PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13522, 21 August 1907, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

[nr TELEGRAPH.— FKESS,. association. % LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.'; Tuesday. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Legislative Council Election Bill was received from the House and negatived on [ the first reading, on the voices. The following Bills were read a .second time on the motion of the Attorney-Gene-ral, and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee:-—Chattels, Transfer Amendment, Foreign Tribunals, Evidence and Indictable Offences, and Summary Jurisdiction. The Council rose at 2.45 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tuesday. The House met at 2.30 p.m. GOVERNMENT BUSINESS. Sir J. G. WARD moved, "That on and after Wednesday, August 21, and for the remainder of the session. Government business take precedence on Wednesdays. Mr. W. F. MASSEY said he did not intend to oppose the motion, as ho thought a great deal of time had been wasted on private members' days. Further, there were no important private members' Bills on the Order Paper. He hoped' the Government would bring down its policy measures. Mr. G. LAUREN SON entered a protest against the motion, which was unprecedented at such an early date of the session. . The PREMIER .'replying to Mr. Lauren-son,"-.said the amount of work and importance of the measures to be dealt with this session were unprecedented in his Parliamentary experience. Referring to the flour duty, he said legislation would be introduced to enable municipalities, if they desired, to erect their own flourmills. If the Estimates were put through he was ready to proceed with the Tariff Bill on Friday. The motion was carried. THE CUSTOMS EXPERT'S APPOINTMENT. Mr. MASSEY asked, without notice, if the Premier intended to investigate the appointment of Mr. Shannon, and all the circumstances relating to the same. The PREMIER reiterated the statement .made on Friday, that a full investigation would be made, and he would intimate to the House in a few days what course the investigation should take. He had called for a report relative to the appointment of every officer in the service. LAND AND INCOME ASSESSMENT. The Land and Income, Assessment Bill was read a second time pro forma, and referred to the Public Account:-; Committee.

. The House went into Committee of Supply on-the.Marine and Harbours Departments. • The House adjourned at 5.30 in. THE MARINE DEPARTMENT. The House resumed at 7.30. The Marine and Harbours Department vote, £33,553, was passed unaltered. Regarding the Government steamers vote, £19,470, Mr. MASSEY asked what was intended to be done with regard to the Amokura. Ho did not find fault with the idea of a ship ' for training boys, but thought the vessel was not sufficiently large to accommodate the number of boys now in training. He further desired to' know if. it was intended to take the vessel to sea, as so far it had never been out of the harbour. The Hon. J. A. MILLAR said the vessel would shortly be made ready for sea, and the vessel would make trips round the coast. , • * The vote was passed unaltered. The total vote, £73,881, was passed unaltered. i . _' • DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR. The next class taken was the Department of Labour vote, the total being £19,420. Mr. A. R. BARCLAY thought the time, had arrived when the scope of' the la-' bour bureaux should be widened. Ho urged that they should take up much of the work at present transacted by the private labour bureaux, whose charges were often extortionate. .

Mr. W. H.HERRIES urged that the regulations governing private labour bureaux should be altered,', as under" the existing regulations these bureaux charged both employer and employee, and the further a domestic servant was sent into the country the more she had to pay. He desired to know if inspectors of scaffolding were fully-qualified builders. Mr. J. A. HAN AN suggested 'that municipal labour bureaux to co-operate with the Labour Department be instituted. Mr. H. G. ELL. urged that the method of private labour bureaux in placing notices outside their business premises intimating the class of labour in demand should be adopted by the Labour Department. . The Hon. J. A. MILLAR stated that a greater number of labourers had been sent to private employers last year by the Labour Department than in any previous year, and the fullest use would be made of the Department in the direction of supplying the needs of private employers. Replying to Mr. Hanan, he said the local policeman acted as the re-, preventative of the Department in outlying districts, and was supposed to send on to the head office of his district the requirements of his neighbourhood. Mr. BARCLAY urged fliat labour inspectors should be appointed in country districts. ■ Mr. W. W. TANNER asked if the Act governing private registry offices was administered by the -Department or the police. If by the Department, why were these offices allowed to charge fees in excess of the regulations laid down? - Mr. MILLAR said the Act was administered by the Department, and ■wherever complaint was made the Department instituted inquiries/and, if deemed necessary, undertook prosecution. The vote was passed unaltered. , " INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE. The next class taken was'the Industries and Commerce vote, which totalled £43,745. - Mr. T. MACKENZIE, referring to the items in connection with various exhibitions in London, said it would be better if a central office in the business portion of London were procured. , Mr. A. W. RUTHERFORD asked, regarding the item, "Grain grading, £500,'' if any graders bad been appointed. The Hon. J. McGOWAN said he recognised that a central office in London was very . desirable. No permanent grain graders Had yet been appointed. Mr. J.G.'W. AITKEN thought it useless to send representatives to Canada and the East with a view to finding markets. Canada could produce all that.this colony produced, and so far as butter was concerned we did not produce enough for our own consumption in winter. If we were well represented in "Loudon. it was all that was necessary. He urged that offices should be procured in a central position of the business portion of London. So far as the sum of £1000 on the Estimates for the service to Eastern ports was concerned, it was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr. McGOWAN said we should look to new markets, and instanced the trade done between Australia and Japan and other countries. He thought New Zealand should endeavour to get into those markets. Mr. HERRIES said the Minister had given a good reason why trade should be opened with the East, and desired that he should explain why the £1000 on last year's Estimates for the Eastern service was not availed of. The PREMIER; referring to £1000 on account of steam service to Eastern ports, stated that .an attempt was made some time ago to get a line of steamers trading between the East and Australia to come to New Zealand, but they declined, as the subsidy was insufficient. A service would be advertised for, however, and the position tested. Last year Australia sent £60,000 worth of produce to China alone. The colony's representative did not report favourably upon the prospects of trade •here, but where there are 800 million people closer to Australia and New Zealand than any other producing countries, it was worth while trying to cultivate that trade. . ' -

