HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3773, 6 July 1926, Page 24

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

SESSIONAL COMMITTEES. The following Sessional Committees were eet up on Wednesday; Native Affairs, Crown Lands, Public Accounts. Library, Industries, Public Health, Standing Orders, Local Bills, Agriculture. M to i Petitions, Statues Revision, A to L Petitions Defence, Clause Committee, Education. Hallways, Reporting and Debates, Labour, Uoldhelds, and Mines. CONSOLIDATING BILLS. The following consolidating amending Bills were introduced by GovernorGeneral’s Messages: National Provident, Public Revenues, Local Bodies Loans, Mines and Mining. FIRST READINGS. The following Bills were read a first time and .referred to special committees : Samoan Bill, Death Duties, Scenery Preservation, Registration of Opticians, Reservation of Lands. Fire Boards, Census and Statistics, Destitute Persons, Public Hospitals and Charitable Aid, Registration of Veterinary Surgeons. NEW BILLS. On Friday the following Bills were introduced and read a first time:—Unemployed Workers Bill (Mr P. Fraser), Offenders’ Probation Amendment Bill (Mr J. A. Lee), Nationalisation of Coal Mines Bill (Mr H. E. Holland). Oil in Territorial Waters' Bill (the Hon. G. J. Anderson), Police Offences Amendment Bill (the Hon. F. J. Rolleston), Industrial Societies Amendment Bill (the Hon. A. D. M‘Leod), Evidence Amendment Bill (the Hon. F. J. Rolleston). CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. On the motion of Sir GEORGE HUNTER, seconded by Mr R. P. HUDSON, Mr F F. Hockly (Rotorua) was elected to the position of Chairman of Committees of the House. . Mr HOCKLY said it would be his endeavour to do even-handed justice to every member, and to preserve the hv|h traditions of the House. NATIONAL PROVIDENT FUND. On behalf of the Hon. F. J. Rolleston, the Hon. G. J. ANDERSON moved the second reading of the National Provident Fund Bill pro forma. This was agreed to, and the Bill was referred to the Labour Bills Committee. « SECOND READINGS. The Public Revenue Bill and the Local Bodies Loans Bill were, on the motion of the Hon. W. D. STEWART, read a second time pro forma and referred to the Public Accounts Committees. DEATH DUTIES. The Hon. Mr STEWART moved the second reading of ther Death Duties Act Amendment Bill. In doing so he said the Bill contained three very minor amendments, and none of them related to the rate of duties. )ne was in regard to fining for late payment. The fine was 10 per cent., some years ago, but it was * overlooked at the time that there was also provision for the charging of interest on the money concerned. It was now proposed to allow the provision for charging interest to remain, but to reduce the penalty to 5 per cent. The Hon. D. BUDDO, Sir JOHN LUKE, and Sir JOSEPH WARD approved of the Bill. The last-named suggested that to enable people to pay death duties an estate might be permitted to be insured without such insurance being added to the capital of the estate. This would avoid hardships to beneficiaries which was never intended by the Act. He recommended this proposal to the Minister. Mr W. S. GLENN said he hoped some relief would be given to estates whore two deaths followed in quick succession and where two duties were claimed by the department. Mr F. F. HOCKLY mentioned a case of hardship where a family was practically dispossessed owing to a slump coming after the estate had been valued, and practically the whole estate when realised was swallowed up in death duties. He suggested that a commission be set up to inquire into such cases of hardship with a view to affording redress. Mr G. W. FORBES urged that public gilts should be freed from death duties, wd so encourage public bequests. The Hon. F. J. ROLLESTON said the suggestion made Sir Joseph Ward regarding .an insurance fund, was one which the Minister would no doubt take into consideration. Such an arrangement already existed, but it might as well be extended. The case of hardship mentioned by Mr Hockly was clearly an exceptional case, and could be met by a petition to Parliament. ■* n .. cases where double duty must be paid within short intervals there was difficulty in fixing the time after which the second duty could reasonably be collected. Mf. H. E. HOLLAND (Leader of the Opposition) urged that the death duties in many cases were not high enough, and should be increased. Hi© Hon. Mr Stewart, in reply, •aid that in the matter of increasing duties it must be remembered there wero succession duties as well as death duties to be paid, and this made the duty in New Zoaland very high compared with •ther countries. The Bill was read a second time. OPTICIANS BILL. The Hon. J. A. YOUNG moved the second reading of the Opticians Bill which, he said, provided for the registration of Jose engaged in the practice of optometry. For this purpose a board consisting of the Director-general of Health, three persons engaged in the work, and a registerd medical practitioner, is appointed to attend to registrations. An applicant, among other things, must have been actively engaged m practice for not fewer than, six years preceding the commencement of the Act, or having bean actively engaged - for three . years, has passed the prescribed examination in theory and practise, or has had

