PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8360, 13 September 1890, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

(Br TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Friday. The Council met at half-past two p.m. railway CONSTRUCTION BILL. The second reading of the Railway Construction Bill was made an order of the tiay for next sitting day. APPOINTMENT OF A JUDGE. The report of the Select Committee was read to the effect that there was an urgent necessity for the appointment of an extra Supreme Court Judge. Sir G. Whitmore gave notice to move that the report be referred back to the committee for reconsideration. SECOND READINGS. The Employment of Females Act Amendment Bill, and the Native School Sites Extension Bill, were read a second time, and the Council adjourned till half-past seven. The Council resumed at 7.30 p.m. WESTPORTNGAKAWAU RAILWAY. j The Westport-Ngakawau Railway Bill Was considered in committee, and after prolonged discussion, was passed with slight verbal amendment. EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALES. The Council went into committee on the Employment of Females and Others Amendment Bill. Mr. Pharazyn moved That the chairman leave the chair," which was carried. The Council rose at half-past nine. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Friday. The House met at eleven a.m. NATIVE LAND LAWS. The Native Land Laws Amendment Bill Was further considered in committee, and passed with some additional clauses. On the motion for the third rending, Sir George Grey said he considered it his duty to expose at every stage so monstrous a Bill, which for years to come would ruin the prospects of every labourer in the colony. Ho moved as an amendment, *' That counsel be heard at the Bar of the House against this measure." Mr. Reeves (Inangahua) supported the amendment, and said the desires of the people were with Sir George Grey in this proposal. They should do everything in their power to preserve the land for the people of the colony. Mr. Ballance said they had struck out every clause in the Bill dealing with alienation of public and private land. The whole Bill had been carefully considered by the Native Affairs Committee. Sir G. Grey had agreed with every clause in it. As to the last clause, there was no principle involved in it at all. The only question was whether the public interests would be better guarded by a public Bill or private Bill, anil he had no hesitation in declaring that a public Bill would be preferable in every way to a private one. The amendment was lost on the voices, and the Bill was read a third time and passed. THE FEDERATION RESOLUTIONS. Mr. Perceval resumed the debate on the Federal resolutions, and moved the following amendment as against that moved by Mr. Scobie Mackenzie on the previous day : " That the House approves of the New Zealand delegates to the Australasian Conference held at Parliament House, Melbourne, on loth February last, in relation to the resolutions passed at the same Confer-

once, and agrees to the appointment of two of its members, together with one to be appointed by the Legislative Council, as delegates to the forthcoming National Australasian Convention, it being understood that while New Zealand sympathises with the aspirations of the sister colonies of Australia for a Federal Union, such delegates are not authorised to bind this colony to come under any federal constitution which

may be adopted by such convention." He said the matter had been so fully ' debated that it was unnecessary for him to ( occupy much time over it. He strongly thought that they should send delegates to the Convention, but as stated in his amend- < cnent, he thought those delegates should be '

limited to three instead of seven, as origi- ' Daily proposed by the Government. He i had been asked by the Government to sub- J Btitute another amendment for his own, but " it was almost identical with the one he had submitted to the House, with the exception • that tho Government desired to have three ] delegates from the House and one from the 1 Legislative Council. 1

Major Steward (Waimate) supported Mr. Perceval's resolution, as it covered the whole ground. He held there was a very general expression of approval in the House of the terms of that amendment.

The debate was interrupted by the oneo'clock adjournment. The House resumed at 2.30, when the debate on the Federation resolution was continued. A large number of amendments to Mr. Scobie McKenzie's and Mr. Perceval's resolutiont were put and negatived, and ultimately Mr. Perceval's motion for the appointment of two delegates from the House and one from the Council was agreed to on the voices. Captain Russell moved that the delegates be appointed by ballot. Mr. Seddos moved an amendment that Captain Russell and Sir George Grey represent the colony at the Conference. Captain Russell said he had consulted Sir George Grey on two or three occasions, and he had distinctly refused to act as a delegate. In reply to Mr. Fisher, Mr. Ballanck said that owing to the decided views he held against Federation he should decline to act a* a delegate.

Mr. Seddon said Sir George Grey had informed him he was willing to represent the colony at the Convention if he were ap ointed by the House. Captain Russell's motion was lost by 33 to 28, and eventually Mr. Seddo.vs amendment was carried by 32 to 25. The House rose at half-past five. The House resumed at 7.30. DISMISSAL OF RAILWAY SERVANTS.

