LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7292, 23 November 1910, Page 8

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

MANY BILLS PROM THE HOUSE. Tho Legislative Council met at 3.30. It -was decided to agree to the report of tho conference with the other House respecting the disagreement which arose over on amendment introduced into tho Stone Quarries Hill. . Tho inalienable Into Annuities B)U was received hack from the House with amendments, which were agreed on to tho motion of tho Attorney-General. EDUCATION RESERVES Further consideration of the Education Reserves Amendment Hill in committee, was deferred until to-day. Ur Findlay explained that the proposed amendment of tho leasing clauses was in tho hands of the Umier-occretary 01 Lands and the Secretary ol Education, who wore carefully proiriK’ I’d 0 the position. He had not yet received the final draft of the proposed new clause, and so was not in a position to say whether tho Hon. J. Austey’s proposals would ho accepted. The folio win" dav, however, ho Poped to bo able to submit definite proposals regarding Hie leasing clauses, for consideration of which progress had been reported upou tho Bill.

THE DENTAL REGISTER

A NEW PROVISION. Tho Dentists Amendment Bill was received. from tho House ami read the first time. , Speaking on ’fhe second reading, tho Hon. .1. It. Sinclair (Otago) said ho would like to see an amendment made to prevent an unregistered, dentist from performing an operation in a private honso for his own purposes. At present tho prohibition dkl not extend, as far Tho Attorney-General said he ■would discuss the proposal with, the Hon. D. Bmldo. and. if necessary, would recommit the Bill to introduce tho amendment. A _ , In committee, the Attorney-General secured the insertion of tho following provisions as to registration in certain cases: — . . , ,r (D Any person may apply to oe registered as a dentist, and shall, on garment of tho proscribed fee* ho en&bled to he so registered, who has passed an examination in dentistry by a Dental Board constituted under the Dentists Act, 1880, or who passes an examination in dentistry as prescribed by that Act by a competent board set up by tho Minister of Internal Affairs, if such person was in practice or working as a dentist in New Zealand, or was before or at the time of or within fifteen months subsequent to the passing of the Dentists Act. 1901. an apprentice of a person qualified to be registered under that Act. , . '*(2) No application for registration tinder this section shall be entertained unless made ,to the Registrar-General within three month6 < after the coming into operation of this Act. and no person shall be registered under this Act after tho thirty-first day of December, 1911/' , „ Tlm Hon J. R. Sinclair moved the nn.cmlinent. to which he had previously ••-jiprred, and progress was reported, to permit of its reference to the Minister In charge of tho Bill in the House.

PUBLIC HEALTH

TOWN PLANNING PROPOSALS. The Public Health/ Amendment Bill, which was received from the House, was road tho first tlmo. __ ... The Hon J. E. Jenkmson (Wellington), on tho second reading, urged th© necessity of some definite scheme of town planning to overcome the tendency towards the creation of slum areas. If the municipal avithorities would not take nation in this direction, he thought that ih© Legislature should step in and set up a board to control the work. He believed. however, that a combined board appointed by the. Legislature and the local authorities would do only necessary to look around in any of the centres to see that some very great and immediate improvement required to be made. Wellington hia d already done something in the way of civic improvement, "Hut very much remained to be < The Hon J. Ansfcey (Canterbury) supported the plea for a town planning Tho motion was carried after further brief discussion, tho Bill # subsequently being put through without amendment, read the third time and) passed.

SHIPPING AND SEAMEN

COLOURED LABOUR PROBLEM. Tho Shipping- and Seamen Amendment Bill was received from tho Honse, and read the first and second time without discussion. Tho Attorney-General commented that tho importance of the Hill and its size, as a measure, were in inverse ratio. ... "It soems to he a very unwise thins to prevent the vessels of the lh and O. Company continuing their voyage to New Zealand,” said the Hon C. J. Johnston (Wellington) when the Bill was in committee. Ho did not suppose that any amendment would bo accepted, hut he would suggest that clause 2 (which enforces payment of wages at New Zealand rates) should be made to apply only to ships wholly engaged in trading from New Zealand to tho Commonwealth, tor many years there had been an agitation to get tho P. and O. vessels to como on to New Zealand, and now they were coming an agitation had started to keep them away. They were not trading between Australia and New Zealand, and only came on for the convenience of passengers. The Attorney-General admitted that there was a general feeling in favour of seeing tho vessels of the P. and O. Company visiting New Zealand, but urged that there was a still stronger feeling—one far too strong to he ignored or resisted —that the Dominion should not expose its white inhabitants to the competition of coloured labour. The statute book now was filled with legislation to protect the white race against Asiatic labour, and what had been found necessary on land was just as essential for the protection of men who earned their living at sea. The Bill was of a class in which ho would not feel justified in accepting any amendment, especially such a radical one as this, which would kill tho whole purpose of the measure. The proposal was negatived on the voices. , , , The Bill was reported without amendment, read the third time and passed.

OTHER BILLS PASSED

The Monopolies Prevention Bill, the Urowera IKatrict Native Reserve Bill, and tho Railways Authorisation Bill were also received from tho Honso and ■pot through all stages without amendThe Scenery Preservation Bill and fhe Auctioneers Amendment Bill were

received from the House and read tho first time. Tho Council rose at 4.50 p.m.