HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10477, 12 October 1912, Page 7

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

lIVWWM WU H » • »acm v Wellington, October 11. In the House after 2 a.m., the Defence Bill was further considered. Mr G. M. Thomson supported the Bill and urged the establishment of another training ship, to give further opportunities to the young men of the coastal towns. The Minister of Defence replied at 2 a.m. He assured the House of his sincere desire to carry on the defence system on thorough lines. The whole essence of the schemejjwas that it should provide a citizen army with equality of sacrifice. The rich should not bo able to pay the poor to protect them. It was impossible to put forward at the moment a naval defence policy, but the Government would do so in due course. Developments in this sphere had been so' rapid that caution would have to be exercised in incurring large expenditure. He held an open mind on the question of the conscientious objector, and hoped some practicable method of dealing with the difficulty would be put forward in committee

The Bill was read a second time, and the House rose at 3.15. Wellington, October 11. The House met at 2.50._ Mr Brown moved the first reading of the 00-operative Workers on Public Works Bill, explaining that the measure aimed at' bettering the conditions under which the men on cooperative works laboured. He hold that the cessation of works such as had occurred at Napier, was inimical to the best | interests of the men and the country I generally. It was a terrible thing I that one man should have power to | suddenly stop work which had been | ordered’by Parliament. The Minis- | ter for Public Works should not be | an authocrat, but should carry out | the will of Parliament. f Mr Forbes said that before condemning the co-operative works system, the Minister should have made thorough investigation. He hoped the Minister would not abolish the system. . The Hon. Fraser: I never said I would. Mr Forbes; “I am glad to have tire Minister’s contradiction of the staement. ” Continuing, he contended that if investigation were made, the Minister would find that some of the waste lay at the .door of the engineering staff. Mr Pearce maintained that the works at Napier should never have been started. Dozens of “first sods” . had been turned just prior to the late Government going out of office. The works had been, undertaken with the Public Works Fund empty, and money at 5 per cent, in London. He held that it would be better for the men and the country if the cooperative system were abolished. Mr Macdonald held that it was very hard on the men to employ them in the winter on works, and then dismiss them when the long days came and they could earn good money. , . Mr Ell said the men now had a system by which they could ballot out wasters and class.fy themselves. Mr F. H. Smith said it was ridiculous to suppose that strong men would ballot their weaker colleagues out of a gang. He contended that the ballot system was out of date 50 years ago. The lion. Fraser sad that "if they would make the co-operative system a small contract system, he was with them. Mr Forbes: It is now. Mr Fraser: “You don’t know much about it.” He went on to say that the principle of co-operative works was not the principle of small contracts. Why, he said, the Otago | Central Railway works were a by- j word in the district. What was j really wanted, he said, was more, i inspection, and inspection did not end with the navvies. The gangers needed watching, too. . (Hear, { hear.) He insisted that men should j have the right to select their own j mates. In connection with the j Napier works, he said he refused to j sanction the wasteful method of j carrying out the public works of the I Dominion. ■

Mr Wilson stated that the cooperative labourers themselves were thoroughly dissatisfied, and had universally condemned the system. He knew of cases where gangs had to sit down for a waek waiting for the overseer to come along. The Hon. R. McKenzie said the Government members were the only ones who condemned the system. He had received very few complaints during the three years he administered the department. He pointed out that throughout the Dominion local bodies carried out earth worus on the co-operative system. The Bill was read the first time. The House resumed at 7.30. The Hon, R. H. Rhodes made a statement to the House concerning the position at the Manawatu flax mills. He stated that one of the cases of typhoid complained of had been under observation by the doctor for one month, and it had only been at the end of that period that typhoid had manifested itself. He also stated that health officer accompanied by an inspector of the Labour Department would inspect the whole of the mills in the district. He would assure the House that he would pay all attention to the matter of water supply at the mills. _ . . The Births and Deaths Registration Bill was read a second time. The House rose at 1 a.m.