PARLIAMENT

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 July 1924, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

FIRST READING OF BILLS. HEALTH OF MINERS. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, July 2. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. The following Bills were introduced and read a first time, Mortgages Final Extension Bill (Mr. Massey); Local Bodies Loans Amendment Bill (Mr. Massey); Religious Exercises in Schools Bill (Mr. L. M. Isitt); Insurance Companies Deposits Amendment Bill (Mr. Massey); Police Force Amendment Bill (Hon. C. J. Parr); Copyright Amendment Bill (Hon. C. J. Parr); Extradition Amendment Bill (Hon. C. J. Parr); Local Legislation Bill (Hon. R. F. Bollard). Mr. AV. F. Parry (Auckland Central) moved for leave to introduce the Miners’ Phthisis Bill. On this, motion Mr. H. Poland (Ohinemuri) drew attention to the inadequacy of the present allowance made to miners suffering from this disease. He explained that married men received 35s per week and single men 25s per week, and as he understood the Government proposed to introduce an amendment to the pensions scheme this session he asked that the allowance be so increased as to bring it into line with other countries where the mining industry was carried on. New Zealand legislation on the subject of miners’ phthisis was mean and narrow in its restrictions, and the whole position required considerable improvement to meet urgent cases. Mr. T. W. Rhodes (Thames)- «yged the Government to take up Mr. Parry’s Bill and make it law, for there was much need to have the legislation made more liberal. The Hon. G. J. Anderson (Minister for Pensions) agreed with the other speakers in giving credit to Mr. Poland for the interest he had always taken in the question. The mining industry was the only one which had a special pension, and from the pension point of view it was liberal. Although 35s per week would not provide all that was necessary for a wife and family, it was the biggest pension outside of - the soldiers’ pension in this country. It had not been pointed out that while there were some poor miners who had the disease there were also some ivho were wealthy. A member: Very few. Hie Minister added that he did not know what was in Mr. Parry’s Bill, but the department, and he as Minister, had been going into the question carefully, and he hoped to bring down a Bill during the session. The Bill was read a first time, and Mr. Parry suggested July 9 as the date for the second reading. The debate- on the Address-in-Reply was opened by Mr. J. Bitchener when the House- resumed in the evening. Various topics were dealt with, after which Mr. J Linklater seconded the motion. These were the only speakers, and the House rose at 9.2"0 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE. Continuing the Address-in-Reply debate in the Legislative Council, the Hon. R. Moore referred* to the difficulty of. devising a nurses’ superannuation scheme that would he practicable for all, on account of the varying terms for which nurses remained at an institution. Legislation wa-,4 required placing all nurses on a fair and equitable basis. The time was overdue when more jstringent legislation should he passed in regard to venereal disease. The speaker did not anticipate muc-h trouble over the moratorium, but remarked that an extension ivould benefit farmers. He hoped mortgagees would take a reasonable view when dealing with their clients. The Hon. Dr. Collins deplored the abandonment of the Imperial Conference resolutions, and regretted that England, Belgium, and Italy had not assisted France in the Ruhr. ‘ He spoke strongly in favour of the compulsory notification of venereal disease, and advocated medical examination from childhood upwards in the interests of cancer and retardation. The Council rose at 4.8 p.m; till 2.30 t p.m. to-morrow. '