PARLIAMENT

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

PARLIAMENT

MOTOR VEHICLES BILL

COMMITTEE SET lIP

LABOUR AND PRISONS REPORTS.

(by telegraph PRESS associatlon.) _ WELLINGITONV Sept. 2. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. to-day. Replying to the leader of the Opposition (Mr T. M. Wilford), the Hon. C. J. Parr said the same amount of Government subsidy would be paid to the teachers’ superannuation fund this year as was paid last year, viz., £68,000. The Government actually was being asked to report on a scheme by which teachers at the Blind Institute could come into the scheme.

The Minister for Internal Affairs gave notice to move that the following committee be set up to. consider evidence to be submitted by local bodies and other interested parties on the Motor Vehicles Bill: Messrs J. Bitchener, R.. Williams, R. A. Wright, GWitty, 0. Hawken, A. J. Murdoch, P. A. de la Perrelle, M. J. Savage, J. W. Munro, the Hon. J. G. Coates and the mover. The committee is ; being ; appointed in accordance with a previousundertaking given by the Minister, It is understood sittings will begin next week. -

Replying to the debate on the report of the Labour Department, the Hon. G. T- Anderson said it was most difficult at the present moment to find employ T ment for clerks. Engineers were also very difficult to place, and about 50 per cent of the applicants for employ-, ment were general labourers. ; Personally, he did not now believe Tmchange ing the constitution of the Arbitration' Court. He was now satisfied that permanent assessors were, the-most-,satis-factory as assuring consistency in the couiT’s decisions. By far the most ; desirable form of negotiation ’in ’ industrial disputes was before a conciliation commissioner, and in this connection he was pleased . .to; say thiat last year the commissioners were able To settle or partly settle 92 per cent of the cases which came before them, only 8 per cent being referred wholly to the Arbitration Court. ----- _ Discussing the prisons report, the Hon. C. J. Parr said that •'as a result of 12 months’ administration of ‘this department he: was satisfied that ■ the Prisons Department was doing most exceßent work, and after Mr Matthews (the officer m charge)’ was lot able to make many suggestions as a. result :©f his recent visit, of inspection to Australian prisons. A very serviceable system of classification' was in force, and the results of the reformatory prison .at Invercargill .were A most, encouraging. For a period of eight years 1923 739 youths had been committed to this prison, and of these only 47, or ”•8 per cent, had been,recommitted. / The debate on'the sfighr dutV -ucchpied the evening sitting, ' • and the House rose at 10.47 p.m. till 2.30 p.m> to-morrow. *v - -