PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22354, 30 August 1934, Page 11

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

NOTES FROM PRESS GALLERY (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, August 29. WAGES PROTECTION, BILL. Notice of bis intention to introduce a Wages Protection nnd Contractors Liens Amendment Bill was given in the House of Representatives to-day by Mr I . Fraser (Labour member for Wellington Central). The Bill proposes that it shall be unlawful for any employer to require from a worker any sum of money or other protection against loss incurred by the employer through any action ot the worker or any other person. Ihe Bill also stipulates that any bond, deed, or agreement binding a worker in cases of this nature shall be null and void. SECOND-HAND DEALERS. Objections to certain sections of the Second-hand Dealers Amendment Bill, which is now before the House of Representatives, are contained in a petition presented to the House to-day by Mr 11. T. Armstrong (Labour member for Christchurch East) and signed oy nearly 40 Christchurch dealers. It is stated that the proposed law requiring licenseholders to retain possession tor one month of any second-hand article before disposing of it would lead to hardship and inconvenience. It would mean an accumulation of more goods than could possibly be stored and might result in a fall in the sale value of an article over the period of storage. It is a "° claimed that the section of the Bill making this law operative immediately would mean a complete cessation of business for one month.

SECULAR SYSTEM OF EDUCATION. Stating that the Religious Instruction in Schools Enabling Bill, if enacted, would have the effect of establishing in the State schools a system of religious instruction of an exclusive and limited I rotestant type, a petition signed by 450 persons was presented to Parliament today bv the Leader of the Opposition (Mr M. J, Savage). The petition prays that the House should not allow the Bill to pass. It claims that'the Bill would not increase the efficiency of the national education system, that it would makq provision for the State to do the work of the Church, that it would abolish a system which for more than 50 years had “ brought efficiency and harmony to the schools and incalculable benefits to the population,” and that ‘‘ it would substitute a system which would violate the fundamental principles of justice, and impartiality, and equality before the law.” ALSATIAN DOGS BILL. An inquiry as to whether any time was to be given in the House of Representatives to the consideration of the Alsatian Dogs Bill now before the Legislative Council was made by Mr J. A. Lee (Grey Lynn) in notice of a question in the House to-day. Mr Lee said he asked the question as members were being inundated with correspondence on the subject. PRICES OF PIPING, An explanation of his reference yesterday to the prices of piping charged by a ‘New Zealand firm was made in the House of Representatives to-day by Mr E. F. Healy (Government member for Wairau). . Mr Healy said that the increased cost of materials for the Awatere irrigation

job in Marlborough, which he had estimated at £IO,BOO, including exchange and sales tax, referred to firms outside New Zealand, and not to firms within the country. “I also wish to make it clear,” he added, “ that the local company's quote of 6d per foot increase for the materialreferred to a comparison between its prices and the prices of firms outside New Zealand quoted immediately before the new tariff came into operation. The increase in the prices of the New Zealand firm referred to between its quotation of August 20, 1932, and August 23, 1934, averaged 9.02 per cent., the latter quotation including sales tax and exchange. Mr Healy, in his speech on the second reading of the Customs Acts Amendment Bill yesterday, said that the Hume Pipe Company had increased its prices since the duty had been placed on imported pipes. SLIP OF THE TONGUE. A slip of the tongue by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr M. J. Savage) caused loud laughter in the House to-night. Mr Savage was in the middle of a forceful argument when the Speaker’s hell rang to indicate that only five minutes' speaking time remained. The Minister of Lands (Mr E. A. Ransom) promptly rose to move an extension of Mr Savage’s time. Evidently the interruption temporarily derailed Mr Savage’s train of thought. After the extension had been agreed to Mr Savage said: I thank the Minister and the House, and now ladies and gentlemen—. After the laughter had subsided Mr Savage, smiling broadly, remarked: “I thought I was speaking to the people of New Zealand. I have been talking to many thousands of intelligent people throughout the country in the last few months, so perhaps I can be excused if I thought I was still doing so.” BUSINESS ELSEWHERE. Knowing smiles were exchanged by members in the House of Representatives to-night when the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes) said that as a change from the heavy debate on the Budget and in view of the fact that the Imprest Supply Bill would be introduced to-morrow evening, lighter fare would be provided to-morrow afternoon. “ We will take local Bills,” said Mr Forbes. “I have been approached by a number of members who lupvc business elsewhere to-morrow afternoon.” It is understood that the All Blacks who returned from Australia to-day will play the Rest of New Zealand at Athletic Park to-morrow afternoon.