PARLIAMENT.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume III, Issue 187, 24 July 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

i rzn eaess assucx.vhox . J LLgINLATIM COLNUTL. Wellington. July 23. The Council met at 2.30 and im ruediatelv adjourned for the purpose of accompanvmg the Speaker to Government House to present the Addi css m Pep i to tne Speech from tne Throne to His Excellency. On resuming, formal business was transacted, the debate on the Legis lative Council Bill being adjourned ti.l to-morrow. HOI YL O 1 REPRESENTATIVES. Tite House met at 2.30. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. In answer to questions Ministers stated :— The Government is not aware that a trust is operating in the but ter trade. The present high price in the Dominion appears to be due to the comparatively small quantity in cold storage, there being only 231 boxes on July 15th as against 37.374 on the same date last year. If a workman is incapacitated for a fortnight, half his wages are paid from the date of the accident, to gether with medical expenses up to £l. These allowances compare favourably with the payments made under similar circumstances in othe?’ countries, and it is not considered advisable to increase them.

It is projiosed to introduce legislation this session dealing with the prevention of the use of the pea rifle. The Forestly Commission lias re commendi'd that tree-planting opcr ations should be carried out on a larger scale than at present, that sand dunes should be some of the lands to be afforested, and that a beginning should be made on the dunes at th~c mouth of the Rangi tikei river. Operations are now being started there. Arrangements are being made to appoint a New Zealand trade repre sentative for Canada. The Defence Act deals with lolun teers for special services outside Xew Zealand. Service in an expeditionary force' will be purely volun tary. but in order that any help offered may be effective ('very detail should he thoiougldy worked out and every possible preparation made before hand. This is all that is suggested. When the scheme js finally completed the fullest possible information regarding it will be laid before Parliament. Clerks of courts who are clerks of licensing committees have been in stinoted to pay the fees received by them from local bodies of performing- duties into the public account.. Instructions have been issued by the authority of the Public Service Com mission in accordance with the public service regulations. There is no power at present to pretent the importation of shoddy boots and shoes, provided the same are not marked in such a manner as to mislead purchasers as to the material of which they are composed. The desirability of introducing legislation to compel certain goods of common consumption to bear sufficient trade descriptions is under the consideration of the Government. FIRST READINGS. The Wanganui Borough Council Street Access Empowering Bill (Mr. Veitch), the Wanganui Borough Council Special Rate Empowering Special Loan Bill (Air. Veitch), the Workers’ Compensation Amondniem Bill (Air. Massey), and the Al ethod' ist I nimi Bill (Air. Massey) were read the fiist time. AVCRKERS’ COMPENSATION BILL. Speaking on the Workers’ Compensation Bill, Air. Poland said the present. Act did not go the length it should. I i connection with those ( ngaged in manual labour the most men could obtain now for an accident was half pay. It was recognised that a working man had a big fight to keep things going on full pay ; t hen how could be possibly live on half pat’ with the extra expense in the way of medical attend-am-c ’ Even Germany paid full rates v, ith a 50 per cent, minimum, and it was payable for life. ’There was no argument against paying a man from the day he was injured. In New Zealand a man had to wait seven days before he could claim. The insurance of workmen against accident should be a State monopoly. Cases would then be dealt with upon their merits by the inspectors. Miners’ complaint had been taken out of the Compensation Act of 1999 and put in the Alines Relief Act. which was a farce. All a man could get now was ?£5O for the disease contracted while working, which was worse than a fatal aceid< nt. He timed the reinstatement of the disease in the Act, where it originally was. Air. AViiford contended that where ■in ne’ion fm- compt nsation before -■ magistrate failed the magistrate should have power to assess compensation under the AVorkers’ Compensation Act. The .Arbitration Court, had that power.

Mr. Bradney, said it would be establishing a very dangerous precedent if they increased the compensation above 50 per cent. Many workmen who drew large benefits

plus 50 per eent. of wages were in receipt of more than their ordinary wages. They were not in a hurry to go back to work.

Air Bearce said local bodies should be allowed to set up an insurance fund of their own: it would saie bodies an enormous amount of money. The farmers’ mutual insurance companies should be allowed to insure against accident.

Air. Ell said the time had arrived when the House would see that more generous terms should be granted workers who meet with accidents. Air. McCallum advocated a State monopoly of accident insurance. The State should compensate for all accidents, deriving funds from the graduated tax.

The Premier said he. was not in favour of creating a State monopoly, but he did favour giving local bodies power to create their own insurance tunds. Hi- also approM’d of mutual insurance funds which had worked well. The other suggestions made would be carefully considered. The House adjourned at 5.30, resuming at 7.30. SA TUR DAY H ALF-H OLI DA Y BILL.

Air. Bmldo moved the second reading of the Saturday Half-holiday for Shops Bill, which provides that all shops other than those vending perishable goods shall close at one o’clock on Saturday. The system, he said, was in vogue in Auckland and Christchurch, and it had been found to work admirably in Sydney. He thought local bodies would with pleasure give up their present position of referees in the matter. Mr Witty said the' hill would make one half of the people labour for the other half on half-holidays. The bill must be universal if it is to go through. All. I silt supported the bill, contending that a unn ersal Saturday half-holiday was bound to come in time.

The' Premier said the Government would not take the bill up because, while Hie present arrangement was not satisfactory, the Government was not satisfied that the proposal of the hill was going to be in.ire satisfactory. He suggested that tne areas over which polls are taken be enlarged and the vote taken over provincial districts. The people now had the right to declare on Saturday if.thcy chose. Onl; seven places had so declared. In view of this tactile did not'.think the time had yet arrived when Parliament should declare for a universal half-holiday. Air. Russell and Air. A\ ilford contended that the matter should he left to the local bodies. Air. Buddo, in reply, said Parliament should not try to shelve its responsibility on local bodies. AMiatever day was observed as the halfholiday should be unhersal. Saturday was the most suitable. A division was called, the voting being: For 11, against 16. COMMERCIAL TRUSTS AMENDMENT BILL. A’r. Payne moved the second reading of the Commercial Trusts Acts Amendment Bill, adding bacon, butter, eggs and milk to the schedule of the Commercial Trusts Act. 1910. He said that in tiie disposal of all these commodities rings and trusts had been formed. The price of bacon bad increased 100 per cent, the interests of the Merchants’ Association, and to the detriment of the farmer and consumer. Air. Russell supported the bill because it did not affect pi ices unless these prices were controlled by a trust. Mr. Okey contended that the bill was an imputation that the fanner wert making a ring when they pl-iced butter in freezing works to keep up the. winter supply. Air. Isitt and Mr. Wilkinson supported the bill, the latter advocating the creation of a board ot trade to control prices. Mr. Milford said the bill would only be brought into operation wdien a trust was proved. .11 a ring exists why should it not be prosecuted I Mr. Alassey said no objection could be taken to the principle of the bill. He knew of several articles which should be included m the bill, and ho hoped they would be. The reason for the high price of butter was because last winter was a particularly bad one, and also owing to the excellent market existing at Home and at Vancouver. He did not know of the exist eneo <J any buGcr ring in Nov? Zealand. Il any did exist it was not in New Z lend. From the farmers’ point <>l view thorn could bo no objection to the bill.

The hill was read the second rime The House rose at 11.45.