HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIX, Issue 221, 4 October 1906, Page 1

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House met at 2.30 p.m. The Makara County Bill was read a first time. THE SNEDDON CASE. The report of the Petitions Committee was brought up by the Chairman. It was to the effect that the claim of. Mr Sneddon be referred to the Government for consideration. It was a claim for overtime.

The House discussed it at some length, and the Minister met all the points for the claim with a denial. Mr Sneddon, who was admitted by all to be an excellent workman, became foreman at the Makohine works. He was supplied with all'hecessary expert assistance, and there was no need for the long hours and the numerous^ shifts, and the claim had not been made till years afterwards. A hard-working, practical fitter, he had been paid £8 a week, for which he had left a position of £5 in the employ of Messrs Anderson, of Christchurch. The Minister, after recital of these facts, did not see that the claim could be well grounded. Mr BUDDO, the Chairman of the Committee, pointed out that the custom of engineering firms was to pay a bonus on the completion of any work of urgency, and that Mr Sneddon, who had been treated accordingly by the Messrs Anderson, was under the impression that he would receive the same treatment from the Government. At the same time, he did not support any claim for overtime. After further discussion, the report was referred back to the Committee for reconsideration. QUESTIONS. Questions were answered as usual as on Wednesdaj. The chief answers were: The question of State farms will be comprehensively dealt with during the recess, but there is np scheme of State workshops contemplated by. the. ; Government .—ln the matter of referring private Members' Bills, other than local Bills, to the Standing Orders Committee, the Minister thought this a matter that re-, quires very careful consideration. The Government has no desire to curtail the existing rights of private Members, though at times indifferent progress in their Bills is undeniably made. —As the sudden removal of all restrictions on the importation of grapes from Australia would prove absolutely ruinous to many settlers, it would probably be found advisable if the prohibition were revoked to impose a fairly heavy import duty, and reduce it year by year. The matter will receive con-! sideration when the Customs tariff is under review.—ln re ,the Shops, "and Offices Act, the Government have no' knowledge that it has been found impossible for trades in combined districts to take advantage of Section 21 of the Act: All that is required after a requisition has been drawn up and signed by shopkeepers (either in one' or more grades or for all shops), is for | each local authority to certify that they | represent a ma jor ifcy "inW^its district. The effect is that the; tsioW in one of the districts cannot. Jje, compelled to close'at the instance of another district. Another effe«siis that the sh, ops are under one local authority, so that what may be regarded as inconvenient is in :< reality- a; safeguard' ■ against one district, being . compelled to close by shopkeepers of another.—Mr .McNab gave to-day, the:^ollowing classification, of lands: First-class land is that which is suitable for division'into areas not exceeding 640 acres, and usually includes either purely agricultural land or mixed agricultural and pastoral country with an unimproved capital value of £1 an acre or over. Secondclass land is that which is capable only for subdivision into areas exceeding | 640 acres but not over 2000 acres, and generally comprises pastoral country, the minimum unimpoved capital value of which is 5s an acre.—With regard to giving University professors the benefit of the educational superannuation scheme the Minister is unfavourable, because (1) the professors wish to get the benefits without retiring at 65; (2) the professors do not desire inclusion ; (3) it is hardly necessary to help men who are in a position to help themselves.—The New Zealand Exhibition Commissioners applied for permission to dispose of paintings by raffle, and license was granted in. accordance with the law as provided by Section 18 of "The Gaming and Lotteries Act 1881."—Arrangements have been made to carry out a series of experiments in spraying potatoes during the incoming season.—Government thinks that the right of the Advance Department as mortgagee to select the Fire Insurance Company in which the mortgaged buildings are to be insured, should be exercised in -favour of the State Fire Insurance Department. The general principle will be carefully reconsidered.—The Minister has read the resolutions which were proposed last week by Mr R. Lee, Chairman of the Wellington Education Board, and which are still under discussion by the Board, and does not consider it advisable to set up a Commission to consider the resolution.—The Minister does not see the necessity for public enquiries into all railway acidents, and points out that employees under suspension may give evidence.—First assistants have been treated as well as other teachers, all things considered.—The report of the Classification Board of the Civil Service is under the consideration of the Government, who will shortly lay it before Parliament. —The Government has no knowledge of any refusal of any Bank in New Zealand to pay in gold. It well knows that the banking reserves are large enough to enable them to carry the whole of their business on in a sound and satisfactory way.—The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants offered to give the sum of £1000 as a contribution to the railway superannuation fund on condition that broken time should be counted in respect to those members of the society who were on the society's official strike pay sheet in 1890, and who are now contributors to the railway superannuation fund. In reply the society was informed that the admission of the principle of counting broken service would overload the fund to such an extent as to jeopardise its stability, but apart from that aspect of the question the sum of £1000 which was offered as an inducement to the Department from the principle of continuous service was quite inadequate to recoup the fund for the additional liability, and the offer could not therefore be entertained. In connection with this matter he would again emphasise what has been repeatedly stated, namely that the stability of the fund being of paramount importance, and every contributor thereto having joined the fund under a contract which they fully understood at the timg of

joining, no alteration whatever could be made without the concurrence of every contributor to the fund. It is neither equitable nor just to make any arrangement to disturb the financial equilibrium of the fund, which must ultimately result in an increase of contribution, or a diminution of benefits already provided for, without the concurrence of the 7000 odd contributors to the fund. STATE INDUSTRIES. A motion was moved by Mr BARCLAY that the time has arrived for the State to take over all industries concerned with the supply of the necessaries of life to the people. The previous question was moved by Mr Wilford, with the result that the question was put without discussion, and lost by 44 to 14. MIDLAND RAILWAY. A motion by Mr Wilford dealing with the Midland Railway compensation was not moved by Mr Wilford, who was present, and the Premier gave notice, he would himself move it later in order to make a necessary explanation. LAND HOLDERS. The interrupted debate on Mr Baume's motion for a return of the names of land holders at £50,000 and more unimproved value was discussed, and the motion was agreed, to on the voices. FARRIERS BILL. This Bill was reported and read a third time. DIVORCE AMENDMENT BILL. The second reading was moved by Mr Major, in the absence of Mr Laurenson. Mr LAURENSON, on returning, supported his Bill.The House divided: Ayes 30, noes 19. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m.