PARLIAMENTARY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12934, 30 September 1902, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. . ">• Monday, Sept. 29. •AFTERNOON SITTING. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. BILLS. The following Bills passed their final stages:—Legislative Council Act Amendment, Wesfc Coast Settlement Reserves Act Amendment, and Accident Insurance Goran panies. LAND TITLES. On the motion that the Lands Titles Protection Bill should be committed, the Hon J. D. Ormond spoke an support of the measure, to afford protection from frivolous at- ■ tacks against titles to lands ceded to tha Grown'or private persons by Natives. The Hon H. Tomoama said that he looked upon the Bill as placing M-iori* at a disadvantage, as compared with IZvjrwpean*, ii* .. raising a question: as to titles oiwuned for 1 Native lands. The Hon H. K. Taiaroa. said that ites thought that some cases brought by Natives were frivolous, but there were others that required investigation. The debate was interrupted by the Sf%a p.m. adjournment. EVENING SITTING. The Council resumed at 8 p.m. The debate on the motion that the Lani Titles Protection Bill should be committed was continued' by the Hon Colonel Pitt,, who admitted the necessity for a provision such as was contained in, the Bill, in the.in- ; tercsts alike of the Natives themselves and - the holders of lands whose titles might be. attacked. ■ The bill was committed, and reported ■ without amendment. • " . PINAL STAGES. The Solicitors Bills of Costs Bill and Lv . censing Committees Polls Bill were read a '■' second time, and subsequently passed theic ■ final stages without amendment. COMPANIES. The Companies Act Amendment Bill was committed. . ' The Hon. A. Lee Smith moved a new subn clause to Clause 5, providing that every di- ■ _ rector who fails within fourteen- days of the due date to pay a call shall cease to be a .. director. The effect of this amendments . would be that no shareholder would be able . to evade payment of calls on account of a . director having failed to pay his calls. . The motion was agreed to, and the Bllli read a third time and passed. TIED HOUSES. The adjourned debate on the motion to' . • go into committee on the Hon J. Bigg 7 * : Tied Houses Bill was resumed by the Hon: . W T Jennings, who defended tie committee to which the Bill was referred! froin the changes made by Mr Bigg "that the committee bad shown bias and to suppress evidence in favour of the ism. Referring, to the provisions of the Bill, ye quoted evidence given 'before the committeo by witnesses that it would ruin them. The Hon C. Louisson reviewed the evi- - denoo given before the committee in proof of his contention that the recommendation; ■. of the committee that the Bill should be dropped was justified. . At 12.10 a.m. the Hon, ; J. M. Twomey- - moved the adjournment ..of the debate,. which was opposed' by the Hons J. Bigg, ■ A. Lee Smith and G. Jones, who urged ' that there should .be a settlement of tie question, as there was a possibility of its not again coming up this session. ' ;■ The Hon J. M. Twomey's motion wa* . • carried on the casting vote of the Speaker, f The Waimarino County Bill was read ~ a third time and] passed. ' . The Council rose at 12.30 a.m. - ? HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Monday, Seet. 29. AFTERNOON SITTING. The House met at 2.30 p.m. , - - FIRST READINGS. Sir Joseph Ward introduced lh«t Mefeno- ' dist Church of Australia and New Zealand ,• Bill, giving statutory power to change the namo of the Wesleyan Church of NenNZsaland, consequent on its union - with. . tie" Wesleyan Methodist Church of The Bill was read a first time. The Assets Realisation Board Lands Billwas introduced by Sir, Joseph, Ward and [ read a first time. _ 'j I The Poisons Importation and Carriage Aon*