satisfactory training and is the holder of a certificate recognised by the board. The conduct of the examinations is in the hands of the board. The right of appeal is given, the board to consist of a magistrate and two accessors. There is provision for licensing without an examination of dispensing and for the imposition of a fine of £2O in cases where unqualified persons hold themselves out a 9 registered opticians, or dispensing opticians. A similar penalty awaits any other than registered medical practitioners who describe themselves as oculists. Nothing in the Act operates to prohibit registered chemists from dispensing or supplying drugs, any wholesale dealer from supplying frames, etc., or spectacles in the ordinary course of business, any person from selling from his permanent place of business and otherwise than in compliance with the prescription given by a registered medical practitioner or optician, spectacles kept in stock in a state ready for use. of any person from engaging in the craft of lens grinding or spectacle making. When the Bill was read a second time -he proposed to send it to the Publio Health Committee which would take ovidence from all the parties conCe The* LEADER OF OPPOSITION approved of the Bill, but thought that no one should be registered without passing the requisite examination. Mr A. HARRIS (Waitemata) thought the Bill would not cover every case, and there was still room for unqualified persons to operate. Mr G. W. FORBES thought the Bill was not intended drastically to cover every case, but was intended to begin gently to make some improvement in the present position. Mr W. J. GIRLING said there could not be any objection to a man of long practice being registered, even though he may not have passed his examinations. What they wanted to stop was the piripatetic pedlers pinching the people’s pelf. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Public Health Committee. FIRE BRIGADES BILL. The Hon. R. F. BOLLARD moved the second* reading of the Fire Brigades Bill, which, he. explained, was a consolidating measure, copies of which had been circulated to every Fire Board in the Dominion, and they had agreed to its provisions. Mr H. E. HOLLAND protested against this large and important Bill being rushed through. It was not sufficient that the Fire Boards wanted it, because the responsibility was with the House. After the Bill had been favourably commented on by Mr H. HOLLAND (Christchurch North), the PRIME MINISTER agreed to send the Bill to the Statutes Revision Committee, and this course was agreed to by the Leader of the Opposition. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. CENSUS AND STATISTICS. The Census and Statistics Bill was, on the motion of the Hon. R. F. BOLLARD, read a second time, the Minister explaining that it was purely a consolidating Bill. JOTTINGS. Remarking that mention was made in the Governor-General’s Speech of a committee to consider certain aspects of finance, Mr George Forbes expressed in the House the opinion that any such committee should be a parliamentary committee. He uttered a note of warning to the effect that if members were not alive to their interests much of the work which should be entrusted to them would be done by committees which were cropping up rather often nowadays. In a speech fin Tuesday the Hon. Mr M’Lcod sought to allay the minds of many financial interests which he said bad become alarmed through the discussions over deteriorated lands in certain districts. To prove that their fears were groundless, he quoted figures showing that, in certain portions of the north, where the trouble had been most noticeable, there had been a noticeable increase in the carrying capacity of the land both In respect to cattle and sheep. Certainly there had been some trouble in the Whangnmomona area, but there was no cause for alarm which financiers had expressed. Twelve motor bus proprietors carrying on business in Wellington City and adjacent districts petitioned Parliament on Tuesday against the motor bus regulations. They state that they operate 70 buses of a total value of £90,000. If the regulations are enforced they will have to go out of business, and will lose their capital. They ask that'the matter receive immediate consideration, and that the House of Representatives pass a resolution disapproving of the regulations. The Government majority on the no-con-fidence amendment on Tuesday would have been greater but for the fact that six members of the Government