PARLIAMENTARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13685, 29 August 1908, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

P«r Pres« Associatdoa. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. WELLINGTON, August 23. The Council met. at 2.30 p.m. FINANCIAL PANIC. Mr Rigg moved that the Government be recommended to introduce-'a Bill to provide efficient means of utilising the credit of the dominion in times .of'financial panic so as to restore public confi. denee. He urged a revival of the bank note issue Act of 1893 but if the Government were not prepared to take over the note issue they could make provision ior the issue of notes in times of panic and make them a legal tender. The Attorney-General said he was eatisfied that there was not the faintest reason for legislation of the kind suggested. The motion was lost by 24 votes to 5 votes. BILLS ADVANCED. The Coroner's Amendment Bill was committed. A new clause was added providing for the payment of witnesses. The " Christchurch City. Sanitation Bill was read a second time. The Council then rose until . Wednesday. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. THE ESTIMATES. Consideration of the estimates was resumed. Marine, harbour, and inspection of machinery departments, £82,680. The Minister replying to members said that it was intended to import Atlantic salmon ova from England this year. He said that the Government oyster beds had proved a, great success, and the profits on the year's transactions would be between £SOO and £7OO. Oysters were selling at 12s 6d as against £1 or 30s. It. was proposed to alter the regulations of .service on ihe Amokura, so that boys must serve two years. If parents remove them before that time they would be liable to the cost of training, £BO per year per boy. The Amokura was an absolute success. The Government \ had so far been unable to get an obsolete war vessel from the. Imperial Government to lie used as a depot ship: The vote passed tuialtered. Department of Labour, £27,162. The Hon. Mr Millar replying to members, stated that the cost of the Arbitration Court and Conciliation Boards was roughly £BBOO, and -ihe cost of Boards of Enquiry into the Canterbury farm laboureis' dispute, was £BOO. Seventy-two per cent, of the fines imposed on men between 1903 and 1908 had been collected, and of the fines on employers 90 per cent, had been collected. The Blackball miners had paid the fine and costs in fulh Of the £1350 fines imposed on the slaughtermen, £692 had been collected and £356 waG owing by men who had left for Australia, but when they returned steps would be taken to collect the money. Out of 105 workers' dwellings that "had heen ! erected only two were unoccupied. I A good deal of discussion ensued upon the question of cheap rents and homes , for the workeis, and several" members | urged that homes should be erected in the suburbs and adequate and cheap transit facilities provided. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. The Committee of Supplv resumed at 7.30 p.m. ' ,

The Labour ■■ Department • vote passed unaltered.

Public Health Department, £38,910. The Hon. Mr Fowlds in answer to members, stated that the vaccine lymph was so good that the French Government had asked the department for supplies for their Pacific Islands. Ptegarding the Christ - ohurch sanatorium the Government had already paid between £7OOO and £BOOO, ami now wire asked for £2OOO for the land which was given to the sanatorium committee.

Mr Gray said that the Government had only paid what the Act required and had done the committee out of £1136. The Waikato sanatorium had been very differently treated. The Christchureh sanatorium would stand renowned with its, door locked—a monument, to the Government's colossal indifference. Mr Allen eaid he hoped the. Government would repeat the Waikato experiment in Central Otago. He was glad to i see a subsidy appeared in the tsrimates towards the funds of societies for the promotion of the health of women and children. This was a great work.' Dr Chappie emphasised the protective character of lianatoriums, to the community at large, as well as their curative value to patients. The best climatic conditions for the treatment of tuberculosis were to be found in Central Otago. The expenditure of the Health Department had greatly increased of late years, and the question was whether the results justified this. The medical officers, except in time of scare, should be used for the purposes of medical inspection of schools. Mr Gray complained that the administration was defective, 45 per cent of the total vote going towards salaries, The results were not commensurate with the large expenditure. Mr Hogg thought that a good deal of the money could be more tieefnily expended upon training nurses. The facilities to enter the sanatorium should be increased. Mr Baume held that too much was not being spent en salaries, contending that the health officers were doing good work and that, a large staff was c&stntial in a department of this kind. Mr Ngata urged that more money should be spent by the department upon (he backblocks natives. The Hon Mr Fowlds stated that the operation of the Pure Foods Act had resulted in a higher standard of food. The vote passed tinaltered. Mental hospitals, hospitals, and charitable aid, £104,634. Mr Wilford animadverted upon the high rate of insanity. There was inadequate accommodation for females. The Hen. Mr Fowlds said that this was temporary until a new asylum was ready. Mr Gray urged the necessity for better classification. Mr Tanner said the people were sent to mental hospitals who shoiud never be there, ihe result being bad classification. The Hon. Mr Fowlds stated that the department was even now considering the selection of a site for new buildings, which would permit of better classification. Mr. Wilford said that when some palienis from Sunnyeide went to the ilieatie they had to mix with raving lunatics. Obviously better classification was necessary and a new hospital should be selected without delay. The present wages of attendants was wretched. Mr Tanner said that for years Ministers had made unfulfilled promises. Mr Hon. W. Hall-Jones contended that there had been much improved accommodation in recent years. The Hon. Mr Fowlds stated that half way houses were to be erected in the various centres. Mr Flatman urged additional expenditure in cancer research. The necessity for better medical aid in the backblocks was urged by several members. The Hon. Mr Fowlds said that with a. view of increasing the number of trained nurses an amendment would be made in the law to enable the best equipped private hospitals to train nurses^ The vote passed . unaltered. Defence Department, £214,470. "■ Mr Ailen asked what was the attitude of the Government to the recommendations of the Defence Council. The Estimates were still under discussion when the telegraph office closed at 2 a.m.