LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 764, 22 July 1916, Page 14

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

THE AMENDING BILL. Press Association. I WELLINGTON, July 21. .! In the Legislative Council this af-! i tcrnoon the Hon. G. Jones resumed i the debate on the second reading of j j the Legislative Council Act Amend- j | ment Bill. After alluding to the agi- j j tation organised by the Reform | | Party against the Legislative Coun-; i cil, he stated his firm conviction j ' that the Act was unnecessary, and J I should be repealed. He intended to : support the amendment. j i The Hon. T. Mac Gibbon, who an- j ! nounced himself as a supporter of j the elective principle, said he hoped j ! the Act would be carried out in its I ! entirety. He fully recognised the I I propriety of passing the Bill now! I before the Council. The Hon. W. Earnshaw said that i after the lucid explanation made by !

the Leader of the Council, it appear- S ed to him that the debate was quite | unnecesary. The carrying into op- 9 eration of the Act meant the aboli- 1 tion of patronage, which was sure- | ly one of the leading features of* I the policy of any progressive party. He supported the Bill. The Hon. J. Ban's amendment was j lost on the voices. The Hon. Sir Francis Bell, in re-1 ply, controverted the Hon. Sir Wil-j liam Hall-Jones's contention that in the arrangement made between the two parties, there had been a bargaining away of the rights of the people. The Bill provided for an adjournment that was necessary to enable the agreement made between the two parties to be carried out. The motion for the second reading of the Bill was caried by 22 | votes to 2. The Council then went into Com- I mittee on the Bill. The Hon. J. T. Paul contended that the tenure of any member of the ' i Council should not be interfered j ' with. The personnel of the Council should remain as it was until the Act was brought into force. The Hon. Sir Francis Bell pointed out that there were technical difticulties in the way of such a proposal. The Bill was reported from Committee without amendment. i On the motion for the third read-: ing, i The Hon. J. T. Paul raised the question of the salaries paid to members of the Council, which he con-! sidered insufficient in the cases of members who, like himself, had to give up their daily work in order | to attend the Council. He hoped the . Government would give the matter i consideration. The Hon. R. Moore agreed that \ the honorarium of members of the Council was insufficient, but he considered that the present was an in- | opportune time to make a change. ,

The Hon. A. T. Maginnity, while deprecating any personal interest, said he would give the weight of his support to any proposal in the direction indicated by Mr Paul. The Hon. G. Jones said he thought the Government would be quite justified in taking a hint in regard to this matter. The Hon. J. Barr said it was undoubted that the honorarium would have to be raised when the Council was made elective. They were justified in drawing attention to the fact of the Government allowing a war bonus to Civil Servants drawing £315 a year. The Hon. G. Carson condemned the grant of a war bonus to Civil Servants as iniquitous. He thought the time was inopportune to press such a matter. The Hon. W. Beehan said he thought the subject was one in which the Government should act without any hints from members of the Council. The Hon. W. Earnshaw agreed that the time was now opportune for the Government to consider the whole question of payments lo members. The scale should not be based upon what a working man could earn. He advocated a scheme of superannuation for members of the ! Council and the House. j The Bill was read a third time, ! and passed. J