PARLIAMENTARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 3625, 23 August 1901, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

Per Press Association. r WELLINGTON, August 22. * LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. • The Council met at 2.30 p.m. I j PETITIONS. | The Public Petitions Committee reported , that it had no recommendation to make ] on the petition of the Napier Women's 3 Christian Temperance Union, asking for 1 the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act. j The petition of Samsons and Sons and )] Blackwood Bros., of Dunedin, for compen- . sation; on account of their businesses having been closed through the Dunedin-Cor- ] poration establishing abattoirs, was re- ; ferred to the Joint Stock Committee. In the course of a short discussion, . several Councillors said that they recognised that these firms had no legal claim, but the question of equity was admitted. MALARIAL FEVER AND MEASLES. Mr Feldwick moved that with a view to preventing the introduction of malarial fever and measles into the colony through the medium of returned South African troopers and their clothing, the Public Health Committee be appointed to take evidence and report. After a discussion, in which a hope was expressed that, as such motion was calculated to create a scare, it would not be passed, the mover withdraw it. ■Tae Minister of Education assured Councillors that, attention having been called to " the matter, the Health Department would take every precaution to prevent outbreaks through the causes indicated in the motion. THE SHOPS AND OFFICES BILL. The Shops and Offices Bill was - considered in committee. Mr Twomey moved to strike out Clause 14, which exempts persons of New Zealand and European extraction having fruit, -confectioners, fishmongers, shops, or railway bookstalls, from the statutory halflioliday, whilst not exempting shopkeepers of other nationalities. Mr Twomey said that such distinction would be a. blot' on the statute book. Mr Jenkinson urged that the clause only meant getting at Chinamen, who sold not only fruit but other goods. The motion was lost en the casting vote of the Chairman. Clause 17 relating to the wages of shop assistants on hal-hol£days. Mr Bolt moved an additional clause to provide payment, also for the special holidavs specified in Section 15 of the Bill. The amendment was opposed on the 1 ground that it would breed discontent | among employers. j The motion was lost by 15 votes to 20 votes. Mr Jenkinson moved an additional clause providing that no female assistant shall be employed in hotel bars after 9 p.m. This was under discussion when the Council adjourned to 7.30 p.m. The Council resumed at 7.30 p.m., in committee on the Shops and Offices Bill. Considerable discussion took place on Clause 18, which provides for a weekly half-holiday for hotel assistants. The discussion was brought on by a motion of Mr Pinkerton. that hotels be exempt from the compulsory half-holiday

clanse. He contended that the inclusion of hotels was merely a burlesque on labour legislation, and if the clanse were carried it would disarrange the whole working of

hotels and cause great public inconvenience.

Other Councillors supported the clause, urging that hotel servants and barmaids worked excessively long hours.

i On a division the motion to exempt T hotels was lost by 15 to 4 votes, e A discussion arose on a. further amendment moved by Mr Jenkinson as an addition to Clause 18, to provide that no female assistant shall be employed in any - hotel bar after 9 p.m. r In the course of the discussion, Mr - Jones, in supporting the motion, referred r to the liquor trade as a detestable traffic. : Mr Louisson contended that the words . were unparliamentary. The chairman (Air Baillie) • ruled that ; the words were objectionable, and asked Mr Jones to withdraw the expression. On Mr Jones declining to withdraw, a , motion by the Minister of Education that he be reported to the Speaker for dis- , obeying the chairman's ruling was carried on the voices. / The committee then reported progress • on the Bill. The Council adjourned till next day. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m., Mr Guinness was in the chair. PETITION. Mr McGuire presented a petition from the Prohibitionists of Taranaki, pointing out the injury caused to the native race by their drinking habits, which, the petitioners said, were destroying them morally and socially. NOTICE TO INTRODUCE. Mr McGowan' gave notice. to introduce the Second-hand Dealers Bill. The Premier gave notice to introduce the Opium Prohibition Bill. FIRST READINGS. The Nelson Harbour Board Act, 1900, Amendment Bill, the Maori Lands Admin-istration-Act, 1900, Amendment Bill, and the Stamp Act Amendment Bill, were introduced and read a first time. Bills to extend the Westland and Nelson Coal Fields. Administration Act, 1877, and to amend the Coal Mines Act, 1891, were introduced by Governor's Message,. and were Tead a first time. A PETITION. The Public Petitions Committee recommended that the widow of Constable Luke McDonnell, who recently died at Auckland as the result of disease contracted while on duty at the wreck of the Wairarapa, be paid a sum equal to three years' salary of her late husband. Several members urged that the Government should be generous in its treatment of the widow and children of a public officer who had contracted a fatal illness in the execution of his duty. ' Sir McGowan said that he could not allow the impression to get abroad that the Government had not acted liberally in ] this case. The constable had been paid 1 full salary up to the time of his death, ; and his widow had now been appointed a i prison matron, which was a good posi- : tion for her. THE TREASURY AND THE AUDIT ] OFFICE. The report of the Public Accounts Com- 1 mittee in regard to five cases between the Audit Office and the Treasury Department, i under Section 9 of the Public Revenues Act, 1900, was read. .In four of the i cases the Committee reported that they, saw no reason for proceeding further in the matter. * In the fourth case the Com- j mittee reported that, in their opinion,' j the action of the Controller and AuditorGeneral was unnecessary, as the moneys' j were properly paid into the Treasury. Mr James Allen, speaking to the report, ] said that the Auditor-General objected to 1 certain services rendered by the Tutanekai in conveying Volunteers to Sydney for the j Commonwealth inaugural celebrations, being charged to the Marine Department, j The matter arose out of the amendments made last year in the Public Revenues Act. The vote for the services rendered by the' Tutanekai ought to have been repaid to the Marine Department by the Department for which the service was actually rendered. There was no vote on the Esti-. mates for any Department. The services were rendered to the Marine Depart- ± ment instead of being charged to unauthorised expenditure. It was useless, he said, i for him to move- that the report be referred back to the Public Accounts Committee.

