PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19836, 8 July 1926, Page 10

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (Feb United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 7. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. t °‘ day ’ AN EMPOWERING BILL. The Roman Catholic Archbishop 'Empowering Bill was reported and read a first time. JURIES BILL. The Bill introduced by the Hon, J. MacGregor, seeking to abolish the nnanimity of a jury in criminal cases anc! to substitute a five-sixths majority was read a second time. GAMING' AMENDMENT BILL. Sir E MITCHELSON gave notice to introduce the Gaming Amendment Bill. GUARDIANSHIP OF INF/NTS. The Hon. Mr MARK COHEN gave notice to ask whether the Government intends to introduce legislation this session, if possible, on the lines of the Guardianship of Infants Act, an Imperial measure passed in 1895. . „ cc Tho Council adjourned at 2.55 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday nexx. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. • MOTOR BUS REGULATIONS. Tho PRIME MINISTER gave notice of his intention to set up a special committee to consider the motor bus regulations, EDUCATION LEASES. Replying to Mr A. M. Samuel, the Hon. Mr M’LEOD said he was at present preparing legislation in conjunction with the Minister of Education to put ail tion leases on a better basis so that the holders of their leases may take greater advantage of loans from the Advances Department. UNEMpLOpm Replying to Mr D. G. Sullivan, the PRIME MINISTER said he was arranging to provide work for an additional 40 unemployed in Christchurch. FIRST READINGS. Tho following Bills were introduced and read a first time: —Christchurch Tramway District Amendment Ball i-vir Armstrong) ; Nurses and Midwives Registration Amendment Bill (the Hon. J. A. Young) ; . Wellington City Milk Supply Amendment Bill (Mr Fraser); Justice of the Peace Amendment (Hon. F, J. Rolleston). , Mr M‘COMBS asked the Minister if he proposed in the Bill to clear the way for the aopointment of women justices of the FRASER said the House had on more ahan one occasion declared that women should be appointed justices of the ■peace. He could scarcely contemplate any such measure being brought down without adequately dealing with this belated refoI Mr SIDEY said the House had repeatedly passed the Womens Justices of the Peace Bill brought down by the member for Hiitt, and if the Minister intended to do the graceful thing he could do so by putting this provision in his own Bill. Mr VEITCH regretted that it was the policy of the department not to appoint any working men to a commission of the peace no matter how high their character might b©» ~ , THE PRIME MINISTER said there was no such policy. . „. 1 Mr Veitch said his authority was Sir James Parr, the previous Minister of Justice TTie recommendations of working men that he himself had made had been turned down although he had selected them with the greatest care. He hoped the new Minister would not reject a man just because ho was a wage-earner. Messrs Sullivan. M’Keen and Holland (Leader of the Opposition) • briefly supplemented these opinions. .. . In reply, the MINISTER said that political considerations were never allowed to come into the question of appointments o: justices of the peace, but certain things were essential. These qualifications were not confined to witnessing a signature. Persons appointed must be able to act m a judicial capacity because they were 111 fact magistrates. He was prepared to give consideration to the proposal. Member of Parliament should be allowed to witness signatures. The complaint had been made that wage-earners had not been appointed, but the reason for that was that the men recommended had not always been able to act. He was particularly anxious that the position of justice of the peace should . be considered an honour. ' REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. In reply to questions the Ministers gave tho following amongst other answers: That there are no negotiations in pio gress between the Imperial and New Zealand Governments in relation to New Zealand’ being incorporated within thc Bchcme of Imperial aviation Tho question will coma up for discussion at the next IniP 0 *fs the intention of _ the Prime Minister to take a convenient opportunity later in the session of making a statement to the House in connection with the Imperial Conference. That the Advances Department gives very careful consideration to aU apphcations for loans from returned soldiers and where the circumstances are shown to of an urgent or necessitous nature the department deals with the apphcaUonsimmediately they are received m the That in the ©vent of the bummerurae PJSSTJL 1 a g eneraTToutinG V of business advance Z hour to synchronise with the al ThM the'Government awaits communication from the Commonwealth Government ’ respe® of reciprocity in the matter of 0l That it e is Sl not proposed this session to vary the Pensions Act in the d.rection of increasing the exemption in regar ?he amount "of savings that may be held b3 That it e is Sl not r proposed to increase the present amount of the old-age Pension or nension payable to the blind. Ihe Q tion of an invalidity pension is receiving consideration in connection with the general contributory pension scheme. That it is not jyoposed to iimrease the amount of the widows’ pension at Present. That it is not proposed to giant pensions to deserted wives and 'heir children. That it is proposed to appoint a commission to inquire into the position of unregistered dentists at an early date and the question of legislation will depend on their report. , . , That the question of the electoral representation of the South Island will receive the consideration of the Government. That there is no prospect of capitation grants to school committees being increased this year. , ~ , , That from inquiries made it does not appear there is at present any urgent necessity to take special steps to restrict importations of oats. That the New Zealand Government recently secured from Canada the benefit of her reciprocal treaty with Australia and as a result our chief primary products are admitted into Canada either free of duty or at comparatively low rates of duty. That the recommendations made by the Committee of Inquiry regarding mental defectives and sexual offenders, including the setting up of a eugenic board, are now under the onsicleration of the Government, but, as the proposals are such that they call for most careful considreation before deciding to give them legislative shape, it is not contemplated that legislation will be introduced this ssesion. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. till 7.30 p.m. EVENING SESSION. The House lesumed at 7.30 p.m. SUMMERTIME BILL. Mr T. K. SIDEY moved the second reading of tli© Summertime Bill, which, he explained, was to apply to only four mouths cf the year. Tho extra hour of daylight after working hours in tho summer months was so obviously to tiie advantage of the community that it was superfluous to stress it. He referred to the health-giving benefits of the longer period of outdoor Ike. and contended that it would also result in a great economical saving to the people generally, and particularly to industrial oon(ferns. It had been that the Bill was ‘Tinkering with the laws of Nature.” This ho denied. It was no more tinkering with Nature than our present time arrangemerts, because there was no such thing as a standard 24 hours in Nature. He did not propose to devote any great rime in the exof the objections, which were ail of

