PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10111, 19 October 1917, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. . (P«B PBBfiS ASHOntATION.I WELLINGTON, (>t 18. Tilt; Legislative (.'.nine:! inn ».( 2.30. LIQUOR SALES RESTRICTION HILL. The Council decided to adhere to its timcndniehts in tlio Sale of Liquor Restrictions Bill, and appointed Sir Francis Bell, the. Hons, ,f. McGregor,,R. K. Simpson, and'! •). G. \V. Aitken to net as managers Jo meet the manager* of the House of Ropr'esentrtlives. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.M. Mr Fletcher asked, the Premier if. in view of the fact that the Court had given its decision in the shipping dispute, ho could inform the. House what die position v. as. Tlio Premier replied that lie was not able to make a statement at the moment, but he would look into the matter and whatever the law'was it would be carried out, •The Minister for Railways laid on the tabic the. Railway Clarification List (1)3). lie regretted that owing to the slibrtage of paper theie would be only a few copies [. vnilable for distribution. The Minister for Public works gave nolice of his intention tc introduce the .State Supply Electrical Energy Bill. The Native Land Amendment and Native Land Claims Adjustment Bill (Hon, \V. !!. Ibrneo) was introduced, read a first time, and was referred to the Native Affairs ! 'ommii.tec. THE COST OF LIVING REPORT. Mr StatLuni (chairman Cost of Living I jmmiitee) reported that the committee had reconsidered the clause of their report pioposing the purchase of products at ruling export prices and selling at lower price, 'he loss, to be met out of the Consolidated Fund, but had failed to conic tc; any resolution on the subject. It had been decided io send the remainder of the report back to Ihe ilouee and to further consider the count ion-: clause next week, in order to avoid '■•e. discussion interfering with Private Member.-,' Bills. Mr Massey suggested that the whole i ui-f----r should bo held over until the final report ;ime down. This was (itrrocd to on the voices. SHOPS AND OFFICES AMENDMENT. The House then went into committee to iinsider the Shop and Offices Amendment Bill, introduced by Mr Hir.dmareh; The Jill proposes to regulate the hours of t'lildoyment of females in hotels, restaurants ml refreshment rooms. Mr llindmarsh xpliined that the Minister'for Labour had novid'd him with certain amendments to meet Ihc requirements oi the Labour Department These he accepted and would uov< lliein, as they improved the machinery it hour, al'tccting the principle of the Bill. In the discussion that followed, Mr Hindriarsh was congratulated on his efloi'U to horfen the hours of labour for girls m laces of entertainment, but the majority f the speakers urged that 10.30 p.m. was ite enough for any girl to work, and that, ho proposal to permit girls to work till uidnight, if sleeping accommodation is provided on premises, would only lead U> lbuse, and probablv nullify the object of ithe Bill. Mr llindmarsh refused to accept any modification of the midnight hour, as it 'was a compromise arrived tit with the Labour Bills Committee, and was part of his understanding with the Premier, and the -lause was passed providing that no woman •>r girl be employed in or about hotels or restaurants'after 10.30 p.m., unless, suitable sleeping accommodation is provided for h'>r in tlio hotel or restaurant, or in some adjacent building. If sleeping accommodation is provided the hours during which women or girls may be employed after 10.30 p.m. shall not exceed "seventy-five m HIV one year. A new clause was added, providing that regulations be drafted relating to the sleepins accommodation. ."..,.'i Mr Isitt 'moved a new clause providing uniform hour., of closing for chemists' shops on the afternoon of the weekly half holiday. On a division, the amendment was carried by 52 to 3. On the motion of the Premier, emergency pharmacies were exempted from this clauso. The. Bill wns then reported w,ith amendments. HUTT ROAD AMENDMENT BILL. The llutt Road Amendment Bill, providing for the raising of a loan to lay down a concrete motor track in the centre of the road, without a poll of the ratepayers was under discussion at 5.30, when the House •id journed. When the House resumed at 7.30, Mr Pavno moved an amendment in the lljltt Road Amendment, Bill, in the direction that the proposed loan of £30,000 be not raised until a poll of ratepayers was taken on the pronosal. Mr Payne's amendment took the form of ■i mild stonewall against the Definition of Time Bill- (daylight saving), which was lower down on the Order Paper, but at 11 j'clock a. decision was reached, the amendment beincr lost on the voices. . The Hutt Road Amendment Bill passed the Committee stage at 12.15, when it was moved to report progress on Industrial (.'on. ciliationand Arbitration Amendment Bill, in charge of Mr Walker. The motion was carried by 27 to 12. Mr Masscy moved that a. conference be asked for with the Legislative Council on the sale of Liquor Restriction Bill, and that Sir Joseph Ward. Sir John Findlay, Mr Wilkinson and the mover be managers to confer with the Council. Mr Massey intimated that business to-mor-row night "might be the Social Hygiene Bill. The House rose at 12,30. JOTTINGS. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON. Oct, 18. The Legislative Council decided to-day to insist upon its amendments to the Liquor Bill, and appoint a. Committee to confer

with representatives of the House. Mr Russell, in the Mouse, produced some proposed amendments to the Social Hygiene Bill, tie is omitting references to prosti tutc or reputed prostitute, and substituting the definition "common prostitute," or who habitually leads an immoral .life. The words, whether legally admissible in a Court of law or not are omitted from clauses eight and ten. Detention hospitals is substituted for prison hospitals. Other amendments are proposed, designed, apparently to provide additional safeguards. The day belonged to private members,, who had what properly is (heir last chance this session of getting their little Dills through. There are twenty-one private members' bills on the order paper. Tinfirst, on the list wa& Mr Hindmarsh's Shop and Offices Amendment Bill, providing that girls shall not be employed in places of refreshment after 10 p.m. This was accepted by the. House with an additional clause re quiring chemists' shops to close on the weekly half-holiday. Then a group of mem hers set themselves to discuss for many hours the EJutt Road Amendment Bill, with the evident object of blocking a fourth Bill on the list-Mr Sidey's Daylight Saving Bill. It was purely a stonewalling debate carried on largely by representatives <>f dairying districts, where the proposal to set the clock forward is not popular. Mid night found the lliitt road still tinder discussion, and Mr Sidey's chance for the present session had disappeared. The Government has decided to appoint a commission to examine the defence expenditure, but Jia-s not settled the personnel. Meml>ers of the commission will be business men with experience of financial matters, and will have full power of enquiry.