PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18952, 28 August 1923, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS (Abridged from Press Association Telegram.) LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WELLINGTON, August 27. The Legislative Council met at 11 a.m. today. MANGAHAO CURRENT. Replying to a question. Sir Francis BELL said he expected the Mangahao current would bo available in Wellington next June. WEST COAST RESERVES. The West Coast Settlement Reserves Amendment Bill was passed. Sir Francis BELL said it had been hoped the matter would not again come before Parliament, but , there wore various reasons why this was necessary. The rentals had been insufficient to meet requirements, and the present intention was to give an opportunity for five years’ extension, and where Native owners did not agree to an extension of the lease money would be advanced by the Native Trustee and made a charge on the land. NATIVE “WASHING-UP" BILL. The Native “Washing-up” Bill was passed. Sir FRANCIS BELL said that only one clause needed reference. It concerned the Tongariro Railway Company. He said the conditions required that eventually the company must convert the line into the 3ft 6in standard railway. COMPANIES EMPOWERING BILL. The Companies Special Empowering Bill was passed. LOCAL BILLS. Local Bills transmitted from the House of Representatives were road a first time. 'ldle Council resumed at 10.15 p.m Local Bills transmitted from the House of Representatives were passed, and the Council rose at 11.40 p.m. till 10 a.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 11 a.m. to-day. SMALL RACING CLUBS AND TAXATION. Replying to Mr do la Perrelle, the Hon. W. NOSWORTHY said the matter of the remission of taxation on small racing olubs was a matter for the Prime Minister, and It would not be overlooked. SOLDIERS’ SETTLEMENT. Replying to Mr Poland, Mr NOSWORTHY said the Dominion Board under the Discharged Soldier Settlements Act had not yet been set up, but everything was in . train for it. MAGISTRATES’ SALARIES AND SUPERANNUATION. •In reply to Mr Field, fthe Hon. C. J. PARR said it was impossible to bring down legislation this session to deal with the salaries and superannuation of stipendiary magistrates. A Bill had been drafted end would be brought down next session. LOCAL BILLS PASSED. The House resumed at 2.30 p.m. ; The following local Bills were passed through all stages;—Wyndham Recreation Amendment Bill (the Hon. G. J. Anderson), Auckland Harbour Board and Takapuna Borough Council Empowering Bill (Mr HARRIS), Christchurch Domains' Amendment Bill (Mr ARMSTRONG), Whangarei Harbour Board Vesting and Empowering Bill (Mr MURDOCH), Dunedin District Drainage and ’■ Sewerage Amendment Bill (the Hon. W. Downie STEWART), Clutha River Board Empowering Bill (Mr EDIEj. HELD OVER OR WITHDRAWN. The Wellington City Special Ratos Consolidation and Empowering and the Auck- ' land City and Auckland Harbour Board Empowering Bills were held over owing to strenuous opposition. The Waimakariri Harbour District and Empowering Amendment Bill was withdrawn by Mr FORBES, the member in charge of the Bill, owing to the hostile report of the Local Bills Committee. BOARD OF TRADE BILL. The Hon. W. D. STEWART moved the ' second reading of the Board of Trade Amendment Bill. He explained that the necessity for the Bill was that there were 'complaints regarding profiteering coming in, and as there wore several vacancies on the Board no quorum was possible, and so nothing could be done. The Bill proposed to vest the powers of the board in the Minister, who would be aided by the Permanent Advisory Board, and by experts, who would be called in from time to time as the business required. That was the system in Groat Britain, and he understood it ..worked very well. Mr WILFORD said he had no faith in the proposal at all. Everything depended on the Minister and his judgment in selecting the personnel of the Board. What was wanted was young, smart men, not elderly gentlemen whose future was in their past. Mr HOLLAND regarded the proposal as a temporary expedient, and as such he was prepared to let it go on. If a Labour representative were appointed to the Advisory Board he hoped it would be one who was genuinely representative of Labour views and ; interests. The Hon. D. BUDDO and Mr FORBES gave qualified support to the Bill, which was read a second time. JUDICATURE AMENDMENT BILL, The Hon. C. J. PARR moved the second reading of the Judicature Amendment Bill, the principal clause of which provided for the appointment of an additional judge to •ithe Supreme Court bench. Mr HOLLAND deprecated political appointments in connection with judgeships. The Bill was read a second time. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. The Hon. O. J. PARR moved the second reading of the Justices of the Peace Amendment Bill, making a formal amendment in the law. The Bill was read > a second time without debate. HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. Sir MAUI POMARE, in moving the second reading of the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Bill, said it embraced the result of investigations by the Government, hospital authorities, and parliamentary com- ' inittee, the principal of which was the Allocation of a Government grant to hospitals and allied institutions. Briefly, the solution arrived at was as follows:—The Government to pay 10s in the £ on bequests and legacies, the old limit of £SOO being abolished; 24s in the £ on voluntary contributions payable in money or property; 20s in the £ on capital expenditure, and a sliding scale for maintenance expenditure. Under the former legislation the Government had to find half the amount required .for hospital and charitable aid purposes, but this system was found complex, and a later Act had brought the administration .under ,a single authority, the Government paying a-half share of the expenditure, and the amount being determined by the population of a district. This, however, had not been found satisfactory. Under the Bill now under consideration the Government^ adopted a subsidy minimum of 14s and maximum of 26s This was in accordance with the recommendations of the Royal Commission which inquired into the subject. The Bill was intended to lighten the burden on the ratepayers. and was something which had been ■wanted for years, and when all the interests ■were considered—town and country, capital and Labour—bo thought it would give effect to the desired purpose. It was for tne House to say whether or not the Bill Would become law. Mr NASH said the Bill was an undoubted improvement on the existing law, but was still capable of amendment. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. When the House resumed at 7.30 p.m., the debate on the Hospital and Charitable Institutions amendment was carried on by the Hon D. BUDDO and Messrs WILLIAMS, SIDBY, FORBES. LANGSTONB, and SAVAGE, each of whom stressed the local application of the Bill to tMeir electorates, but admitted that m the mam the Bill was an improvement on the existing in his reply, admitted that the time had arrived when more must be done for the backblqck settlers in the • matter of medical facilities, and, so far as ho was concerned, ho would do everything in his power to give such facilities to them. The Bill would relieve the taxpayers to the extent of £58,000 annually. The Bill was ordered to be committed with others which passed their second readlae ’-> HARBOURS BILL. • : rpjj 0 House went into Committee on the nroposo more amendments providing for the representation of workers on harbour boards, that seamen as we 1 os waterside workers should have the right of entry to the Harbour Board visiting rooms, that harbour boards should have th« right to undertake

