PARLIAMENT

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 6 August 1926, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MANY MATTERS DISCUSSED.

DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS.

(by TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 5. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. Replying to Mr W. A. Veitoli (Wanganui), the Prime Minister said a departmental inquiry would first be held into the railway smash at Pukeno. After that other steps would, be taken if necessary. In i reply to Mr. hi. J. Howard (Christchurch South), the Prime Minister .said that the cost of living bonus to superannuated railway servants would he continued.

The Minister of Railways laid on the table the annual railway statement and .s'aid a day would be set apart later to discuss it. The Minister of Marine laid on the table the annual report- of his department .

During the debate which followed. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) asked the Minister to say what progress had ibeen .made in connection with the installation of wireless on all steamers) large and small. He insisted that this installation should be made compulsory during the current year. Hardly a week passed without instances of how wireless had assisted in a. rescue and how its absence had resulted in 10-ss of life. He also referred to the need for taking steps for the further protection from accidents of men engaged on the waterfronts of the Dominion.

Mr H. E.. Holland (Leader of the Opposition) complained that the Meteorological Department was undergoing a process of starvation. Not sufficient money was provided for its requirements. It was absurd to suppose, that this department should be revenue-pro-ducing, but if more money was required it should be taken from the shipowners, who used the weather reports extensively. He complained that- so little was spent on instruments. Last year £3OO was voted but only £3 was spent. This office, he considered, should he fully, equipped, because rhe host man in the world could do nothing without good instruments. He asked the Minister to -state what reorganisation 'Was proposed. Mr. W. D. Lysuar (.Gisborne) complained that the farmers did not obtain any assistance whatever from the meteorological office. The weather reports .were unreliable and if nervous people took any notice of them they would never travel. It was better that the department should be scrapped than that it should broadcast inaccurate reports: Sir Joseph Wiard (Invercargill) said the instruments at present in use in the meteorological office should be scrapped and 'sent to a. museum.

Air. T.' W. Rhodes (Thames) put in a plea for greater protection for the trawling industry in the Hauraki Gulf: The Minister, in reply, said .that at present- the New Zealand wireless regulations were the best in the world, because fliey not only took cognisance of passengers ,'buh of other souls on board ship. They were right up-to-date and were keeping abreast of the times. They proijxised to instal radio beacons at Wellington and Lyttelton, which would be of the most up-to-date type. When this was done it would be for the 'shipping companies to instal direction finders which would enable their vessels tg take advantage of these beacons. It Was not proposed to put a- light on the Three Kings because, after .many experiments, it was considered that under some circumstances it. would be as much a danger as a- benefit. So far as the Meteorological Department was concerned, said the Minister, whatever error there was in the weather reports was not due to any .shortage of instruments. The director had been told that he could have any' instruments he required, and he would leave it at that. The department w‘asbeing handed over to the new scientific department, and would be thoroughly reorganised. The Attorney-General laid on the table the repo if. of the Prisons Department.

Mr AY. J. Jordan (iManakau) complained that the food given to prisoners in many of the prisons was not sufficiently nutritious. He -also complained that the pay given to prisoners was not -sufficiently high to* provide for their relatives land dependents. A prisoner Was 'fed and housed, but his family might be starving. Under these circumstances the family was perhaps suffering more than the. prisoner. Mr. P. Fraser said he was under the impression that -the prisons were- not inspected as thoroughly ais they should be. There should be frequent visitsby ail official inspector to Whom the prisoners could appeal and reveal any petty oppressions that might arise in the course of administration.

Messrs W. H. Field (Otaki) H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch East), and T. K. iSidey (Dunedin South) spoke in favourable terms of the work being clone by -the Prisons -Department. In reply the Minister .said it was true there was a slight increase in the percentage of prisoners this year as against last year. He did not think it wise to regard one year’s figures too seriously. It was necessary to take the figures of a number of year* -before concluding that they were e-vide.nce of a particular tendency to crime. A;t all events there was every need to be always on the watch to prevent, people relapsing into a state of .crime. He did not believe prison labour should compete with free labour on, the open -market, but in Government works he saw no rea&on why prison-made bricks should not be used. The leason why the prison brickworks were stopped temporarily was not the response to the demands of large manufacturers, but because it was not profitable to go- on, because they could not dispose of the bricks made. So far as the food given to prisoners was concerned, the Minister's personal opinion was that it- was good, and couM be by vegetables from the prison gardens. The Minister of Agriculture brought down the report of the Forestry Department. When the House resumed at 7.30 p.m. the Christchurch District Drainage Amendments Bill was put through all .stages. 'Hie .land -and Income Tax (annual) Bill was, on -the motion of the Hon. Downie’ Stewart, read a. second time the Minister explaining that there was no alteration in- last year’s rates of taxation.

