PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7268, 26 October 1910, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS LEGISLATIVE COUNOIL. THE EDUCATION BILL. The I*gUlatiro Council met at 2.30 o’clock yesterday afternoon. The second rrartin;,' of tho Education Amendment Bill »;as moved by the Hon. Dr Id nd lav. Attorney-Owieral, who remarked Iha t it was a measure of very wide importance, and vitally affected |a rue portions of tho population, especially in tho country districts. in Dialer that Ms purpose misfit ho clearly e.aorcFsixl, and also to permit of the in-el-mion of certain amendments, ho prop is.rd to ask tho Council to refer the Bill to a Krlect Committee for consideration amt report. Ho also sufjßcstcd that po-sihiy it "would be more convenient to tlclei tho general discussion until this was done. Explaining tho main proposals of (ho Bill, lie said that its whole purpose was to make the demoenrey a little better educated than it was at present. New Zealanders claimed to be highly educated, but it would be idlo to deny Unit tho level of education in this country was not so high as in Denmark or .Switzerland. No parent who was trying to do his duty to his chihl should grudge the additional year at school for which the Bill provided. Tho Hon. .1, R. Sinclair (Otago) pointed to a difficulty in connection with tho payment of members of more than one educational body, and suggested that tho proposed corn mitt to might consider an amendment to permit of tho obligations of different boards being fairly proportioned. Tho Attorney-General said that the provision had worked perfectly well in tho Hospital and Charitablo Aid Act, where it appeared in exactly similar terms. Tho clause really widened the scope of payments to education board members whom they ought to be paid. Tho Bill was referred to a Select Committee, consisting of tho Hons. _ W. C. E. Carncross. O. Samuel, J. K. Sinclair, A. Baldey. 11. A. Loughnan. T. Thompson, W. C. Smith, J. Barr and Dr Eindlay.

BILLS PASSED

The Animals Protection Bill and the Rivers Board Amendment Bill were read tho third time, and passed.

CONTROL OP QUARRIES

THE DANGER TO WORKMEN.

The Stone Quarries Bill was committed. , The Hon. J. T. Paul moved an amendment, with a view of making the Bill amply to all stone quarries m which explosives are used. If this were not agreed to ho would move to reduce the n ation am height of rock face to which the Bill applied, from twenty feot to ten feet. Ho was very anxious to try and make the Bill better than it was at the present. The Hon. J. Bigg (Wellington) supported the amendment, and urged that it would bo well to eliminate the provision oven if it endangered the passage of the Bill. , ... Several speakers urged the AttorneyGeuerul to accept the amendment, but the Hon. J. McGowan and others advocated the wisdom of making haste slowly, and accepting the instalment ot reform now offered. . , Dr Findlay said that the provision as to height of face Wll4 similar to that in the English Act. Ho admitted that Mr Paul had much on his side, but it was undoubted that if the motion were carried the Council would not see the Bill bad: again this session. After lengthy discussion, the amendment was defeated by 18 votes to 7. Mi Paul then moved the promised amendment to substitute ten feet for twenty feet, urging that a serious accident was just as likely to happen in a quarry with the smaller face as witn the larger. , , . ~ . The amendment was lost by lt> votes to 7, and the clause was agreed to. Progress ■was reported on 3, _ to permit of consideration of an objection raised hy tho Hon. J. IX Jonkinson, that one of the subclauses was misplaced, and should appear after clause 5. Tho Council ros© at 4.43 o clock.