the loading and discharge of ships, and that ambulance appliances should bo left in close proximity to the wharves. The MINISTER said this was a consolidating Bill, which was not intended to alter the law except when agreed upon. There wore, however, a number of contentious matters which were discussed at various conferences. It was hia_ intention to bring down a Bill next session embodying these. That would be Mr Fraser’s opportunity to bring in big amendments. He therefore asked him to hold over his amendments till then.

Mr. FRASER agreed provided the Minister would give an assurance that harbour boards would be brought to a proper sense of their responsibility in the matter of maintaining ambulance appliances in close vicinity to the wharves. The MINISTER said he would give that assurance at once. The passage of the Bill was then proceeded with, and the 258 clauses and six schedules were passed in a few minutes. THE BOARD OF TRADE.

The committee then considered the Board of Trade Amendment Bill, which was reported without amendment. JUDICATURE AMENDMENT BILL.

The Judicature Amendment Bill was also reported unamended. JUSTICES OF THE' PEACE BILL.

The Justices of the Peace Amendment Bill in committee wa« amended by striking out clause 13, dealing with the depositions to be read in evidence at the trial of an accused person, to which Mr WILFORD strongly objected. HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE . INSTITUTIONS.

In the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Amendment strong exception was taken by the Hon. D. BUDDO to, clause 2, which provided that the Minister must be informed of proposed appointments. It was contended that this would mean interference on the part of the department, but the Minister explained that the department only desired information regarding the proposed appointments in order that it might supply the boards with all the information in its possession regarding the applicants before appointments were made. The clause was agreed to. In clause 3 Mr MASTERS proposed to delete sub-clause 13. reducing the Government subsidy from 24s to 20s. This, he said, would restore the old basis of subsidy. The MINISTER contended that he was making concessions in other directions which more than counter-balanced this reduction in subsidy. On a division the amendment was lost by 41 votes to 29. At Clause 7 Mr ,FORBES sought to amend the system of collecting hospital rates by levying 2s 3d on the valuation and Is 3d on the population. The amendment was rejected by 62 votes to 11. Owing to the opposition, the MINISTER agreed to drop Clause 18. defining a private hospital as a place to which a patient was taken for treatment on payment.—The Bill was then reported with amendments. The Bills committed were then read a third time and passed. ELECTRIC POWER BOARDS. The Electric Power Boards Amendment Bill was, on the motion of the Hon. J. G. COATES, read a second time after a brief debate. THE PUBLIC BODIES EMPOWERING BILL. The Hon. W, NOSWORTHY moved the second reading of Ihe Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering (“Washing Up”) Bill. Several members protested against clauses being inserted in the- Bill dealing with local affairs concerning which local members knew nothing, and the Minister was threatened with serious opposition if this course were followed in future. After a desultory discussion the second reading was agreed to on the voices. THIRD READING. The House then went into committee on the Electric Power Board Amendment and New Zealand University Bill, British Nationality and Status of Aliens “in New Zealand” Bill, and the “Washing-up” Bill, all of which were read a third time and passed. (Left sitting.)