The Cinematograph Film Censorship Amendment Bill was, on the motion, of the Hon. R-. F. Bollard, read a- -second time- until out discussion. The Minister explained that the Bill was being promoted in response to the public demand for closer supervision over picture posters. The Hon. J. A. Young moved the second reading of the Cemeteries jVjmedment Bill, which, he explained,

proposes .to transfer the administration. of the Principal Act. from the Minister of Internal Affairs to the Minister of Health. Several alterations are contemplated in the law relating to cremation. Under the present Act a body can only be cremated if provision has ibeen made for the cremation by “will or deed duly executed.” It is now .proposed to accept a request in writing as .a sufficient authority to. cremate a ihumlaii body. Power is also reserved to exercise the right to cremate bodies by virtue of the regulations under an. Order-in-Gouncil.

There is a new clause in the Bill by which it is proposed to grant cemetery trustees the right to. “make ..special provision for the burning of any human, remains .according to the rites of any religious denomination elsewhere than ijfi a crematorium.” This amendment is designed to. mieet the requirements of the Hindus, who burn the bodies of the dead on a specially constructed funeral pyre. • . . ■ The Leader of the Opposition' drew attention to the possibility of crime being committed. - .under the cremation clause. It was very wide, and he thought it should go before a committee, where .it would receive mature consideration. ....... ....

The Prime Minister "said ' thekTGoverniment lrad gone to a- great deal of trouble in connection with this Bill. It was not- nearly so- wide- as the English law. He admitted -that if -cremation was made too easy it might-be used to conceal crime, but as the Bill stood he believed it would be a convenience to many people, while it was not Calculated to offend the religious convictions of any. 'T'he Bill -was read a second, time. .. The Industrial -Societies-’ Amendment Bill was, on the motion- of the Hon. Dp-wnie t-SeWart, read' -a second time without debate and. the House rose at 0.35 till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

WELLINGTON, Aug. 5. The Legislative Council met- at 2.30 p.m. to-day. The Justices of the Peace Amendment Bill was put through its final stages and passed. The committee to which the petitions on the Religious Exercises in Schools Bill was referred- reported that it was of the opinion that -the present free, secular and compulsory education system should he maintained and that full opportunity should he given, fox-.' the adoption of a voluntary -system such as the Nelson- -system, under which the teaching was conducted, outside of school -hours and under which the State exercised no authority and under which there was no compulsion or violation of the rights of conscience. Continuing the second reading debate on the Bill, the Hon. H. W. Snodgrass commended' the Nelson; system, which, properly understood, would satisfy all-objectors. The Hon. G. M. Thomson spoke of his personal experience as a secondary school teacher, and thought the objections raised against the Bill were, only visionary. v • *< Vt .

The Hon. G. J. Garland -said he had received a telegram from the-. Moderator of the Presbyterian Assembly asking him to support the Bill, and- he would he a, cur if -he did not- do so. The Hon. W. Earn sli aw contended that the proposals in the Bill- would- degrade the schools. Replying to the discussion, the Hon. L. M. Isitt said that wherever the Nels-on system was being conducted its illegalities were being- winked;’ at.*-- It was significant that ...-although there were all sorts- of infringements of the law opponents to the Bill were not assisting to have them crushed, knowing that if they did- so they would ensure the -speedy passage of the Bill. No objection had- been raised by.the Jewish Church. In conclusion, he -said it was not the province of the State to teach religion. Education was the .privilege of the parent, and the State only stepped in where the parent was unable to aif md it. ...... . , The second 1 reading was carried by 17 votes,to 12, the division list being a-s follows: Ayes.—The Hons. Craigie, Garland, Gow, Hall-Jones, Hawke, Isitt, Mander, Michel, Moore, Newman, Reed, Rhodes. Sinclair, Smith, Snodgrass, Stewart and Thomson. Noes. —The Hons. Alison, Barr, Carrington, Cohen, Earnshaw, Guthrie, Hanan, Lang. Malcolm, Rikihana, Scott and AVitty. The Council rose at 10.18 p.m. .till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.