YESTERDAY’S PARLIAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 19924, 21 July 1928, Page 11

YESTERDAY’S PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (Abridged from Press Association.) Tho House went into committee on tho Orchards and Garden Diseases Bill. Messrs J. A. Nash (Palmerston North) and D. S. Reid (Waikato) protested against the compulsory destruction of hawthorn hedges afflicted with (ire bligh t. The Minister said that whore a hedge did not affect an the farmer might be allowed to retain it. Moderation would bo observed in tho administration of the powers given by tho Act.

Tho Bill was reported without amendment, read a third time, and passed. The Minister of Lands (the Hon. A D M'Leod) moved the second reading of the Surveyors’ Institute Amendment Bill. He said this Bill was the complement of the Surveyors’ Registration Bill, except for certain amendments of minor importance in relation to the council of the Surveyors’ Institute. Its sole purpose was to separate the law relating specially to the incorporated society known as the Surveyors’ Institute from the general law relating to the registration of surveyors and the conduct of the profession of surveying. It was proposed to effect this purpose bv repealing all the provisions of the Surveyors’ Institute and Board of Examiners Act, 1908, except those relating to the Surveyors’ Institute. The repealed provisions so far as was necessary would bo re-enacted in the Surveyors’ Registration Bill.— Tho speeches of the members in discussing the Bill dealt principally with the cases of men who had been reiused registration as surveyors, mainly because their studios were interfered with by their war services, and they asked that their eases he considered sympathetically.—The Minister of Lands pointed out that engineers’ registration, which had been frequently referred to. came under a different statute. He said there was a responsibility on tho Public Works Department and on local bodies in seeing there was a proper expenditure of public money. Frequent criticism was heard Sof public men permitting the expenditure to drift into the hands of incompetent men, and it was only right that when Government money _wns handed to local bodies for expenditure the works should be carried out under tho direction of a registered engineer. The Bill was read a second time on the voices. Tho Minister of Lands moved the second reading of the Surveyors’ Registration Bill. He explained that provision for the registration and licensing of surveyors had already been made by the Survevms’ Institute and the Board of Examiners Act, 1908. The provisions of that Act were not sufficiently elastic to enable certain rules to bo made that were .necessary to secure a proper measure of reciprocity between New Zealand and the Commonwealth of Australia and other places. As an amendment of tho Act referred to was required for tho above purpose opportunity had been taken to separate the law' as to the registration and the heensin gof surveyors from the provisions relating to the incorporation and the proceedings of the Surveyors’ Institute, and at the same time to bring the law as to registration into conformity wjtli more modern statutes dealing with similar matters—for example, • the En- . neers’ • Registration Act, 1924. This Bill should he read in conjunction with the Surveyors’ Institute Amendment Bill, in which were contained consequential repeals and verbal amendments of the Surveyors’ Institute and the Board of Examiners Act, 1908, made necessary by the enactment of the provisions of this Bilk—Tho criticism of this Bill was on similar lines to that of tho previous Bill The Minister, in reply, said he would refer the Bill to the Lands Committee, before which those who considered they had been improperly shut out from registration could come and give evidence.—The Bill was read a second time and referred to tho Lands Committee. The Attorney-General (the Hon. I. J. Rolleston) moved the second reading of the Statutory Land Charges Registration Bill. He said the object of the Bill was to protect tho purchaser of

land against charges on laud which had not been disclosed to him by registration. —After a brief discussion the Bill was read a second time on tho voices. Mr Rolleston moved tho second reading of the Courts Bill. Ho explained that tho Bill was purely a consolidating measure. —The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee.

The House rose at 9.45 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.