The Premier said that except so far as the fourth case was concerned the Public Accounts Committee had not deemed it necessary to call evidence. There was provision on last year's Estimates for the Tutanekai's trip to Sydney, in that a vote had been passed for "Services by Government steamers within and without the colony." It was not contemplated that if necessity arose for sending Government steamers beyond the colony, the coal, food, and equipment .necessary, would be provided by The refund to the Marine Department for 'the services rendered was not. a question for the Controller and Auditor-General, but for the administration. , A long discussion ensued which was interrupted by the 5.30 p.m. adjournment.

The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. The debate on the report of the Public Accounts Committee was continued. Mr W. Fraser-said that members would not look back with pride on their action in amending the Public Revenues Act last

session. 1 The Premier —"None of them would re- I peal it" Mr Fraser—"l hope we shall get a chance for the credit of Parliament." I hope the Premier will bring down a repealing Bill." Mr Fraser went on to say that the report of the Committee was a reflection on the Auditor-General, and he 1 protested against such report being presented. Mr Napier regarded the Public Revenues Act of last session with great satisfaction. " Its principle was that the people of the colony, through their representatives, should disburse the public revenues of the colony without the intervention of any officer or bureaucrat. The pretensions of the Auditor-General were inconsistent with a free democracy. Mr Pirani characterised Mr' Napier's remarks on the Public Revenues Act as utter nonsense. Mr Napier ought to know that it was unconstitutional for the Audi-tor-General to pass a payment which was not embodied in the Acts. • Mr, Hall-Jones said that before the Public Revenues Act Amendment Act of last session was passed constitutional government did not exist in New Zealand because the Auditor-General was to usurp the functions of the representatives of the people. Parliament should be supreme and he objected to the attempt that was being made to interfere with' the authority of Parliament. Mr Monk declared that the power to control the Anditor-General was gained by the £4O vote given to members last session. (Hon. members : " No, no.") The House was becoming so demoralised that he believed that for another £4O it would repeal Magna Charta. Mr A. L. D. Fraser strongly lesented these charges being levelled broadcast against members, and said that he would not sit in his seat in the House and silently listen to them. Mr Hutcheson said that iff any Government wanted his support it would first have to repeal that vicious, dishonest, and iniquitous measure known as the Public Revenues Act, 1900. He complained that in the present state of the law there was no control whatever over irregular expenditure. Mr Collins Teminded the House that he had opposed the Public Revenues Act last session, and he failed to learn anything which justified the House in passing that measure. Mr Herries urged that the Public Revenues Act should be repealed, and he believed that the country was against the Premier on this point. He considered that the Auditor-General' was perfectly within his rights in attaching tlie tag he did to the Tutanekai's expenses. Mr G. W. Russell admitted that some 02 the clauses in the Public Revenues Act were necessary, but others were utterly objectionable, and it was a most dangerous principle that a vote of the House could over-ride statute law. It was a tremendous power to place in the hands of any Premier. He urged the repeal of the objectionable portion of the Act. Mr Hogg supported the Public Revenues • Act, and maintained that the law was good. Mr Massey said, that he was not present ■ when, the Public Revenues Act was before

Parliament, and he had refused to have anything to do with the £4O. Mr Ell objected to the Public Revenues Act because it gave more power to the Executive, which, in his opinion, already had too much power. Mr Smith condemned the Public Revenues Act, and would vote for its repeal. Mr Fisher (Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee) regretted that the afternoon and evening had been wasted on a purposeless and irritating debate. He held that the Public Eevenues Act, 1900, was not defective, and that it gave no undesirable power to the Colonial Treasurer or the Governor; but even if it were defective, the members of the Opposition side were as much responsible for it as the Government and the, Government sup-, porters. He declared, in view of what I had transpired at the meetings of the Public Accounts Committee, that without the amendment of the Public Eevenues Act, carried last session, it would have been impossible for the Government to properly and safely transact the financial business of the country.'' Things had reached such a stage in regard to the Auditor-General's differences with the Treasury, that the intervention of Parliament was absolutely necessary, and he hoped that the Act would not be repealed. The motion that the report of the committee should lie on the table was then carried by 39 votes to 11 votes. THE FINANCIAL DEBATE. The Premier announced that he proposed to-morrow to put through an. Tmprest Supply Bill, and then to begin the Financial Debate at 7.30 p.m.

ADVANCES TO'SETTLERS EXTENSION BILL.

The Premier moved that the amendments made in committee in the Government Advances to Settlers Extension Bill be agreed to. '

A long debate ensued, and was preceding when the telegraph office closed at 2 a.m. ;