PARLIAMENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 22 July 1925, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

DISCUSSION ON BILLS. WELLINGTON. July 21. The House of Representatives met at Replying to Sir John Luke (Wellington North), the Prime Minister Said |,e as Minister for Railways, wouldpnf,ui>- ( . into the wastage in coal carried on the railways. He was aware that there was a certain amount of wastage and he would consider what steps could he taken to reduce it to the minimum. Replviug to Mr R. McKeen (Wellington South), the Prime Minister said tlisTt if the Government subsidised the Wellington City Council to give re'Tef to unemployed the work under taken should lie. 'as far ns possible, of a national character. The Government could not he expected to merely subsidise citv rates to do work which obvionsiv should he done by the city. In' replv to Mr E. J. Howard (Christchurch South), he said he had authorised some £2OO or £3OO for relief work at Christchurch. Auckland had so far not made any appeal, and that city was evidently showing a certain amount f sc’i-reliance. In rcolv to the Leader of the Opposition (Mr' T. M. WilfordL the Prime Minister said the I Ridge t would be bronchi down oir I ridnv night. nnd the debate would begin on the following Tucsdav. i . On the motion of.Mr Howard, the Workers’ Compensation Amendment Mill was introduced and read a first "h,- m S. Savage (Auck’atul West) moved for leave to introduce the Motherhood Endowment Bill, which he said wa, intended to endow families in proportion to the number of children, and so abolish the penalty of having 'arge families. The best immigrant the country could have was a child born in its own home, and some ol the attention now devoted to brooding racehorses should he devoted to the care of children. The proposal was that families should recevo ail endowment ol 10s par week for every chi 1 cl over three mi ease*- where the income is he'ow the minimum wage fixed by the Arbitration Court. He anticipated the cost would he about £2.000.000 .per annum. , n The Bill was introduced and read a first time. The Cook Islands Amendment Bn 1 "■as. on the motion of the Hon. Sir M. Pomare. introduced and read a first time. The House went into committee on thc> Iron and Steel Industries Amendment Bill. which was reported without amendment, read a third time and passed. T ..„ The Weights and Measures Bill was next taken in committee. Consideran e •uonsition was shown to clause 10. coinMclling exposure to the buyer of the weights and measures used. Practical difficulties wore pointed out. particularly in connection with the grocery trade, and the Minister promised to have the c’ause re-cast. Air TL Wasters (Stratford) contended the Bill should he made to apply to wholesalers rather than to retailers. Irma use it was the wholesaler who packed o-oocK Tf the Bill applied to wholesale merchants there would he some sense in it. The Minister promised to make it ■ udy lo wholesale merchants as well as t ■ retailers. The remainder <>i the clauses were passed unamended. The House rose at 11.2-1 p.m. till 2.J0 • .m. to-morrow.