PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12296, 5 November 1910, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

{TTrom Out Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. ■ MKMB.EH* eOMPItAINTS. The subject of the accommodation »t Parliament Buildings was bi-iefly re^ ferred to m the House yesterday, Complaint was made tlidt the. privacy of the lobby was infringed by ..outsider's during sittiilgs } oiie ntember remarking that the said illfringemeilt liafl kd to an affair which was rather unfortuiiate. The Minister for Public Works plainly intimated that he did not approve of any more money being spent on alterations to tile existing, structure, adding that if he did speild ally mflff, during tho recess othei'B -would b§ fii'st feo charge him with extravagance. •Sir Joseph Ward said lie hoped; to be able to get authority from Parliament this session to call for tenders for the new Parliament Buildings, artd that the work would be m, hand by next session. RAILWAYMAN'S AFFAIRS. A point of considerable interest to l'ailWaymeit cropped up m the report of the Railway Committee of the House yesterday afternoon, oil the. jietitiOii of a, guard who had been, dismiused fui' neglect. The report of the committee, said the Ghairman (Mi* Hogun), estab- : lishetl a precedent. The question was | as to when payment of wages should i'e-1 'commence; whether it should be wlieii the Appeal Board, decided that the em- ; 'ploye should be reinstated, or when the (Minister decided to give, effect to the 1 recommendatioA of the Board, or when' 'the employe actually recommenced work. | In the case undfei 1 revl&w the committee; ; recommended that the employe dhoti ldj 'be paid for. the two mouths that had' elapsed between the time the Board; gave its decision that >he ought to be ; reinstated, and the- date at which he: 'was actually reinstated. Mr Hogaii said he thought there otight to be some definite rule laid down oil the subjeot.; Several members expressed similar: views, and. the Minister pi'omJsed to' give consideration to the matfcei 1 . I COMMERCIAL- TRUSTS. : I In the Council, the debate on the , second reading of the Commercial Trusts: BilL was resumed. The Hon. W. Boc : . han alluded to the fish combine m Auck-< land, and urged the inclusion of fish in 1 the schedule of the Bill. The Hon. J. Barr said he , did not think the Bill ! would attain the object for which it was introduced. . The trouble was that there were too many manufacturers', and if; certain classes of . manufacturers <jdm- ; . bined, they would be able to produce at a lower cost, to the benefit of the consumer. The tendency towards combination was beneficial, more especially m a sparsely populated- country like New' Zealand. Tne Hon. 0. Sinclair said he did not anticipate any interference wliioh would hamper the opportunities of combines, unless the Government was convinced that such interference was in' the interests of the consumer. The Bill was one of those that depended almost entirely upon the way n was administered. The Hon. 33. F. Wigram thought the Bill would probably act ' chielly as a notice to foreign, combines to "keep off tho grass," and so would do good. The Hon. Dr. Findlay having brietly replied, v . the Bill was : read a, second, time. | OTHER BILLS. I In the Council the Stone Quarries Bill was passed, and the Opium Amendment Act, the Kaiapoi Reserves Act, and the 1 Inspection of Machinery Act were . read, a second time. | THE DAY'S WORK. ! A useful day's work was done m the House yesterday. The Judicature Act Amendment Bill, which has already passed through the Legislative Council, was read a second time. The iiiducation Reserves Bill, the •■> Counties Act Amendment Bill, and the. Local' Bodies Loans Act Amendment: Bill also passed their second readings, Vhile the Justice of tho Peace Amendment Bill ; wen<i through committee : without amendment. The' House also spent a long time m committee on the National Provident Fund "Bill and the Public, Revenues Bill; both of which were negotiated through the committee stages>i^.v^^, .CQNWCTIONS MAINST LICENSEES It is the intention of Mr Glover to ask the Government whether it is true that sergeants of police or other police officers obtain bonuses for getting convictions against, hotelkeepers. He says that m a l-cecnfc case at Palmorston against a liotelkeeper for a breach of the licensing laws, the. sergeant of police declined to answer the above question, leaving tho impression that it was true that the police obtained euch rewards. MONOPOLY IN FISH; Speaking on the Commercial Trusts Bill m tho Legislative Council, the Hon. W. Beehan drew special attention to the fact that the Bill, which aimed at the destruction of, trusts, : contained no pror vision .for coping with any liumopoly which might contrpl the lisli market in 1 tho Auckland district. A monopoly held tho fish market m its hand, and whereas a fow years ago fish was a, common articlo of diet, and was within the reach of everybody, it Ayas to be procured now on}y at prohibitive prices. This was despite the fact that the Hauraki, Gulf still teemed, with a good sup ply of fish. ■■■ '.. Hon. Dr Findlay : We me fishmongers already. The State controls the oyster trade. .... . , • „, . ... '.'.-,-. ■ \ The Hon. Mr Beehan gave notice that m Committee he would move . to have fish . included m the schediile of the Bill. ANTI-TRUST LEGISLATIGN. , "The esseri tiai j ustitioation or antitrust legislation JH- that , the monopoly and the trust can levy, taxation wituout representation, since > tiiey can , put up prices without consulting the consumers," said the. .Hon. , Dr., Findlay, when, the Commercial Trusts Bill ,was before the Legislative ,CquucU.- .T,h§ A^toriieyjQeu^Nil added that one of the great /benefits which would be -derived undei* tho oporatipn of the Bill was that it would provide the machinery for' deciding, m an ' effective way whfet^ier or not ail injunous combine existed. ' "Take out the schedule," urged tho Hon. G. Jones. 'J/..y. .-.. Dr. Findlay said tho' measure was admittedly of a tentative nature, but as time passed^ and proof was found that a monop"6ly existed m Shipping or any other business, it would be easy to add to the schedule. The Government did not pretend 'that the Bill would have a very large sphere of' activity, but ho believed, it would '»" bo some deterrent tp the growth of the •eviHaV- which it was aimed. " , ■ , , , ..-,