PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14049, 20 July 1916, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

. — ■> ..CENSORSHIP OF FILMS. (From Oiir Parliamentary Reporter.! . v _ «*«..-■.. AVELLING'I'ON, this day. Reportuig on. a petition asking thatlegislation Ije. passed th; 3 session, tp Enable a Board -bf Censors to be s^t up for the^r^gulation aud control of all picture films, the Public Petitions Com-* mittee, A to L, expresses the opinion that the" petition should be favorably considered by the Government, and legislation introduced immediately as- r«: quested^ , The. House adopted the report without discussion. PATRIOTIC FUND AUDIT. Charges up to nine and -ten guineas having being""; made by the Government' upon patriotic societies for audit, Mr. Horttsby asked the Government if -this work could be dbne without levying on thg funds for soldiers arid dependants? Mr, Russell replied ' that "tife War Funds Act provided for. the Audit Department conducting an audit of patriotic funds. It was impossible ior the sta ff to cover the extra work. Privllfe! auditors were called upon. , They were p u d -/j* hourly rate, the Department charging exactly what was paid. The Minister undertook to^ enquire into a particular instance to see if thei*e had - been an overcharge. OPEN-AStlt SPOOLS. Mr. Poole asked, the, Minister of Education what imfifediate steps 'he was taking 'for ' the estaßlishMbnt {' jlifc 'open-air l schools. ■'■'.- ■ "i>.ft'| .■;'-. •,' .■-'•! l^r. Hanan replied tli^fc 'he^ili^^been much ; impressed hft what Had yJeen done m this direction in other Countries. He had -a proposal at the present time under consideration; in the direction, suggested by tho member fttr AuekM^ West- ... „.„. ... J . WATERSIDE ACCIDENTS.' The Minister of Marine made a state-, went ..«R«jthe,.. s.ubject of accidents; on, wha^rves at various ports through de fecti^a gear, the questions being raised last week by Mr. Vigor Brown. Tho Minister . explained that the Marine -De* partment had ;no control over gear worked on the wharves. It only controlled ;bdilers: and machinery, and depended -'-on- reports from marine superintendents.'and the police respecting accidents to waterside workers. Mr. MbNab went on to say, in reply to a statement that accidents "to wat«i*siders' afc^Wellington had averaged • bnb "per day^^id that they were also High at Auckland,- Lyttelton, and Dii^dln, that for two..yeats, ended Maffch- '3lst, 1916,: - there had only. been 164 whatf'accidehts. altogether .in.: the whole/Dominion. and< only three, to. seamen, while in* th© saniijij period tljetotel "number of accidents i'oj waso-side^Wifcli'^b'^i^a'gh defective gear was «x fo* tlfe Whole Ddtfumbh. ' EDUCATION TENURES. Reporting 'oh tShb itijlltion b'f Hamil-' ton and oiftieiß thkt Tflie Gbverhment take over th,e Thames High School endowment leases and n grant petitioners a renewal as Crowh tenants, the Lands' Comittee states that aa the ,lahd is"' under the control of the Thiames High" School tsovernors, it has nb tfebbmmefi--dationto riikke, but in the opinion bf' the committee, as educational leases'' throughout . the. Dominion are not con-,,' sidered satisfactory, the Government, should consider the desirability of laying' down a uniform system of lease for *11 such ' LEGISLATIVE CtfU^OIL. In the Legislative Council Sir Francis Bell brought up the report on the conference on the Military Service Bill, which showed that while on several amendments thn conference came to an agreemen%*;they disagreed on the "con--BcientitJn»'*obJector" clause. iSir Francis Bell ifioyed .that a committee consisting of the and the Horis.- Baldey, Qollins;..Haj:4y, Harris, Hall- Jones, and Wigxam,- be appointed to act with the committee from the House of Representatives with regard to the furnishing of the new:"" Parliament buildings. On the -motion of Sir Francis Bell <*>-+"■■

the Legislative Council Act Amendment ■ Bill) 1916, was read a first time. ' Sir Francis Bell moved th- second vending of the Finance 'Bill, and brielly explained tho provisions. He reviewed the "fln.iiß'eK on the lilies disclosed in the Budget. He said that il Was not proposed to burrow for public works, but the loa->i requirements for the war would be at least one million per month, and it was proposed to borrow a largo part of the money required thia year in the Dominion. He remarked that this was not the time to discuss scientific methods of taxation. They had had a. discussion on the best means by which the money required could bo raised so as to relieve the demands on the Home Government. Mi* W. Be eh an J welcomed the Bill as an instalment of what was due to friendly societies from the Government. He hoped that when the War was over something more would bo offered. He generally approved the Bill. The Bill was subsequently leported from committee without amendment, read a third time, and passed: A message was read from the House of Representatives asking for a second conference on the amendments in the Military Service Bill. Tho Council agreed, and Messrs Harry, Carson, and Baldey . wero appointed managers. The amendments made to tho Land and Income Tax Bill by the House on Tuesday night, on the Governor's message, were agreed to without debate. Tho "Council rose at 3.50 p.m.