POLITICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13844, 2 September 1908, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

A DREARY DAY. CONSIDERING THE ESTIMATES. • »I TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] - • Wellington, Tuesday. . he Bouse has had another dreary day • a the Estimates. The discussion, which it ted till 1.20 m., was. not productive* £ anything of an interesting nature. The Estimates of the Department of agriculture occupied the greatest share ofttention. The Legislative Council will not sit 'to-. ' y- - HOURS OF MINERS. ' The Coal Mines; Amendment Bill, which as been introduced by the Minister for lines in fulfilment of the Prime Ministers ; romise to deal effectively with the eight ours bank-to-bank principle is a onelause measure. Clause 38, of the Coal lines Act, . 1908 (the consolidated tatute), reads, " A miner shall be entitled o bo paid, overtime when he is employed nderground in a mine for more than eight ours in any day, counting from the time e enters he underground workings of the lino to the time he leaves the same." The mending Bill proposes to add to the above lib-clause the following words " Such vertimo shall be paid at the rate of time nd a-quarter for all time worked in excess f the said eight hours, and shall be pay- • ble notwithstanding the provisions of any vard or industrial, agreement now or here- j liter to be in force." This provision is by 0 means so comprehensive as the hours • f the Underground Workers Bill, which ras introduced by the Hon. A. R. Gum- 1 ess » few weeks ago. This measure aplied to Jill underground workings, and esides prescribing a day of eight hours • oni bank-to-bank, it provided for a half ' our meal time, and made the overtime • 3,te time and a-half. Mr. Guinness' Bill as relerrcd to the Goldfields and Mines , ommittee, and has not yet been reported pon. As there will be no further oppoi- . |nity for private members' Bills this ses- • ton the delay of the committee has result--1 in killing the Speaker's Bill. INSECT PESTS. • The Agricultural Produce Sale and Imprtatson Bill, which has been introduced js the Hon. R. McNab, is designed to . ievent the sale or importation of agricul- «, tural products affected by pests. The perative clause is as follows:—Every erson, who, whether on his own account, r as the servant or agent of any other erson, sells or introduces into New Zeaind or delivers to any person by way of ' ift, any produce which ho has reasonable : :»ise to believe to contain the seed of any ! ljnrious plant, or to be affected with '• isease, is liable on summary conviction efore a magistrate to a fine not exceeding ' * 120, on any such conviction. The magis- . -ate may direct that the produce in re- •' sect of which the offence was committed lall be forfeit, to the Crown, and every- ■ fiing so forfeited shall be disposed of as le Minister for Agriculture directs; The •seases to which the provisions are to. f pply are Angumois grain moth, Mediter-. . paean flour moth, grain weevil, • Indian, - leal moth, and meal snout moth. The lily injurious plant mentioned in the Bill i the Californian thistle. / • • A '■«" , % " 1 V\ - I'v ; AUCKLAND BILLS. '• • ; j The Matamata County Bill, the Wjiaka- , County Act"'Amendment 101, and the.Thangarei Abattoir Site Bill were reported Y the Local Bills Committee to-day, with /recommendation in each case that the Bill , a allowed to proceed. •=' "THE RGADLES NORTH." * • That modesty is not a failing of the longr - JFcring residents of the roadless north is , < vident from a petition which, was pre-, ■nted to the House to-day by Mr. Houston, > n behalf of a number of suppliers to the - [aitaia Co-operative dairy factory. They cunt out that the bad . state of the road aiding to the Victoria Valley skimming ' . nation hampers them in reaching the fac- . Dry, and they accordingly ask Parliament >r the sum. of £1000 lor the purpose of epairing and metalling the road. " JOTTINGS. - .. ; | Mr. Stallworthy has given notice to ask \e Minister for Labour (1) whether he will : irnish the Auckland Timber Workers! \ /nion with a copy of Inspector McQuarter s bport of his last month'js, and only, visit if inspection to the *awmil's south of Auckland, and (2) in fairness to other sawmillers ■ [ill ho take prompt measures to have the imber workers' award more strictly and promptly enforced. s *' (The "dangerous state" of that portion of ' liompson's track which ist situated in the County and which has never been Wed over to the county ie being brought : : ■ftder the notice of the Minister in charge ( roads by Ml. Herries, and he wishes . i know whether a substantial vote will i placed on the Estmates for the repair of ie track. 1 ' ;