POLITICAL NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12569, 2 August 1901, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

[From Our Corrkspoxdent.] WELLINGTON, August 1 . LYTTELTON GASWORKS. The Lyttelton Borough Empowering Bill, which Mr Laurenson has in h:s charge, has been, before the Local Bills Committee, and to-day there was a conference at which Messrs Chalmers (Chairman of the Gas Company) and the manager of the company, with Mr 11. D. Bell, solicitor on the one side, and Messrs Field (Mayor), Lewin (Town Clerk) and Laurenson on the other side, were present. ThV? case of both sides was placed fully before the Committee and eventually the matter was adjourned .to enable the parties interested to come to an amicable arrangement. [From Our Special Correspondent.] All the four Ministers in the House, the Premier, Messrs Mills, Duncan _ and M'Gowan, voted in favour of Mr Fisher's Libel Bill this evening. Sir J. G. Ward has been confined to his house to-day with a severe cold. The Labour Bills Committee of the House has amended the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill very materially. " Trade union" is proposed to be interpreted to mean any trade union registered under tho Trade Union Act of 1878, "whether registered under that Act before the.passing of the principal Act or not." Barristers, as well as solicitors 1 , are precluded from appearing in an industrial dispute. A new clause is inserted providing that in case either of the parties shall interrupt the relationship of employer and employed by the dismissal of any of the employees or by any of the employees discontinuing work, the onus of proving that such discontinuance of work or such dismissal was not done in contravention to section 100 shall, in every case before the Court for a contravention of such said section, be on the employer if he dismisses and on the employee if ho discontinues work.