PARLIAMENT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 238, 26 September 1930, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

TO-DAY’S PROCEEDINGS TAHITI CREW RECOMPENSED. WAGES ON RELIEF WORK. (Per Press Association.) Parliament puildlngs, Sept, 26. The House of Representatives met at 16.30 this morning. The Otago Presbyterian Church Board Property Amendment Bill was reported from committee of selection without amendment, and the McLean Institute Bill was reported from the same committee with amendments. Replying to Mr McCombs (Lab., Lyttelton), the Posmaster-General said that he understood the Union Steam Ship Company had recompensed those members of the crew of the Tahiti who had lost their personal belongings while savaging the New Zealand mails, and the Shipwreck Relief Society had provided them with clothing. In reply to Mr H. E. Holland (Leader of the Labour party), the Acting-Leader of the House said that there would be no departure from the recent statement of the Government concerning the rates of wages on relief works. The representations of yesterday’s deputation on the subject of wage reduction had not yet been considered by Cabinet. He was not prepared off-hand to make a statement on what amounted to a policy matter. ESTIMATES DEALT WITH. The House went into Committee of Supply to deal with the Estimates. Hie vote of £139*600 for public buildings, domains, maintenance, etc., of roads,' and irrigation works, was passed. Mr P. Fraser (Lab., Wellington East) asked the Minister whether it would not be possible to reduce the votes for expenditure in a number of directions. He stated that economies in this direction would be preferable to wage reductions. The Hon. W. B. Taverner pointed out that if maintenance were allowed to fall below a certain standard it would involve increased expenditure at a later date. He added "that reducing the votes on maintenance would also tend to increase unemployment. The estimate of £134,000 for the Department of Justice was next considered.

Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Ref., Riccarton) referred to the appointment of Justices of the Peace. He said the practice seemed to be to ajfpoint only three a year in each electorate; this operated awkwardly in country electrates, where people often had to travel miles before being able to obtain the services of a Justice of the Peace, whereas in the city electorates a threepenny tram fare could convey anyone to almost any justice in the electorate.

WOMEN JUSTICES. Mr E. J. Howard (Lab.. Christchurch South) urged that there should be no requirement that before there could be an appointment of a woman Justice of the Peace she should be a member of the Victoria League. The Hon. J. G. Cobbe said that there was no strict rule with regard to the number of appointments of justices. Where it could bo shown, as might be the case in widely scattered country electorates that there was need for more appointments, such appointments would be made. Replying to Mr Howard, he said that there was no discrimination at all with regard to the appointment of women justices. Mr R. A. Wright (Ref., Wellington Suburbs) said that Mr Howard seemed to be under a misapprehension as to what had been the practice of the Reform Administration. There had been no prevision so far as he knew that a nominee should be a member of the Victoria League. All that the Minister of the time had insisted upon had been that a nominee should have taken some part m public life.

CLAIMS OF MINERS. Mr H. E. Holland said it seemed to him that it was practically impossible to get a working man appointed a Justice of the Peace. There were occasions in his electorate where miners wished to submit papers to a Justice of the Peace, but they did not desire them to be seen by the mine manager, for instance. For that reason it was desirable that working miners should be appointed, and he urged that in the case where a nominee was otherwise qualified he should not be barred simply because he was a wage earner. Mr J. A. Nash asked that magistrates should be instructed to increase the penalities in cases involving removal of motor-cars without authority. Mr M. J. Savage (Lab., Auckland West) said he wished to be assured that unemployed men would not be arrested on vagrancy charges simply because they addressed meetings of the unemployed. Replying to Mr Wright, Mr Cobbe said that the Government had no apology to make in connection with the decision that Manly should not be executed. The case had been most carefully reviewed by Cabinet, and he was confident that anyone fully aware of the extraordinary circumstances would endorse the decision. MINISTER IN REPLY. Replying to Mr H. E. Holland, he said he agreed it would bo desirable that there should in some instances ho appointments of working men as Justices of the Peace, and he gave an assurance that where suitable men were recommended by the member for the district appointments would be made, provided, of course, that there were not too many justices already appointed in that district. He mentioned that there were at present nearly 6000 in the Dominion.

Referring to the point raised by Mr J. A. Nash, the Minister said that the penalty for removing motorcars was purely at the discretion of the Magistrate. It was. however, a good thing that the question had been asked, as it served to indicate the feeling of members on the subject. Pealing with the remarks of Mr Savage, Mr Cobbe said the mere fact that a man addressed a meeting of unemployed would not be sufficient to

cause his arrest on a vagrancy charge. Ho stated that in the case mentioned by Mr Savage the man convicted had refused to tako work on several occasions. Mr W. J. Polson (Indcpcn., Stratford) said there was strong feeling in his district because a Maori who had been convicted of forgery had been released to attend a recent tangi. There had apparently been no escort attached to this man. Mr Cobbe said he was sorry that tho question had been raised. Ill” relatives of Sir Maui Poniare had desired that the man should attend tlie funeral, and he had been accompanied by an escort not in uniform. The vote was passed. BORSTAL INSTITUTE. When the estimate of £90,000 for the Prisons Department was under consideration Mr Howard complained that the Borstal Institution at Invercargill was not being conducted as its named should imply. It was in reality a gaol; the whole environment supported that impression. This was completely divorced from the original intention of the. system. The House adjourned at 1 p.m.