HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10179, 13 October 1894, Page 8

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11. After the telegraph office closed at 2 o'clock this morning, the Ministerial Residences Sale Bill was reported without amendment, the third reading being fixed for next day. The Trustees Act Amendment Bill, Stamp Act Amendment Bill, Water Supply Act Amendment Bill, and Legitimation Bill were reported from Committee and passed their final stages. The House rose at 2 10 a.m. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12. The House met at 11.30 a.m. ORDER OT" BUSINESS. The Hon. Mr SEDDON moved that the House do meet ft 11.30 each sitting day until the close of the session and sit until 1 p.m., and on Monday from 2.30 p.m. Replying .to Dr Newman, the hon. gentleman said there were not many important bills now remaining to be dealt with. Mr T. MACKENZIE said before the House assented to this motion they should have some assurance from the Premier as to what time 1 the House would rise .at night. Surely the Premier did not intend the House to sit all night and all day as well. The fact was the Government had brought down a lot of bills this session for members to nibble at, but which were never intended to pass. They had already wasted four nights over the Licensing Bill, and he hoped the Premier aud Temperance party were now satisfied with the sham they had been perpetrating over this bill. ; J The motion was agreed to.

THB BALLANCB MEMORIAL. The Hon. Mr SEDD )N moved that the request of the Ballance Memorial Committee with reference to the erection of the Ballance monument in Parliament grounds be referred for consideration: to the Joint House Committee.—Agreed to. THE SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE. The Hon. Mr WARD moved that the House empowers the Government to arrange for a renewal of the San Francisco mail service for three years; that the basis of payment for the I conveyance of mails from New Zealand shall be at the rate of lid per lb on the net weight of letters conveyed; that all payments or contributions from Great Britain, or other countries, shall be receivable by the contractors, the colony's direct liability to be for payment of its outward letters only; that at least one New Zealand steamer in three Bhall be employed ; that the time between San Francisco and New Zealand shall not exceed 20 days, the port of call in the colony to be Auckland or Wellington, at the option of the contractors; no bonus to be paid lor the early arrival, and penalties _t the rate of £1 an hour to be enforced only when a late delivery exceeds 48 hours; that all the provisions of the existing agreement, where not at variance with the foregoing provisionsy shall be applicable to any new contract made under this authority. He said the present resolutions were almost: identical with those passed in "1891, the principal difference being that the present contractors were not named in the resolutions. He stated tbat the whole service was now on an entirely different footing. The total cost to the colony last year was £7929. The United States' contribution was £12,000, which was the highest amount permitted by law. ','■'; Mr DUTHIE pointed out that the penalty should be enforced when the mail was 24 hours late, instead of 4-8 hours, as that was too long a time. Captain: RUSSELL wanted to know what ground there was for renewing the contract for three years when there was a -possibility of a complete change in the whole of the mail service by the prospect of the Vancouver route. [ He saw no reason why the contract should not I be from year tc year, so that there might be some chance of makißg arrangements by San Francisco and Vancouver routes. He hoped Mr Ward would consent to that course. ' Mr PIRANI asked whether 'he Postmastergeneral would consent to Wellington being made the only port of call. The Hon. Mr.WARD eaid he preferred to leave the matter as he proposed in his resolutions—namely, Wellington or Auckland. Dr KewmaD, Messrs Buchanan, Wilson, and Millar also spoke on the resolutions. Sir R. STOUT proposed to amend the resolutions by omitting " San Prancisco " and inserting " North America," in order to give the Treasurer a free hand to arrange for a service by the Vancouver router He spoke strongly oi the necessity of. encouraging friendly relations between tbe colony and North America, which would go a long way towards promoting federation of the Empire. The Hon. Mr WARD pointed out that New Zealand contributed only a fourth of tne cost of the eervice, and therefore she could not do anything in the direction indicated by Sir R. Ktout without, the consent 'of Great Britain, America, New South Wales, and the other colonies, ' who ' were also concerned in the San Fr&ncifco -service.: He might say that this colony bad already offered £10,000 for {a service via Vancouver, but they were not going to obtain: that by knocking the San Francisco service on the head. The object of the colony should be to secure a fortnightly service alternating between New Zealand and San Francisco, : and New: Zealand and Van-cou^-jr. He could hot agree to Mr Dnthie's proposal for a reduction of 4-8 hours before a penalty was enforced, and said it would not be wise to enforce a penalty for 24 hours, as they must allow a reasonable latitude in case of the breakdown of a steamer or other unavoidable causes. - '•>;-■-. *.• '',/■■ ■ .'-.-." Sir R." Stout's amendmentto strike out " San Francisco," and insert "Service through North America " was lost by 47 to 16;,' ; ; ; Captain RUSSELL moved to" strike out "three years" and insert ,"one year." He said they all knew< that the service" would go on whether the contract was renewed for one year or three years,: and tbere was every probability that the colony vrould be able to secure better terms at the end of a year than if they bound themselves for three years. The Hon. Mr WARD said the colony could hob enter into ati agreement for one year, as they paid no subsidy, but only for mail matter carried." '*.•'"■•.' -'"■:'' v Mr [G. HUTCHISON asked whether, as the present arrangement expired in 18 days, the Postmaster-general had hot in 'reality made this contract which he how asked the House to ratify. . , '■ .' .