Party were absent unpaired. It is now impossible to get pairs for so many absentees on the Government side, even in a no-confidence division. A caucus of the Reform Party on Wednesday reappointed Mr J. S. Dickson (Parnell) as senior Whip, and Mr W, S. Glenn (Rangitikei) as junior Whip. “I have in my district a primary* school that is usually called the cowshed, but the more genteel call it the ‘Bungalow’,” said Mr H. Holland (Christchurch North) in his Address-in-Reply speech. “I was Mayor of the city for many years, but did not have the least idea that we had in our midst a building which housed 48 small children and which was a disgrace to the department.” At the beginning of the session Mr Potter arrived in the House with an antimotor bus regulations petition nearly 2ft high. On Wednesday he asked if the Minister of Public Works would set up a sub-committee to deal with the bus regulations. Hie new Minister, Mr K. S. Williams, gave a characteristically brief reply. “He will get his answer in the near future,” was all he said. Auckland is exercised about its hoardings, and one of its members (Mr J. A. Lee) asked on Wednesday whether the Railway Department proposed to continue to erect unsightly hoardings along the beautiful city reserves, and thus nullity the effects of town planning. The Destitute Persons Amendment Bill proposes to increase from 21s to 42s the amount for whioh a maintenance order may be made against the near relative of a destitute person. Another amendment removes the limitation m to the amount for which a maintenance order may bo

made against a husband or a wife. Section 22 of the principal Act, which states the effect of on order of guardianship, is repealed, and there is an extension of the liability of parents in respect of the cost of the maintenance of children in public or charitable institutions through making tho term child include any person under 21 years of ago. A new provision empowers the magistrate to clear the court during tho hearing of cases taken under the Act. The Local Bodies Loans Bill was read a first time. Mr P. Fraser asked if the Government proposed to introduce anything of the nature of a local government board proposal. Mr Coates: Not in this Bill. Mr Fraser. That will bo a separate measure? , Mr Coates: Yes. The Bill is a consolidation work and tho Compiler of Statutes in a memorandum attached to the measure states that the law has not been altered. The Hon Mr Stewart stated that tho Publio Revenue Consolidation Bill was just a consolidation of publio revenues enactments which had become very numerous. There might be some amendments for introduction later on. Tho Samoan Act Amendment Bill, which wnp icad a first time in tho House on Weclno day c nt ins m n v am nJments. One pro pooul is io *ive hankie aamaau* (naif Samoan and half European) the status of Samoans. It is proposed to make a reduction in the number of the members of the Legislative Council of Western Samoa from “not less than six ’ to not less than four nor more than six. Another provision is that Polynesians of mixed descent but having the status uf Europeans by virtue of the principal Act, may he declared Samoans. The jurisdiction of the High Court is to be extended to matters matrimonial, and the Legislative Couucil of Western Samoa is to be empowered to make ordinances dealing with divorce and other matters matrimonial applicable to Samoans only. The provision for every year served by a civil servant at Samoa, which is to count as a vear and ehalf for superannuation purposes, is to s made to apply to those publi servants employed in Samoa in a civil capacity prior to the nassing of the measure. In the House on Thursday Mr T. K. Sidey gave notice to ask the Government: —(1) Whether its attention has been drawn to a statement by Professor Pickenll (Dean of the Dental Facultv of the Umversity of Otago) to the following effect: That the only logical and satisfactory meeting the vast problem of the defective teeth of the children of the Dominion is bv the adoption of preventive measures; that a smal quantity of fruit, especially apples, after every meal and last thing at night, would largely, if not entirely prevent caries occurring: that with the superabundance of apples grown in the Dominion it should be possible for the Government, by organisation, storage, and rationing with, if necessary, a small subsidy, to place apples at a minimum cost within reach of the homes of the people all the year round; that publicity work should be undertaken to educate public opinion as to the importance of this matter? (2) Whether the Government will, in the interests of public health, having regard to the intimate relation ’ow universally recognised to exist between sound teeth and good health, take thw matter into consideration with the view of having some practical step taken on the lines su«?