PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10591, 21 October 1910, Page 1

PARLIAMENT.

(Vev- Press LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, -.October 20. , The Council met at 2 30. —A Fill.— "The ' New ' Zealand Cement Company/ Reclamation and Empowering Bill -passed its final stage. - '.. —New Parliament! - Buildings.— , A motion by Mr"MnqaonnldJth.it the Government should lirwte competitive designs from architects'in the Dominion for new Parliament Buildings, and that plai s be submitted to the Speakei s and members of both Houses was agreed to. , —Judicature The"Judicature-Amendment Bill was read a-third, time and passed. —-Defence. The.Council went into Committee on the Defence Amendment Bill. 'The original clauses" were p"ut through practically undiscussed. The Attorney-General moved a new clause providing the process for the recoveiy 'of the fines imposed* b> tlie officer commanding a unit or corps for bleaches of the regulations. This was agreed to and the Bill was reported as amended. —Native Townships Bill The Native Townships Bill was com nutted and put thiough committee unamended, read a thud time and passed -The Council rose.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House met at 2 30. —Beetroot Sugar.— The adjourned debate on the leport of the Agncultuial Committee on the Beetroot Sugai Bill was lesumed. Mr Buchanan said, after consideration of the experiments made m Queensland and elswhere, -he concluded that the mdustiy could not be profitably carried on in New Zealand. The money could be moie piofitablj spent in iothei dnections. Mr Witty said it would he piemature for the Government to embaik on such an mdustiy on the evidence gnen beioie the Committee. Mr T Mackenzie lefened to the <>xpernnents m sugai beet giowmg at the State farms. The pei cenUges of sugar obtained irom the loots ranged irom 14 to 16 46 per cent. Mi Hall said the evidence beiore the Committee was such that it would have been foolish to leconrnond the Gov eminent to spend monevs in establishing the beet sugar industry. Mr Poole's amendment (that the evidence be pimted) was then carried on the voices. —Com meicial Trusts Su Joseph Waid moved the committal oi the Commeicial Tilists Bill, which, he explained, made it an offence ioi an\ person to attempt to compel tiadeis to deal exclusively with him A penaltv of £SOO would be imposed for bleaches of the' Act. The Bill applies to agricultural implements, coal, meat, iloui, oatmeal, peti oleum, and like pro ducts;; sugar, and tobacco, and makes it illegal for trusts controlling the pi ice, supplj, or demand foi these cuticles The House rose at 5.30. The House resumed at 7 30.

The adjourned debate on the Coiiir mercnl Tiusts Bill was resumed by Mr Buchanan, who considered it a mistake not to include shipping rings in the schedule of the Bill, so as to pi event mterfeience with fiee tiade in shipping matteis

Mi Oke\ was of opinion that care should be taken in passing such legislation and not pi event the introduction of capital necessaiy to develop new industries

Mr Poole said the Bill was an honest attempt to deal with the mischievous machinations of commercial combines The Bill ought to be extended, to a large number of industries othei than those included m the schedule Mr Fraser, while considering the Bill necessary, thought it would be difficult to apply its piovisiolis so far as they aimed at i cstricting profits on commodities. Messrs Hogg and Buxton (the latter representing the Vacuum Oil Company) suppoi ted the Bill. Mr Russell said it would be bettei if a Board w as set up to regulate pi ices instead of prosecuting tiaders who chaiged excessive prices He went on to f lefer to newspaper monopolies which, he said, would call tor the attention of the Government betoie long Mr Allen dwelt on the difficulties connected, vv lth the operation of the legis latum cieated bv the Bill A uumbei of associations existed to cheapen the cost of production, and the Bill might affect them adversely, as such combinations vveie deemed trusts under Clause 2 The schedule was incomplete, and should include fish. Mr Taj lor said the State should inquire into the newspaper monopoh m Chiistchurch, wheie the newspapeis aie earning huge piofits and chaigmg excessive lates tor advertising Some check was necessaiv on banks, but the onlv way to achieve this was to inciease State competition. Bieweis ought to come under the Bill Whenevei it was possible for the State to act as a check to the extoitions of public enterprise it was the dutj of the State to enter into, competition therewith ■Vftei fuither discussion Sn Joseph Ward, in icpljinc:, said the debate showed how difficult it was to deal with questions affecting the price of food He was not piepaied to make the schedule geneial in its application as that' would mteifere. with legitimate tiading. though it might be adyisabe to add a lew more articles to the schedule It was impossible to pi event shipping fnms cieatmg rings, as the companies would lemoye their head quarters to other countries. The Bill in no way mteifered with capital and pioper trading. He could not agiee to beei l being included in the schedule, as it woufe prohabb kill the Bill He did hot think it would be desnable to set up a boaid foi fixing prices as liad been! suggested by several members. He vvould be prepared to consider ain scheme for ai riving at an estimate of a fair price when the Bill leached the Committee stage. A great factor was in preventing the giowth of such trusts as flourished m Ameiica He agreed that'. State enterpiisc had been of great ad The ta motion to go into Committee presently was agreed to

—Secret Commissions. — Sir Joseph Ivaid moved the second reading of the Secret Commissionsßill, winch renders it illegal or agents receiving bribes or any other consideration'from third peisons ™ ™K +W services rendered on hehalf St their principals The consent of the Attor-aev-General had to be obtained before a prosecution could be made. The second reading was carried. _ —Post and Telegraph- /- The Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill was read a second t,me on the motion of Sir Joseph Ward The obMSct of the Bill is to place the Department under one head (the secretary) in place of the divided control existing at 1 present. _^_________