PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10572, 29 September 1910, Page 1

PARLIAMENT.

(Per Press Association.) Wellington, September 28. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.30. —Second Readings. — The Christ's College (Canterbury) Bill (Mr Wigram) and the Canterbury College and Canterbury Agricultural College Amendment Bill (the AttorneyGeneral) were read a second time. —Bill Passed The Hutt Railway and Road "ill was put through its final stages. —lnalienable Lite Annuities. — The Attorney-General, in postponing until to-morrow the second reading of the Inalienable Life Annuities Bill, said the measure was an attempt to provide means whereby the poorer professional people and the poorer working people wav create an inalienable annuity. It provided particularly for daughters or for children, who had a failing of some unfortunate kind. As the law .stood tliis could not be done. If the measure passed a father would be able to make provision of the kind referred to without possibility of the annuity being alienated by bankruptcy or in any other wav. '—Christchnreh Tramways Bill. — The Christchiirch Tramways District Amendment Bill passed its final stages. —Canterbury College.— The Canterbury College and Canterbury Agricultural College Bill was received from the House and read a second time. —Pacific Cable Board. — A motion by the Attorney-General to ! grant the Pacific Cable Board permission to construct a deviation of the Pacific cable authorised by the Pacific. Cable Authorisation Act of 1899, was agreed to. The Council rose. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. Replying to questions Ministers stated-'-That the appointment of officers and non-commissioned officers as adjutants and instructors will he made immediately on the return of all local examinations being received at headquarters. That a Municipal Corporations Amendment Bill will be introduced shortly embodying a considerable number of remits from the recent Municipal Conference. That legislation changing the present unsatisfactory position in regard to the purchase of estates for closer settlement owing to the unduly high prices demanded from owners will be submitted this session. That it is deemed unnecessary at present to incur the large amount of expense which would be entailed in carrying out a complete system of inspection of accommodation for agricultural laborers throughout the Dominion. The' Department had made full inquiries into definite complaints made, and had taken action, and when found necessary. < further complaints will be similarly dealt with.

—New Railway Regulations.— New railwav regulations were laid on the table by 'Mr Millar. I —Discussion of Replies.I The rest of the afternoon sitting was devoted to the discussion of replies to questions. The House rose at 5.30. The House resumed at 7.30. .Sir Joseph Ward, in accordance with notice given on Tuesday, moved that the Hoii.se approve of the Pacific Cable Board constructing and laying a cable to be used in the transmission of messages between New Zealand and Australia in place, if required, of the por- ■ tion of the Pacific cable now used for that purpose. The new cable is to lie directly heiween Doubtless Bay and some point in Australia without touching an intermediate point. The cable was urgently required if the Pacific Board was to increase or oven retain its bushier. There had been a considerable falling off in the I radio during the present yv:ir due chiefiv to delay;;. A saving would be effected bv cutting out the Soiithporl and Norfolk 'lsland'staff. All intercolonial traffic for Australia sent via the Pacific would go direct to Doubtless Bay from Sydney. The cost of laving the proposed cable was not estimated to exceed C155.01K). and the estimated saving in cost would be COOOO a year, and th'TO would be a considerable increase in traffic. The amount of the Dominion's annual contribution was a large one. but if was comparatively small when the immense saving was taken into eonsidera i ion. When the proposed cable was laid, there would lie

two lines to Australia. This would ensure that there would always be one line open for traffic. Air Alar-soy saw no objection to the proposal, seeing it would not cost the Dominion anything directly. He was inclined to think, however. that it would ultimately do so. He was surprised, however, in view of the recent developments in wireless telegraphy, that the proposals for a new cable should be made. He asked if anything would be done to carry out the recommendations of the recent conference in Australia on wireless telegraphy, which was attended by representatives from New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and tho Admiralty. Air Fisher asked if the Government would take steps to ensure accurate and reliable information regarding the world's news being distributed to the Dominion papers. He considered the quality of news at present provided was iiot satisfactory. In replying Sir Joseph Ward said Australia and New Zealand had become part proprietors of the Pacific cable, and could not therefore give effect to the recommendations of the wireless con-

ference. Replying to Mr Taylor, who had urged cheaper cable rates. Sir Joseph Ward said the present Pacific cable could not carry a. penny rate, but a sixpenny a word rate for domestic cables was possible, of accomplishment.

Regarding wireless telegraphy, he believed this should be the coadjutor of the cable system. He did not think wireless would take the place of cable communication owing to the difficulty of ensuring secrecy. No doubt a monopoly had grown up in Australia, resulting in a number of papers being unable to get news. In New Zealand a similar position existed. It was almost impossible

for the newspapers to have done otherwise. What personally he considered unsatisfactory was that the cable news sent out was' more Australian than New Zealand. He considered the Dominion should have an independent cable service of its own. He believed that the existing Press Association would, of its own accord, change its methods, and that cable messages would be available to all papers desiring them. In regard j to the quality of the cable news he recognised that papers had to cater for ] i their readers. _ , ! The motion was then carried.

—Aid to Public Works, Etc.— The third reading of the Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Bill was moved by Sir Joseph Ward and carried.

—State Gunr;intoed Advances. — Sir Joseph Ward moved that the amendments to the State Guaranteed Advances Amendment Bill, made in Committee, he agreed to. • After considerable discussion the amendments were agreed to, and the Bill read a third time and passed. | —Defence. — I The House went into Committee on the Defence Bill. _ I At clause 4 Mr Allen criticised the selection system, and suggested that the Minister should consider the advisability of doing away with either the territorial or general training: section, and have one system only. He advocated a system of exemption of certain classes, such as men engaged in the railway aiid post and telegraph service, who would be required to perform their duties in time of war. This was what the Australian Commonwealth had done.

The exemption might be extended to 33.J per cent, of those liable to service. On Sir Joseph Ward's suggestion consideration of clauses 4, o, and 0 was postponed. At clause 7 the Minister moved to omit sub-clauses 1 and 2 and substitute new clauses providing that the Ministers of Defence and Education may, at tho request of the controlling authority, take over and control boy scouts. Referring to the uniforms for hoy scouts Mr Taylor (Christcluirc.il) protested against the expense involved in the defence scheme, which was equal to the interest on a. loan of fourteen millions. This was ridiculous for a small country like New Zealand. There was no need to provide uniforms for boy scouts. Sir Joseph Ward said it would be a mistake not to provide uniforms for cadets. Clause S was amended in the, direction of making the yearly training for senior cadets not less than Gl hours. At clause 10, which provides for a Court of Appeal, Sir Joseph. Ward said lie proposed, to amend the clause so as to create a court martial based on the | British model. On the motion of Sir Joseph Ward that clause 10 be deleted, Mr Taylor said be. preferred the clause as it stood to the proposed amendment substituting a court-martial. He strongly advocated that a man tried by court-martial should have the right to appeal to a civil court. Mr Russell expressed similar views. Sir Joseph Ward held that men forming the territorials would not favor a civil court being set up to deal with military trials. The debate was continued by Messrs Hogan, Wright, M'Laren, Clark, and Poland. On a division the first four subclauses of clause 10 were deleted by 12 to 15. Consideration of the proposed amendment was postponed, and progress was reported. The House rose at 1.50.