PARLIAMENT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume L, Issue 8910, 26 October 1905, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

WELLINGTON, October 25. * The Council met at 2.30 p.m. < The Education Reserves Bill (No. 2), « providing that School Commissioners may 6ell or exchange small or isolated sections * of land or reserves was read a secoudjiinie, put through Committee, and put through < it* final stages - J The Criminal Code Amendment Bill was * put through Committee without amend- 1 ment, Tead a third time, and passed. i WORKERS' DWELLINGS. s The Workers' Dwellings Bill was com- t mitted. At clause 6 — application for work- 1 ere' dwellings — the Hon. George moved < tit strike out (he word "freehold." He « did so with a desire to obtain the opinion of the Council as to whether applicants should bo able~to purchase the freehold i of their dwelling. ~ - The Hon. Rigg, while opposing the free- i hold being open to sale, "felt that to strike I out the ability to purchase would jeopar- * disc the chances of the bill passing this 1 session. ._,.-. - ' The Attorney-General agreed with the contention thai it -tlie freehold clauses < were struck out the bill- would be lost i this session. " • '<■ The Hon. Bolt said the Council should i express its opinion. If tlie clauses were ■fit-ruck out the result would be a confer- ] €nee between tho two Chambers, -when 5 some arrangement, might be come to that i would satisfy both- parties. - The amendment was lost on ihe voices. ~ Clause 8 (rent fixed at 5 per cent.- on the capital value, including one per cent. for depreciation, in addition to insuring the dwelling from fire) was amended by utriking out the reference to deterioration. The deletion does not. however, .affect the rent, and there was added a provision-that the tenant must also pay the estimatedamount of the rates under "the 1894 "Rating" Act. " - . - - r The Hon. Jones moved to strike out from the bill the mode of acquiring a dwelling by an insurance on the worker's, life. The Attorney-General- pointed out that the provisions had been considered- carefully in the lower House, and no objections had been raised. In replying, Mr Jenkinson said that that argument carried no .weight, since the ' Lower House had omitted to make provision in mode C for the payment ol rent.The Hon. Jones' amendm€nt was lost by 17 to 4. The Hon. Jones called for a division on the question of whether clause 10 (modes of acquiring freehold) should stand" as the point of the bill, in his opinion, the freehold provisions were a snare and ja delusion. The clause wae retained by 15 to 5 votes. Clause 11 (mode of acquiring the _ freehold by endowment assurance) was amended by the insertion of a provision that the rent shall be 5 per cent._ .There was rent provided in the bill as it came from the House. A new clause was added-to provide thatwith the consent of the Land Board.- ji lessee may at any time surrender -his lease upon terms mutually agreed between them. Power was given to the .Minister to, erect buildings for occupancy on a weekly tenancy at a, rent not exceeding 5 per cent., the tenant to pay rates under the 1894 'Act. Every weekly tenant imist-be a worker ;md landless. " Another new clause was added^ as follows : — Notwithstanding anything' in "the' Rating Act, 1894, the Land Board -in the case of weekly, tenancies under~"section 21 hereof shall be liable for payment to the local authority of rates in" the _ same-man-- , ncr as if such Board or Minister were an occdpier within the meaning of- the Rating Act. 1894, provided ,that- the "Board and Minister respectively shall not be liable for any gresiter .amount than lias been received *as~ the rate from "each tenant. The bill was reported as 1 amended andread a third time on the voices, and finally passed. _ - --. V The Council decided to insist upon „ its •amendments in the Shops and Offices Bill. The Council adjourned a?-9.30 p.m, till 2.30 nest day.