*rested. , t , , The Scenery Preservation Act Amendment Bill, which has been read a first time in the House, provides that uie Minister may authorise the taking or killing of certain animals or birds in scenio reserves, and 19 designed to protect the forests against the depredations of deer, etc. This authority is not to apply to animals and birds, which are absolutely protected. Another provision in the Bill is that the Minister may grant licenses for the occupation of portions of reserves on short terms. Land acquired or reserved for scenic purposes under other Acts may be claimed reserves under the principal Act The Death Duties Amendment Bill was introduced in the House on Thursday. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr H. E. Holland) asked if the Bill proposed to increase the death duties. The Hon. Mr Stewart replied that the Bill contained three very minor amendments, and none of them related to the rate of duties. One was in regard to fining for late payment. The fine was 10 per cent, some years ago, but it was overlooked at the time that there was also provision for the charging of interest on the money concerned It was now proposed to allow the provision for charging interest to re main, but to reduce the penalty to 5 per cent. A Bill dealing with the census apd statistics was introduced on Thursday. The Hon. Mr Bollard said the Bill was introduced to bring the law up to date, and that there were a few alterations simplifying the procedure and the wording of the present law where that was in doubt. In regard to statistics, it is provided that there Rhnll be collected from time to time, whether in conjunction with the quinquennial census or not, statistics of all or any of the following matters: —Population and the housing thereof, immigration and emigration, vital statistics and morbidity, social and educational matters, imports and exports, land tenure, occupation and condition of land, primary and secondary productions, wages, hours, and cohditions of labour, employment and unemployment, industrial disturbances, wholesale and retail prices, stocks of manufactured and unmanufactured goods, transport and communication by land, water, or air, banking and finance, transfers of land, mortgages registered and discharged, fire, ‘marine, life, accident, or other insurance, incomes and earnings, local government, and such other matters as are prescribed. The penalties provide for neglect or refusal, to supply particulars (except in cases’ where a person has scruples about stating his or her religion), and for false statements and mutilation or defacement of schedules. Subsidies may be withheld from local bodies refusing to supply statistics asked for. By a Bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Friday the Industrial Societies Act, 1008, which relates to societies for tho fostering of msnofacturlnf and other industries, is proposed to be amended in some minor particulars. Power is given for the changing of a society’s name by Order-ln-Councll in compliance with a resolution of the members and without affecting any rights or obli-

gations of the society, or any member of It Further power is conferred upon the Governor-General to dissolve a society which has ceased to function, or the members of which pass a resolution requesting him so to do. In such an event the surplus assets are to be disposed of as the members may have resolved at a general meeting prior to the dissolution, or in default of such determination as the Gov-ernor-General-in-Council may appoint. The Evidence Amendment Bill, which has been read a first time in the House, proposes that the Evidence Act shall be amended to enable an accused person and the wife or the hnsband of the accused person, to give evidence in proceedings before justices in indictable offences. The only other provision in the Bill is that the wife or a husband of a person charged with bigamy may be called as a witness. Mr H. E. Holland has again brought forward the Nationalisation of Coal Mines Bill, in which he proposes the establishment of a mining council, the transference of the mines, etc., to the council, and the purchase of the mines by the council at a valuation assessed by a mines valuation board. There would also be district mining councils, a fuel consumers’ council, and full political rights would be enjoyed by all employees of the mines, male and female. The employees In the clerical and other departments of the council would receive equal pay for equal work. Mr J. M. Dickson has given notice of the introduction of the .Otago Harbour Board Empowering Bill., On Friday Mr Sidey gave notice to ask the Minister of Minos whether he has made any investigation into the latest scientific methods of prospecting, more particularly for gold, by which it is sought to locate the metal from the surface, and whether he has taken, or proposes to take, any steps to facilitate the application of such methods to prospecting in this country.