THE SESSION.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 208, 7 October 1914, Page 5

THE SESSION.

NEW LEGISLATION. A BATCH OF BILLS. PROVISION FOB MILITARY HORSES. FRUIT REGULATIONS. * ■ i ■ [From our own Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, October . A number of important new Bills were introduced in the House of Representatives to-day. The most interesting, in'view of recent events, is the Recounts Encouragement Bill, which aims at encowaging the breeding of horses In Not Zealand suitable for military purposes. In order to achieve this object the Minister of Agriculture is authorised to pay to owners of any stallions the sum of £IOQ in respect of services of such stallions for any breeding season. Each stallion'.;must "be examined by at least ■two Government veterinary surgeons and be Certified as free from hereditary unsoundness. It must be of such a type that its progeny are likely to be suitable for military purposes and its ' services> must be available throughout the season for which the subsidy is the service of such a number of mares at such rates, arid on such conditions, as may be prescribed by regulations. ""• , INDUSTRY. "j The Iron and Steel Industries Bill is j intended to encourage the manufacture of these products in the. Dominion and gives ipower %o the Minister of Mines-to pay bounties on pig iron, puddled bar iron, and steel manufactured from iron ore, ov-ironsand, produced in New Zealand. The are: (a) For pig iron; 12/- a ton; (b) for puddled bar iron, 12/- a ton; (c) lor steel produced fron pig iron, 12/ fa ton; find (d) for steel produced from ihollen metal direct -from a blast furnace, 24/a ton. Bounties .shall be payable .at the " above "rates for?threw years after the date on which the production of the various articles commenced and for reduced by 2/- a ton with respect to bounties (a), (b), and .(c), and by 4/- a ton in respeet to bounty (d). The amount to be paid in bounties shall not exceed £150,000, of which not. more than £75,000 shall be paid in respect of pig iron. The maximum amount for one year shall be £30,000. If the maximum amount is not paid in one year,, the unpaid amount may be added, to the maximum for the following year. The scrap iron used in the manufacture of any of the products is not to be reckoned.in computing the weight of metal on which a bounty is payable and no bounty shall be paid after March 31, 1923. The bounty shall be payable only to the manufacturer of the' goods, and he must furnisti proof that they are of good and merchantable quality. Notice of the intention to claim the bounty 1 must be forwarded to the Minister by December 31, 1915, and the first of the goods -must be produced by January 1, 1917 in the case of pig iron, and by January 1, 1919J in the case of puddled iron and steel. . A penalty of £IOO is incurred by anyone who falsely obtains a bounty ' or makes any false statement with a view to obtaining a bounty. Regula- ■ tions may be issued from time to'time by the Governor-in-Council prescribing the minimum quantity _of goods on which the bounty is payable, the proportion of the bounty payable to the various /claimants where there is not sufficient money available to pay the full bounty in respect of all the claims, and providing for the.inspection of the process of manufacture, and the' books of the'* manufacturer for the purpose of ascertaining the materials used in the manufacture, and cost of production. WAGES PROTECTION. An interesting measure is the Wages Protection and Contractors Liens Amendment: Bill. The general conditions of contract adopted throughout New Zealand:by the Institute of Archiand the New Zealand Federated Builders , and Contractors' Association provide for the employer retaining in hand 25 per cent, of the contract moneys "for such period as shall be in conformity with the Wages Protection and Contractors Liens Act, 1908," and a further sum of 5 per cent, (with a maximum of £300) is also retained for what is known ias; the maintenance period, usually, three: months '■■ during which; the employer m&yvcall upon the contractor to make! good any defects that may develop period. It has been contended that the contract is not; completed until the expiration of the maintenance period, and .that the time for claiming liens does not, therefore, end until after the lapse of thirty. days from the expiration of that period. Employers under his contention are in some centres retaining in hand one fourth'of the contract moneys, as well as ; 5 per cent, for maintenance for as long as 121 days after the contracts have been completed, and the owner is in possession. The object of the amending Bill is to provide that the period of thirty-one days during which the employer shall retain 25 per cent, of the contract price (as provided for in the principal Act) shall commence from the time of completion of the main contract, and not from the date of expiry or\ the period- of maintenance. COOK ISLANDS TRADE. Under the Cook Islands Shipping Bill, which was introduced by the Hon. Dr Pomare, the Shipping and Seamen Act will apply in the Cook Islands. All fines for offences against the Act, and all dues and fees are to be paid into the Cook Island Treasury. Home trade ships are defined as those which trade amongst the Islands without going more than fifty miles from the coast of any of the Islands. PROTECTING THE ORCHARDS. The object of the Orchard and Garden Diseases Amendment Bill is more strictly to supervise the grading and export of fruit in order to check the spread of pests. The measure gives additional powers to the Minister of Agriculture to appoint only specified ports for the export of certain classes of fruit, and to decide on fit buildings for storage and cooling. The Act, it is suggested by the Bill, should also be amended to give ~' power to the Governor to make regulations, (a) providing for the grading of fruit trees and other orchard trees intended for sale from nurseries, arid prescribing conditions in respect of the sale of such trees; (b) prescribing standard packages for fruit intended for export or for sale for consumption in New Zealand; (c) providing for the branding

or marking of packages of fruit and for the registration of brands and marks; (d) providing for the inspection, grading, packing, and stamping of fruit; and (e) prescribing modes of treatment of fruit prior to export, and prescribing such other things as may be necessary with respect to the export of fruit.