PARLIAMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 306, 29 November 1927, Page 2

PARLIAMENT

YESTERDAY’S BUSINESS.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Nov. 28. In the Legislative Council to-day the Native Land Amendment and Native Land Claims Adjustment Bill and the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill were reported from committees without amendment. The amendments proposed by the Governor-General in the Local Legislation Bill were reported without amendment from the standing committee and agreed to. t Progress was reported on the Education Reserves Amendment Bill after a brief discussion in committee.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. INSURANCE COMPANIES’ - DEPOSITS. When the House of Representatives resumed at 7.80 p.m. the debate on the insurance Companies Deposits Amendment Bill was continued by Sir Josepa Ward, who said.-that it would not re possioio to compel one insurance company and not another to make a deposit with the Government as security to the policy holders. Ho did not wane to see Lloyus driven out of the counuy and he did not believe lor a moment that Lloyds’ principals in London would object to wliat tne Government was asliing them to do. lie congratulated the Attorney-General upon his lair statement ol the case and the true outline of the insurance business that he had given.

Mr Tapley congratulated the Government upon at last becoming consistent. He had been wondering now long it would he before they were going to compel Lloyds to put up a deposit in exactly the same way as the other offices had to do. Lloyds were in some cases cutting rates, but this was not necessarily sound business. What the Govern. nent had to guard against was more than one group of brokers doing business under the cover of a single deposit. Mr J. A. Nash supported the bill. Mr Potter opposed it and urged that the Government should withdraw the measure and submit it to the consideration of a committee of the Houses so that the whole of the circumstances could be investigated. • The Minister, in reply, said that no valid objection to the bill had been raised during the debate. Lloyd’s representatives in London had agreed to th© principle of the bill. and the only question was what the amount of tile deposit would be. On that, point they were only asking that all offices pay a similar amount. He agreed that the definition of “agent” would be a little wide and he was prepared when in committee to move amendments that would, meet the case. The bill was read the second time on the voices. RENT RESTRICTIONS BILL. On the motion of Hon. G. J. Anderson, Messrs Fraser and J. Mason and the mover were appointed managers to draw up reasons lor disagreeing with th© amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Rent Restrictions Continuance Bill. GOAL MINES BILL. On the motion of Hon. G. J. Anderson, the amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Coal Alines Amendment Bill were discussed, but owing to the opposition to the amendment in sub-clause 2 of clause 2, by which miners’ wages wore not made a first charge against mines on which mortgages’ charges or encumbrances exist, the debate was adjourned, the Minister promising to look into the matter. MOTOR VEHICLES BILL. On the motion of the Minister for Public Works, the amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill were disagreed with, and Alessrs A. Hamilton and Armstrong and the mover were appointed to draw up reasons. PUBLIC WORKS BILL. The Minister of Public Works moved the second reading of the Public Works Amendment Bill. He explained that the bill was purely a machinery measure and was preparing, the way for a general consolidation of the law relating to public works. One clause sot out more clearly the procedure in serving claims for compensation. Under the principal act of 1908 land taken for a public work and afterwards not required • for such purpose might be sold. An amendment was now proposed to allow of the selling of such land on the deferred payment system, the . payments to extend over a period of not more than five years. Another amendment was suggested for the purpose of dealing separately with the apportionment of the cost of the construction of a road or street. This was dealt with in a clause which made it apply only in> cases where the road or the proposed road was largely used or likely to be used by traffic from two or more districts. A further clause had been framed with the view to protecting the rights of the Crown and the local authorities in respect of telephone wires, electric wires, etc., placed under the roads or streets in cases where the rights might bo interfered with by' allowing private persons to put petrol storage tanks under roads or streets. Under the law as it stood the proclamation of the “middle line” of a proposed railway affected all land within ten chains of the middle line and the proclamation had to be registered against the titles of all the lands, affected. The proposed amendment would enable the Governor-General to prescribe in any Case the extent to which the proclamation of the middle line would affect the land on either side. The second reading was agreed to.

The House went into committee on the Insurance Companies Deposits Amendment Bill, which was reported with amendments moved by the Minister.

The House then considered the Public Works Amendment Bill in committee, and it was reported with one small amendment.

... The reports were agreed to and the bills were read the third time and passed.