LEGISLATURE IN SESSION

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12197, 23 July 1925, Page 6

LEGISLATURE IN SESSION

SEVERAL IMPORTANT MEASURES BEFORE HOUSE GOOD PROGRESS MADE WITH BUSINESS WELLINGTON CITY WATER SUPPLY BILL INTRODUCED Good progress in the legislative' programme for the session was made by the House of Representatives yesterday, quite a number of bills being advanced a stage or so.

THE PUBLIC DEBT Tlie Repayment of the Public Debt Bill was read a second time pro forma and referred to the Public Accounts Committee. < WELLINGTON WATER SUPPLY MAINS ON PRIVATE LANDS. The Wellington City Empowering Bill, which has been introduced in Parliament by Hr Monteith, proposes to give the Wellington City Council power to construct water-mains under private lands or buildings. The bill provides that before the council constructs any mains through private lands the following conditions shall be complied with:— (a) A plan and description of each water-main showing how it affects any such lands shall be deposited for public inspection at some place within the city. (b) The council shall give ,notice in writing to the occupier of such lands, and also to the owner when known, of tho intention to construct such watermain, and shall refer in such notice to such plan and description and state where the same are on view. (c) If within one month after such notivo given the said occupier or owner notice given the said occupier or owner to the proposed work, the council shall appoint a day for hearing such objections and shall give notice of the same ( to the objector. (d) The council shall hold a meeting * on the day so appointed and may, after hearing any person making such objection, ir present, determine to abandon the work proposed or to proceed therewith or without such alterations as the council thinks fit. SHEARING CONDITIONS PRIVATE MEMBER’S BILL. The Shearers’ Accommodation Amendment Bill, introduced by Mr F. E. Langstone (Waimarino) passed its second reading and was referred to the Agricultural Committee. The bill provides for changes in the. accommodation for shearers, commands that tables and chairs be provided and that men shall not be allowed to sleep in the dining-room. The Shearers*’ Accommodation Act was very far behind the Australian Act, and £articularly the Queensland Act. said Mr angstone, and the men wanted some alterations to permit of better supervision of the sheds. He knew of cases wheie men held that their health had been ruined bv diseases contracted in the industry. He believed that the carrying nut of inspection, by the Public Health Deparmtent had been very much more efficient than that by the Labour Department under the Factories Act. it was almost impossible for the Labour Department to send its men round to all the spots which needed inspection. Be thought that if the organisers of toe Shearers’ Union were given the temporary powers of an inspector- chey could report on the places which they found needing attention. It needed only a case or two to reach the courts and there would be a great improvement. It was a disgrace that they should be so far behind Queensland as they were. Tbs mei wanted the equipment of the dining rooms brought up to date, and proper washing and bathing facilities, the industry being a dirty one. In quite a lot of sheds the union would not ask for this to be done immediately. They wanted also proper pens for slaughtering at least 300 yards from the men’s quarters, and provision for their meat to be kept cleanly. He asked that the hill should be referred to the Agricultural Committee. If these conditions existed, said the Hon A. D. McLeod, they should be remedied. But practically all the things asked for could vbe provided under tho legislation already on the Statute Book. The matter of slaughtering , might require some investigation, but was a matter which the Health Department might keep*an eye on. Usually, on a station, the slaughtering was carried out at cue spot, and a good deal of attention was paid to it The bill would receive fair treatment by the committee, said the Hon. W. Nosworthy. It might come back vastly different, but it would be effective.

Mr W. S. Glenn (Rangitikei) pointed out that there were practical difficulties in the way of providing some of things asked for, particularly the additional accommodation.

Nobodv suggested that the Government wa? to blame, added Mr H. T. Armstrong / (Christchurch East),. who spoke of 4 the difficulty of obtaining proper inspection. The Hon. G. J. Anderson (Minister for Labour) stated outright that everything in the bill could be provided by regulation under the present Act. Mr Langston© agreed that the hill was only a protest against the inefficient inspection of the past. He hoped that in

future the Labour Department would make a thorough one. The shearers were asking only for common decency. TRANSFERENCE OF LEPERS COOK ISLAND BILL. The Cook Islands Amendment - Bill, which passed its second reading, was to transfer lepers from Cook Islands to Fiji. The Minister for Public Health (Sir Maui Pomare) stated that it was intended to transfer lepers from New Zealand to Fiji also. NURSEs"aND MIDWIVES CONSOLIDATING ACT. The Nurses and Midwives Registration Bill, the second reading of which was moved by Sir Maui Pomare, was practically a consolidation of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Acts of 1908 and 1920, said the Minister. There was nothing new in the hill except for two clauses. One of these provided that registration of nurses should be in the hands of a board instead of the chief health officer, and the other constituted a new kind of nurse. This was a maternity nurse, and tho clause was very important as the country needed a large number of such nurses. . Such a nurse was one who could not get training needed for a midwife, but who could act under the supervision of a medical officer. The bill was read a second time. LOCAL LEGISLATION MR BOLLARD’S BILL. The second reading of the Local Legislation Bill was moved by the Hon. R. F. Bollard'. The bill has been explained in the “Times." Mr W. A. Yeitch complained that anything which took from Parliament its constitutional powers and rights must he bad. The principle on which the bill was based was bad indeed. The bill was read a second time. I.C. AND A. _ BILL GONE TO COMMITTEE. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill was read a second time, pro forma, and was referred to tho Labour Committee. . P. AND T DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department was presented to Parliament yesterday. It states that business continues to be satisfactory, the excess of receipts over expenditure being <*473,193, though the amount of income from postages is less than it was last year, as during the whole of the year reduced rates were operating as against only six months for the previous year. It is, however, expected that this revenue will soon reach the amount obtained in the previous year. The telephone service has largely expanded, 16,304 new connections having been made. 21 new exchange were opened—the greatest number since the inception oi the system. The number of applications on the waiting list is 3622. The service has now become one of the great publio utilities. The development of country exchanges has been greatly stimulated by the present rating system. Tho conversion of 8000 lines of the Auckland system from manual to automatic working in one operation is said to he "one of the largest electrical engineering works yet undertaken in the Southern Hemisphere.” The maintenance of a progressive building policy by the department is stressed. There has been keen competition for the inland mail services, the cost of which shows a reduction of £9OOO. A further reduction, is possible when the letting of the next contracts is accomplished. The growth of rural deliveries is especially notable in the Canterbury district. In connection with the compulsory enrolment of electors, over 700,000 cards were distributed. More inward mails qow come from England via Suez, as there is now a regular fortnightly connection by that route, which is cheaper for the Home Government, which has a contract via that route but not via North America. .The department has now a fleet of 461 motor vehicles, but even this number is insufficient for present needs. The night letter-telegram service between New Zealand and the Commonwealth has become popular. The transmissions are s>oo a year of a miHion and a-half words. Inland night letter-telegrams are also popular, the number forwarded being 215,473, producing a revenue of .£10,535. Money-order business shows a marked inThere are 735,148 depositors with accounts' in the Savings Bank.