a class. The fact remained that after a trial of nine summers in England the movement was firmly established, and was popular all over the country, especially in industrial districts. Medical opinion in Great Britain was now strongly in favour of this fhange. A trial of the scheme was the only thing wanted to solidify the public opinion that was rapidly growing up in the Dominion in favour of the Bill.

Mr HOLLAND (Leader of the Opposition) said ho thought the House should give Mr Sidey a second reading of the Bill and it should be allowed to go into committer, where it could bo amended. He would vote for that course, not because bo believed in all the principles of the Bill, hut because he believed in some of them. If it affected only city workers and employers there probably would be no objection to the change, but in mining districts and some farming districts it meant that women had to get up an hour earlier to get their husbands’ breakfasts, but they would probably not get to bed an hour earlier. He feared the House did not always think sufficiently of the women’s side -ben discussing these questions. If the Bill could be altered to eliminate hardship lie thought it would be welcomed. It did not follow because the Bill was a .success in Great Britain it would be a sneess here, where the conditions might be different. A better proposal was to shorten the workin Mr a \V. S. GLENN said the Bill was merely a springtime fancy, with a little summer thrown in. Mr RANSOM said that many of the farmers’ wives put the clock on now in summer time because it was more convenient for the work of the farm. ihe Bill would therefore not run counter to their interests. A great advantage o£ the Bill was that it would extend the time tor healthy recreation, which would not jeduce the production of the country. Great Britain was so satisfied with the system that it had extended the period of its duration to six months. He was confident that the farmers of New Zealand would be willing to give the measure one year’s trial. . . Mr LYSNAR said he had always voted against the Bill, and he would do so again because it was bad for the farmers, ihe production of the Dominion should not be prejudiced just to please the cities and towns. The conditions in England were quite different to those in New Zealand. Mr SULLIVAN said the Leader of the Opposition, in his attitude to the . Bill, was opposed to most of the great nien in the Labour movement in Great Britain, who were all valiant supporters of summertime because of its many undoubted advantages. . Mr TAPLEY gave the Bill his enthusiastic support. . , , „ The debate was continued by the Bon. D Buddo and Messrs Atmore, M'Combs, Horn, J. S. Dickson (Parnell), Savage, and Waite, who supported the measure, while Messrs Hockly Rhodes, Parry, and J. M'Dickson (Chalmers) opposed nt. The PRIME MINISTER announced that he opposed the Bill as an individual, though he wuold not object to its second reading. He could not agree with those who said that the farmer could adapt himself to the new conditions, because, as a matter of fact, the farmers’ time was an hour earlier than that of the city, and if he now got up at 4.30 he would need to rise at 3.30 under the daylight saving scheme to get transport facilities. As the Bill was a non-party measure, he would leave his supporters to exercise their own judgment upon it. The debate was continued until 1 a.m., the majority of the speakers favouring the Bill on the ground that the measure should have a fair trial. After Mr 3IDEY had replied, a division was taken, when the second reading was carried by 35 votes to 18. (Left sitting.)