Mr. HERRIES asked if there was a vote for a. Canadian service. . : The PREMIER replied that a vote would be placed on the Supplementary Estimates. The service was a contract one, and would continue for three years. Mr. TANNER complained of the item, "travelling expenses and allowances, £800." He moved as an amendment that .the item he struck out. He understood that a man had been out in the East and no return seemed to have eventuated in the way of trade. Then he went to Canada with the same result. Mr. McGOWAN said Mr. Tanner was confusing two separate officers. Mr. TANNER said (hat made matters worse. The PREMIER explained that the Commissioner who went to Japan went for two purposes, to see if there was any prospect of opening up trade with the East, and to procure exhibits for the Exhibition. Since then Australia had sent a Commissioner out, and the result had been that trade had arisen betwen Australia and Japan, and now that Commissioner had been sent back and his salarv increased to £1000. Mr. MASSEY. said our market was London, and the sooner we realised it the better. The PREMIER said Canada was taking great steps to show what the country could do in regard to growing grain, meat, and I" reducing butter, and he did not think the colony should depend wholly on the London market. - Mr. LAURENSON said we should get a thoroughly competent and up-to-date man to push our trade in various ports. Mr. T. MACKENZIE urged that whilst losing no grip on the London market the colony should endeavour to place our produce in the West Coast ports of England. He had hopes of Germany becoming a consumer of New Zealand mutton! Further, if a reduced freight could be obtained, he was convinced that a large trade could be developed with South Africa, but at present New Zealand paid a penny where Argentine paid onlv a halfpenny in freight. The, PREMIER pointed out that the exports from Australia to Japan had increased from £110,000 in 1903 to £600,119 in 1905, whilst the imports from Japan had increased but little in the same time, viz., from" £325,000 to £-107,000. Referring to offices in London, he said the only way was to procure a big building of our own. It would cost a large sum of money, but he believed it would pay. Mr. C.' H. POOLE advocated a policy of development in the way of increased markets, and urged that representatives should be sent to Japan to push forward our interests there. ,Mr. TANNER said Mr. Poole had touched a vital item. After we had spent thousands on our travelling Commissioner the teeming millions, of China had last year purchased £69 worth from New Zealand, and the Philippines, which had been set forth as a glorious place in the future for our frozen meat, had taken £700 worth. Mr. A. G. MALCOLM urged that the ports of the colony should be thrown, open to the trade of foreign'countries if we desired to extend our export trade. Mr. Tanner's amendment was negatived on the voices. , In answer to a. question by Mr. Massev, the PREMIER gave the following details, among others, of the item, "advertising"! and purchasing books, photographs, pictures, etc., £5500" :—Advertising, £3194; printing books and pamphlets, £620; purchase of paintings, £514; purchase: of photographs, £420; purchase of stags' heads, kiwis, etc., £114; salary and expenses of journalist, £715; salary and expenses of photographers, £539. , Mr. MASSEY said the method of presenting the Estimates was most unbusinesslike. They should be set out in detail, so that members could see f for themselves what was being done. Mr. J. ALLEN asked for the items included in printing. The PREMIER said more information ' had been given on the Estimates than had . ever been given before. ' If full details were desired it could only be done in book form after the post audit had.been completed. It was proposed to adopt that system. :" Mr. MASSEY said .that recent events had shown that it was necessary that every detail should be shown. . The PREMIER said he would submit - a measure to adopt the post audit system this session. ' / * V' ■ • ' .' '". The total vote,was passed unaltered. The House was still sitting at two a.nn