PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11127, 16 November 1907, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

i (From our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. POST OFFICE ACT. . The amendments made by the Legislative CounciUin the Post Office Act Amendment Bill were agreed to. • THE CHINAMAN. i When the Chinese Immigrant AmendI ment Bill came up lor its third reading Mr Hornsby moved that the third reading be postponed to give the Government an opportunity of amending the Bill so as to increase the poll tax to £200. The amendment was opposed by the Premiei* on the ground that an educational test would be far more restrictive than an increased poll tax. Mr Hornsby' s amendment was negatived by 56 yotes to 10, and the Bill was put through the final stages. THIRD READINGS. .- T, The Co-operative Dairy .Companies' Bill, the Divorce Act Amendment Bill, and the Rangitata Block Exchange Bill were read a third time and passed. UNDER-RATE WORKERS. , A return was presented to the Legislative Council yesterday on the motion of the Hon. J.'Rigg, showing that since the Conciliation and Arbitration Act came into operation 1419 workers applied under awards for under-rate working permits, and that 1272 were granted. In the cases of trades working under agreements 28 workers applied for underrate permits and 23 were granted. A LONG-DELAYED BILL. The Public Trusts Office Act Amendment Bill, a measure of 4 clauses, which passed the House on July 19th^ was reported on by the Statutes Revision Committee of the Legislative Council yesterday, ahd has been entirely redrawn. The Bill now consists of eight clauses. In the main it confers similar powers oh the Public Trustee to those provided for m tlie original measure, but it gives the owner of property which has been taken over by the Public. Trustee and administered by that officer m his (the owner's) absence the right to appear to the Supreme Court for the rescission of the order under which the Public Trustee acted. It is provided that no such rescission shall affect the validity of any acts performed by the Public Trustee under the order. . DOCTORS AND NURSES. A return presented to the Legislative Council shows that 56 medical practitioners were registered m the Dominion m 1901, ahd 687 m. 1906. -The figures for each provincial district are : 1901 and 1906 — Auckland 116 and 162, Taranaki 24 and 30, Hawke's Bay 27 and 33, Wellington 103 and 169, Marlborough 9 and 10, Nelson 30 and 23. Westlarid 9 and 12, Canterbury 81 and 111, Otago 108 and 137. These , figures do not .include doctors registered, but who have since left New Zealand, those whose addresses are .unknown, and those described as "out of New Zealand.' In 1901 there were m New Zealand 121 medical students who. had passed their preliminary examination and m 1906 the number was 149. At the end of last year 507 nurses were registered m the Dominion. There were 522 hospital nurses at the end of last year, the number m each of the four chief centres being : Auckland 92, Wellington 92, Christchurch 25, and Dunedin 35. PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES. ! The House took the Public Works Estimates m hand, and had passed them by 2.35 a.m., when the House adjourn-, ed until 10 a.m. on Monday.