governor-General to approve such a. scheme, ft also makes provision! for the granting without examination of diplomas to persons engaged in the I practice of horticulture, and to holders of foreign certificates in horticulture. , A right appeal to the Minister of Agri-j culture is given from the reinsure! the j institute to grant a diploma in any, such case.