Mr. Reeves asked the Acting-Premier whether he would keep the promise he had made to the House to give an opportunity For discussing the memorandum issued by the Railway Commissioners with respect to the dismissal of four of their employes. Mr. Mitchelson replied that he had not desired to interfere with the Federation debate during the earlier part of the day, but he now wished to say that the Government had carefully considered this matter, and they saw no good to be gained by setting apart any particular time for the discussion of the action of the Commiseioners.

Mr. Reeves then moved the adjournment of the House in order to refer to this matter. The conduct of the Government, he said, in endeavouring to stifle debate on this question was not at all creditable to them. It was a great mistake to attempt to gag people who wished tc act in a proper and guarded manner, and it was surely not right to prevent discussion by those people's representatives in the House. Nobody regretted more than he did the unfortunate differences that existed between the Commissioners and their men. He thought the Commissioners had sufficiently vindicated their authority in this matter, and there was no occasion for Mr. Maxwell making such an unreasonable demand on the men, vhich they could not possibly comply with.

An hon. member : Why say Maxwell ? Mr. Reeves : Because Mr. Maxwell rules the other two Commissioners. If the Railway Unionists harboured any such thought a 5 to have it out with Mr. Maxwell some day it would be a most unfortunate thing for the colony. The railway servants who had been dismissed had done what they had from feelings of loyalty to their Union, and there was no occasion for the harshness used towards them by the Commissioners. Sir George Grey also condemned the stifling of debate on this subject. He hoped that in the present case the Railway Commissioners would do their utmost to attach their servants to them, and would deal leniently with them in what they had done, so as to promote a lasting benefit to that great organisation.

Mr. Fisher said it was well known the Commissioners were determined to involve the men in a general strike if it were at all possible to do so, and to that end they had goaded them, and irritated them in every way. After referring to the railway dispute that at present existed, he went on to say that to punish these four men for acting ic. obedience to their Union, was one of the greatest acts of terrorism that could be perpetrated, and the Commissioners in asking them to surrender themselves as dumb dogs, were calling on them to give up every right that a Britisher loves to possess.

Mr. Marchant warmly defended the action of the Commissioners in the recent dispute, and said it resolved itself into such a conflict of authority that the men were required either to leave their Unions or the service. The Union S.S. Co. and the Railway Commissioners were in his opinion entitled to the thanks of every citizen of the colony for their efforts to save the country from a great commercial paralysis that threatened it.

Mr. Moss also spoke, and took up a stand in defence of the dismissed men.

Mr. Ballance said there was no doubt that the railway men were convinced that the Railway Commissioners were trying to crush their Union, and that was what was underlying the whole thing. The four men dismissed at Christchurch had been dealt with in a most arbitrary manner, and they would find no analogy for the way they had been treated. There should, in his opinion, be some tribunal for these men to appeal to. The best way of settling the difficulty, in his opinion, was by arbitration, which he believed the men were perfectly willing to accept, and he hoped next session the first Act to bo passed should bo one to establish Boards of Conciliation for the settling of differences between employers and eraployed. Sir John Hall contended that the members of the House were not justified in alleging that the Railway Commissioners wanted to precipitate a strike, and when Mr. Ballance asserted that he had authority for the statement that the Commissioners wish to involve the men in a strike he should in all justice have given his authority for such a serious charge. In the absence of such authority the House was justified in not believing the statement. As to the dispute itself, the first duty of the men was to their employers, and where their allegiance to their Unions conflicted with that due to the Commissioners th.y should rather leave their Unions, orseethatsome alterations were made in their rules. He admitted that the railway men were the best men in any of the services, but they must recognise that they were working for the country as a whole, and any attempt to weaken the authority of the Commissioners would bo put down by the country. Mr. Fish sincerely trusted that even now a railway striko would not occur, but he feared it was inevitable.

Mr. McKenzie (Waihemo), ventured to assert that a fatal mistake had been made by tho railway servants in forming themselves into Unions, and tho best thing they could do now was to leave their Unions. They could not servj both Commissioners and Unions.

Several other members also gave expression to their opinions, after which the subject dropped. Mr. Mitchelson said if fair progress was made with business to-morrow, he expected to bo able to prorogue on Monday, or Tuesday at the latest. The House rose at 1 a.m. till next day.