*-■■ ■■,:.'' The Hon. Mr WARD said he had made nc such arrangement, ahd should not have done so without consulting the House. Mr HUTCHISON said in that case Mr Ward was very unbusinesslike in the whole matter, as he had left it over till within. 18 dayß of the contract ■ expiring; He; condemned;the 'Frisco service, which he regarded as one'of the worst in the world, and was-pot up to date in any way.'-:' ■.-■•■"-•■; 7,777s ''.•■' "■'■■'' '"' "7'- -.-• The Hon. Mr. WARD said this service was a very cheap one for the colony. 'It cost the Australian colonies £170,000 a year for a service not so good as that by San Francisco, and this colony originally paid £57,000 a year tor the mail eervice," whereas it only cost £7929 last year.'"-':.•'■ :-'•' ■ '-j ..-:■.■ '."■ '::■_.. -:' ~-' Mc G. HUTCHISON moved that the contract should "not exceed " three years. The Hon. Mr WABD accepted that, and- it was carried/ 7.7 Captain Russell's amendment for a one year contract was lost by 42 to 17. 7 Tbe House rose at 1 p.m., and resumed at 2.30 p.m. in Committee on the mail service : resolutions.' -.'•' : '7 7 , Resolutions 1, 2, and 3 passed on the voices. - Resolution 4, that at least one *, New Zealand steamer in three shall be employed.—Captaii; Russell moved that this be struck out.—Lot! by 37 to 10, and the resolution was carried. Mr Pibani moved to amend resolution 5 so : that theport of call should be Wellington only, —Lost by 51 to 10. Captain' Russell* moved that the penalty be enforced if the mail was 24 hours late instead of 48.—After considerable discussion the amendment was lost by 46 to 15. The resolutions were reported to the House aud agreed to. 7 EAILWAY BEIDQES. Mr G. W. RUSSELL brought up the report of the Railway Committee on the condition of certain railway ,'bridges in the colony, and in doing so congratulated the House and country on the fact that after an exhaustive inquiry the committee found that the bridges i were in a satisfactory and sound condition. He said, however, that the evidence taken before the committee showed there had riot been anything like a careful supervision of railway bridges, and . that was why the committee . emphasised the necessity for more thorough ' supervision. He moved—" That the report be referred to the Government for consideration." Mr TANNER, as one of the committee, dissented very largely from the report brought up by the chairman. He referred to the evidence at some length, and commented strongly on the i manner in which Mr Smith, forGman of works in Dunedin, performed his duties. Miissrs Crowther, Morrison, and Earnshaw also spoke on the motion. Mr WILSON moved that the debate be adjourned.—Agreed to. S ADVANCES TO.SETTLERS. A message was received from the Council that it insisted on* its amendments in the Advances to Settlers Bill, and Messrs Ward, Bell, S. M'Kenzie, Steward, and Seddon were appointed managers of a conference. FIBST READING. The Post and Telegraph Department Bill was introduced by message from the Governor and read a first time. UNCLAIMED LANDS. The Hon. Mr WARD moved the second reading of.the Unclaimed Lands Bill, to deal with lands where the owner thereof is unknown. He said the present bill was found to be inefficient. Captain RUSSELL strongly protested against the bill, and hoped the House would insist on it being held over till next year. The bill would materially interfere with the rights of property, and should hot be brought down at the last stage of the session. He protested against the proposal iv the bill to undermine the rights of private property. Mr PIRANI pointed out that the bill was the law of the land at the present time, and ba failed to see why there should be opposition to it. The Hon. Mr WARD denied that the bill confiscated land at all; nor did it alter the bill passed in 1892. AU the bill proposed was to attempt to make the existing law workable, and there was no desire on the part of the Government or the Public Trustee to confiscate property.—The motion was agreed to. FISHERIES BILL. The Hon. Mr WARD moved the second reading of the Sea Fisheries Bill to consolidate and amend the law relating to sea fisheries. The bill provided for exclusive licenses being granted to the discoverers of oyster beds, and also to persons who take oysters from natural beds, as well as consolidating the law generally respecting those fisheries.—Agreed to. WORKMEN'S WAGES. The Hon. Mr REEVES moved the second reading of the Workmen's Wages Act 1893 Amendment Bill. He said the bill wan designed to stop contracting out, allowed by a loophole in last year's act, and it proposed to mote securely protect wages, to meet a case in which shearers had struck after doing the greater part of the shearing but were not paid tor the work they bad done. Sir R. STOUT objected that if the bill allowed a workman to be paid for work he had done, though the contract had not boen completed, it was an entire alteration of the law on contracts. If shearers required special legislation and if they were unfairly treated, by all means bring in a bill to meet the case, but this bill would be utterly unworkable.

Mr .J. W. KELLY said the bill was meant*ta protect shearers' w«ge£. .',.,,' Captain RUSSELL said he should be prepared to support the bill if it proposed to-.pay a shearer on completing his contract. He held it should be equallj- binding on the shearer and employer. ~ , „ Mr THOMPSON said it was evident MiReeves knew nothing about the system of contract that was carried on all over the colony, or he would not introduce a bill of this kind. Ifc affected the foundation of the whole system of contract. Mr GUINNESS protested against the bill, ahd said it was another of the objectionable measures constantly being brought in by the Minister for Labour, which he strongly objected The debate was interrupted by tbe 5.30 adjournment. EVENING SITTING. The House re; _ ned at 7.30. workmen's wages. Mr GUINNESS resumed the debate on tn* Workmen's Wages Act Amendment Bill. He thought the Government had acted most hastily in bringing in this bill at such a late stage of the session. It was entirely in the interests of the employed ahd cot of the employers. The Hon. Mr SEDDON moved the adjourn* ment of the debate—Agreed to.