PARLIAMENTARY NOTES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16475, 20 October 1927, Page 7

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES

EDUCATION ENDOWMENTS * HOW INCOME IS ALLOCATED (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. A question from tiie member for Wakatipu has elicited from the Minister of Education an explanation that revenue derived from reserves and endowments situated within the boundaries of each provincial district shall he paid to the credit of a special deposit account to be called the “primary education endowments’ deposit account’’ in the case of revenues derived from reserves and endowments set apart for primary education, and to the credit of a special deposit account for each provincial district in the case of revenues derived from reserves and endowments set apart for secondary education.

The revenue from primary education reserves is used in the relief of payments from the Consolidated Fund for the purpose of primary education generally, hut the revenue from secondary education reserves in any provincial district is paid over to the governing bodies of the secondary schools in that district in proportion to the number of pupils in the average attendance. POLICEMEN AND CHURCH A complaint was made by (Mr. E. J. Howard that constables in charge of sub-stations have been deprived of their one Sunday a month leave, and arc not even allowed time off to attend church. 1 The Ministerial answer is that officers and non-commissioned officers of the force are required to do all they can to facilitate the attendance of the men under their command at their respective places of worship on Sunday, and to grant Sunday leave to day duty men whenever they can be spared. No complaint of non-observance of the regulations has been made by any member of the force. MOTOR REGULATIONS The Minister of Public Works announces that the regulations under the Motor Vehicles Act will be issued in draft form for public consideration before the e.ud of the month. They will cover the inspection, control, and condition of motor vehicles, and should result in a reduction in the number of motor accidents. APPRENTICESHIP RESTRICTIONS An ameiidriieiYt'ToMTie' Apprentices Act to remove the statutory power of tho Arbitration Court to impose restrictions on the apprentices’ quota in districts was considered by the House in committee.

It was explained by the Minister of Labor, who found the official Opposition critical, that the change would work to the benefit of lads, especially in the country, who now found that city employers exhausted the quota for particular trades, leaving them no chance. The Bill did not interfere with the position in any way except to remove the restricting blanket and leaving it to the individual employer to say how many apprentices he should employ. There was no danger of child labor, because the Arbitration Court had full control, while on every apprenticeship committee there was an equal number of employers and employees, and this was the body which governed tho position. Where these committees were working everything was satisfactory, and lie would like to .see them established in every industrial district. FREIGHT ON MANURES The Minister of Railways stated in the House last ■ evening that the railway rates for tho conveyance of artificial manures were reviewed in 1926, when a substantial reduction was made in the charges for the conveyance of this commodity. The Department recognised the many advantages of increasing productivity of the land, and as evidence of this was carrying manures at the existing low rates. It was regretted that the time was not opportune for making any further concessions in this direction.