'Amendment Bill was introduced by the Hon ‘OH. Hills and-read a first time. - " PETITION. The Railways Committee reported oni the ■petition of William Cagne, of Wu-iwakarua, who prayed for compensation for loss and : damage by flood-water dammed up by the railway formation adjoining his property. The committee referred theypetition to the Government for consideration. • Mr T. Mackenzie urged that this was a - j n •which the Government should grant compensation. Jlr Jackson Palmer said that he considered that if the Government gave coonpensa- - tion in. this case, it should do so in all other ewes of a like character throughout the ° 0lOZl3 " BILLS. The Military , Pensions Act Amendment Rill, and Railways Authorisation Bill were introduced hy Governor’s message, and read a first time. , • A A. new clause in the Mining Act Amendment Bill was brought down by Governor’s message. It provides that where a mineowner gets protection from being fully ’inaaned, the men employed shall ba wages jnen. The clause, the Hon J. McGowan explained, docs not affect mines worked by tributers. The new clans© was agreed to. . An amendment in the Stamp Act Amendment Bill was brought down by Governor’s message, for the purpose of-removing the ambiguity of language in Clause 14, which imposes stamp duty on contracts- for the eale of equitable interests. After-consider-able discussion, in which objection was taken to the amendment, on -tho ground that the proposed tax would press heavily on the poorer classes, the Hon J. Carroll moved to withdraw it. The House agreed to,this course. The amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Inspection of Machinery Bill and Bank Holidays Bill were agreed ■to. -Sir Joseph Ward moved the second reading of tli© Victoria College Site Bill, which has passed the Legislative Council Agreed The Legislative Council Act Amendment Bill was'received from the Upper House, and read a first and second time. The House rose at 5.45 p.m. , EVENING SITTING, c. The House -resumed! at 7.30 p.m. BILLS. The amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Accident Insurance Comipanies Bill were agreed to. The Hon C, H. Mills moved the second reading of the Poisons Importation and .Carriage Amendment Bill. He explained that the Bill provided l that, notwithstanding anything in the principal Act, it should be lawful to import or send to any port or place in New Zealand sheep dip in powder,' although containing arsenic or compounds of arsenic, if securely packed in ■wooden boxes. , ’phe second reading was agreed to on tne .Toioes. It was -decided to concur with the resolution passed by the Legislative Council instructing the Solicitor-General to compile (under the Statutes Compilation Act passed this session) t)ie Education Act, 1877, Licensing Act, 1881, and Municipal Corporations Act, 1900, with their respective amendments. - A QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE. ' When- the amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Government Railways Superannuation Fund Bill came up for consideration, Mr Piiuni asked whether the Legislative Council had not exceeded its right in reducing the contribution to be paid by the men and thus increasing the contribution to be paid to the fund by the State. Ho said that he did this not with the object of imperilling the passage of the Bill, but because he thought- that the House should jealously guard its privileges. i The Speaker said that h© did nob consider that there had been any encroachment upon the privileges of the House. In reply to questions, Sir Joseph Ward abated that the revenue that would have been derived from the men’s contributions in the first year under tho scale as fixed by the House was £35,200, while under the (amendments made by the Council it would be £33,000. He thought it safe to accept tie amendments. Objection- was taken to the action of the Council in striking out the proviso to Clause L4f to the effect that if t-he business of any railway company is taken over by the DefKi’tmerit the continuous service in the employ of such company of any contributor shall be deemed to be service in the Department. ,On the other hand, it was pointed out that Government employees' now in the service would begin to i contribute to the fund at once, whereas the employees of,any private company would be able tot come in after the lapse of years and secure the increased benefits of the fund. . After some discussion', it was decided, on Sir Joseph Ward’s motion, to disagree with all the amendments mad© in the Bill, and a conference was setup to consider the points in dispute between the two- Houses. A NATIVE BILL. The Poukawa Native Reserve Sill was Introduced by Governor’s Message, and read n (rrst time. The Hon J. Carroll said that it was not intended to proceed further with the Bill this session', but he desired to have- it circulated during the recess. THIRD READINGS. The Victoria College Site Bill and Poisons Importation and Carriage Amendment Bill passed their final stages. PUBLIC WORKS. The Hon W. Hall-Jones moved the second reading of the Public Works Bill. He explained that its chief provision dealt with the width of streets which had been formed for a long time, and were less than 66ft in width. It provided that in t-he event of the subdivision of land abutting on- a narrow street the buildings should 1 be set back a distance of 33fb from the centre of the road. Many might object to the provision retiring the consent of the Minister of Lands in, such -oases instead of that of tho local authority, but he defended this provision as the better course. Mr Herries objected that Clause 8, which provides that questions in dispute shall be referred to tho Minister of Lands, gave tho Minister the power of a Supreme Court Judge. Mr Massey objected- to the action of the Government in bringing in a Bill of this importance in the dying hours of the session.

Mr Sidey called attention to the difficulty which would arise where a road line was in ibno borough, while the land to he subdivided was in an adjoining borough. Mr Heke said that he hoped tfliat a tribunal would be set up to assess the value of all -Maori lands to be taken under the !Act. . Mr Hutcheson described the Bill as ferocious in some of its provisions. It

affected not only every subdivision, but every other transaction in land. The Hon W. Hall-Jones: I will bring! it down to subdivision. A long -debate ensued, in the course of whioh several members urged that the Bill was of such importance that it ought to be held over until next session, when it could ba approached with greater deliberation than was possible at present. The Hon W. Hall-Jones, in replying, said that" his idea, was that compensation should be paid) for every inch of land taken, and he would vote in that direction. The second reading was agreed to on the voices. ,',--. COMPENSATION FOR ACCIDENTS. The Hon W. Hall-Jones moved the committal of the Workers Compensation for Accidents Act Amendment Bill. He said that there'appeared to be a general feeling among the farming community that agricultural labourers cam© under the operation of the Act, and, as a result, agricultural labourers were generally insured. This Act specifically included agricultural labourers, and so set at rest all doubts on the point. With regard to other provisions of the Bill, Mr Hall-Jones explained that if " a man met with an accident, and was not incapacitated for more than fourteen days, he did not come under the Act, but if his incapacity extended beyond fourteen days, he was entitled to compensation from the date of the commencement of his incapacity. Mr Massey complained l that the proposed clause was not on the iame lines as the Imperial Act on tho same subject. Farmers were quite prepared to come under the Act, but they objected to being placet! in a worse .position than British farmers, with whom they had to compete. Mr M'Nas), answering the objections to claims for compensation' taking precedence over mortgages, said that if they did not have that ,provision a man had only to work with a mortgagee to .get emit of the priority and therefore of the liability. (The debate was .proceeding when the telegraph office closed at 2 a.m.) I