PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1747, 30 August 1905, Page 54

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

PAYMENT OP INTEREST.

The Public Accounts Committee last week reported relative to the payment of interest under the Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Act. 1900. Certain debentures fell due on April Ist, 1904, the hanks being closed until the sth April. The debentureholders claimed interest for the five days, and the Treasurer paid it. This was questioned by the Audit Department, and the Solicitor-General gave his opinion that the payment was a proper and legal charge, and the payment was determined, by the Governor. Seeing that a similar circumstance and position may again arise, the committee recommended that an amendment of the law be made, to the effect that when the day of payment is on a bank holiday under the Bank and Bankers Act, 1880, payment of the debenture may be made on the succeeding business day, and interest to such day shall be deemed to be interest payable in respect to such debenture. The Secretary to the Treasury (Mr J. B. Hey wood), in his evidence, stated that the Audit Office declined to recognise the opinion of the Solicitor-General that it was a proper charge under the act. The alternatives left were that it should be made a charge to “unauthorised,” or that a Governor’s warrant should be obtained directing the Audit Office to accept the charge as it stood. The Audit Office accepted the Governor’s warrant. So far as charging the payment to ‘ unauthorised” was concerned, it appeared to the Secretary to the Treasury that it would be a terrible blow to -he credit of the colony if it were once known that it could be left to the discretion of Ministers whether they couiu. pay a legal charge for interest or whether they could not. That is to say, that investors would be at the mercy of the Ministry of the day as to whether they would get their proper legal interest or not. That is what it would amount to if such payments were left to be charged to “unauthorised.” So far as his own knowledge 'was concerned), he had never heard of any case before where the authority of the Loan Act itself was not supposed, at any rate, to cover authority to pay interest up to the dace upon which the principal sum was paid off. The Controller and Auditor-General (Mr Warburton) contended that interest on the amount of the debentures for a period after the date of their maturity could not be paid as a oharge to the Loan Act unless provided for by a security authorised by the Loan Act. It might he paid out of “unauthorised,” hut the objection taken by the Audit Office is to the payment as a charge to the Loan Act of such interest as is not provided for by a security issued for the money under the Loan Act. The amount of a debenture should, if the loan is to be continued, be continued by the issue of a new security under the Loan Act from the date of the maturity of the old security. Then interest would bo payable on the new security. A DRASTIC MEASURE.

The Trade Monopolies Prevention Bill, introduced last week, is practically the bill of last session, though remodelled in several important particulars. It seeks to prevent the creation of trad)© monopolies, where it is shown that- “ the advantage of any manufacturer of or trader dealing with such

article of commerce, or any supplier of such services, is promoted at the expense of the consumers or purchasers of such article of commerce or services, or at the expense of any other trader dealing with such article of commerce or any other supplier of such services.” A petition complaining of the existence of a trade monopoly may be addressed to the Chief Justice by the Minister of Labour, the Minister for Industries and Commerce, the Secretary of the Labour Department, or other officer of that department, by some trader alleging that he is injured by the existence of the alleged trade monopoly, or by any thirty or more respectable adult persons. Power is given to the SolicitorGeneral and Auditor-General to inquire as to the probability of the existence of an alleged monopoly, on presentation, of a petition to any Registrar of the Supreme Court. A trial is to take place before three Judges of the Supreme Court, which, on proof, is empowered to order the compulsory liquidation of any monopoly, and the Governor-in-Council may order the forfeiture of any license granted by the Commissioner of Customs for the manufacture of any goods in bond. If it appears to the Commissioner that any trade monopoly is facilitated by the duties of Customs imposed cn any article, he may place such article on the free list, or so reduce the duty of Customs thereon as to give the public the benefit of reasonable oomnetition in such article, but in any suoh event the Governor-in-Council may at any time thereafter cancel the remission or reduction of duty. Every person who conspires, combines, agrees, or arranges with any other persons, or with any railway, steamship, or transno r fat ion company to unduly limit the facilities for transporting, producing, manufacturing, supplying, storing, or dealing in any article of commerce; or to restrain or injure trade or commerce in relation to any such article of commerce ; or to unduly prevent, limit, or lessen the manufacture or production of any such article of commerce, or to unreasonably enhance the selling price thereof: or to unduly prevent or lessen competition in the production, manufacture, purchase, barter, sale, transportation, or supply of any such article of commerce, is guilty of an offence, and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding £IOOO or not less than £SO, or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding two years; and, if a corporation, is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding £2OOO, and, not less than £2OO. MAULING A BILL. The Legislative Council on Wednesday had before it the Public - Works Act Amendment Bill (a. private members* bill), and when they had finished with it, there was hardly anything left but the title clause. When the bill came up last week, it was viewed with as much suspicion as an adder would have been entitled to, and finally was put away until yesterday, in order that members might think hard about it. When the adjourned debate started, as to whether the bill should be taken in comm'ttee, it could be seen early that the bill was going to he handled with no gentleness. The short title went through in the committee stage, and the clause amending the act of 1904 by repealing the words “forty feet” and substituting the words “sixty links,” in reference to transfers of land abutting on roads or streets not less than 40ft in width, was also passed. But' the clause providing that unformed roads of not less than 6Gft wide, which bad been used as a public road for five or more years prior to 1900, may, on petition of not less than two-thirds of the owners having frontage, be formed by the local authority, and the cost apportioned amongst the owners,, was thrown out. Amendments were offered, but nothing was acoepted to the next clause providing power to forbid heavy traffic on a road or street, and the whole clause was thrown out also. An' attempt is to be .made to recommit the bill, with the object of getting through a clause dealing with unformed roads in a manner more acceptable to the Council. » DRUNKENNESS IN AUCKLAND. The Minister of Justice on Wednesday dealt with Mr La wry’s question regarding Mr Wesley Spragg’s statement that on the night of September 10th last “660 persons, the large majority being young men, were seen to emerge from hotels ‘decidedly under the influence of liquor,’ and 150 who were reported as ‘ absolutely drunk.’ ” The Minister said that seven males and two females were arrested for drunkenness on Saturday, September 10th, last; the ages of the males were 26, 27, 32, 34. 35, 50, 52, and the females 23 and 30 years ; no arrests for drunkenness w r ere effected in the city or suburbs of Auckland on Sunday, September 11th, last; and from general observation it was believed that drunkenness amongst, the young men of New Zealand was decreasing. It was not within the province of the Minister or the Police Department to ascertain the names and status of the persons who acted as enumerators for the Auckland. Prohibition and Temperance League on the night of September 10th, upon whose reports Mr Spragg bases his allegations, and he was unable to express any opinion as to the reliability of the information obtained in the manner indicated.