PARLIAMENT

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 22 July 1925, Page 13

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 21. - The House met at 2.30 p.m. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. .• to' Sir John Luke, 'the Prime' Minister said that he, as Minister of Railways, would inquire into the wastage, in coal carried on the railways.. iTJe was aware that there was a certain 0 amount of wastage, anil ho would consider what .steps could be taken to reduce it to a minimum. Replying to Mr R. McKocn, the Prime Minister said that if the Government subsidised the Wellington City Council to give relief to unemployed, the work’undertaken should ho as far as possible- of a national character. The Government could not be expected to merely<.fsuKsidi.se city rates to do work which obviously should be done by the city. .. iu reply to Mr E. J. Howard, Mi Coates said he had authorised some £2OO or £3OO for relief works at Christchurch. Auckland had so far not made any appeal, and that city was evidently showing a certain amount of selfreliance. In reply to Mr T. M. Wolford; the Prime Minister said the- Budget would he brought down on Friday night, and the debate would begin on the following Tuesdav. y NEW BILL. On the motion of Mr E. J. Howard, the Workers’ Compensation Amendment Bill was introduced and read a first time. A Mr M. JV Savage moved for leaNe to introduce the Motherhood Endowment Bill, which, he said, was intended to endow families in proportion to the number- of children, and so abolish the penalty for having largo families. The best immigrant a- country could have was a child born in its own homes, and some of the attention now devoted to r breeding racehorses should ho devoted to the care of children. The main proposal was that families should receive .an endowment of 10s per week for every child over three, in cases where the family income is below the minimum wage fixed by the Arbitration Court. He anticipated that the cost per annum vohld be about two millions Tho Bill was introduced and read a first time. PENSIONS DEPARTMENT.

The Minister for Pensions asked for leave to table the annual report of the Pensions Department. Mr T. M. Wilford complained of the want of uniformity in our system. There was no reason why one woman should •’■ficeivo a larger sum than another -just- because she camcrunder some other statute.' A pension should be paid because of necessity, not because it happened to, come under a particular statute. He-wanted to'see Magistrates given greater powers of discretion and not .tied down to tho strict working 'Of the Act, that greater measure of justice could be done in cases of ektreme hardship. . . , ; -My A... Harris urged greater generosity in the treatment of soldiers, particularly men afflicted with'T.B. and V.D. If these men could not ho assisted out qf a.pension fund, could they nob bo heltped out of canteen' and patriotic, funds ?

Mr H. E. Holland complained that the additional 2s 6d granted last year could notAhc paid to all old' age: pen—' si oners just because they owned some small amount of property, or because of some other trifling disability. This extra payment should be paid to all classes of,pensioners. PensiopsHor-tho blind should also be liberalised,'” and anomolies should be removed from the widows’ pension. A number' of speakers discussed the report, each advocating some extension of the pensions system's! '' n " The Minister, in reply, said that last year ho wanted to bring about uniformity in the system, but the Houso would not allow him bccauso that meant reducing some persons’ allowances. He hoped this session to put before-the Houso some 1 principles which would improve the systems. There aught to be more discretion given to .he administrators of tho Jaw.'. ,He was onsidefihg the question of whether'a olind person who had not been bom in New Zealand, but who had lived in : New Zealand for 25 years, should bo j entitled to a pension. So far as miners’ | phthisis pensions were concerned, he considered the only safe basis of in- , validity pension was that which m, hivourod, on a contributing basis. ; The jiaper was tabled.,,. | ' CHILD WELFARE BILL. The Hon. Sir James Parr moved tho . . neohd reading of the Child .Welfare IMh 'ln doing so he retraced the explanation given to tho House when the Hill was introduced, again stressing the ■advantage of the boarding out system for orphan children, as against housing them m disciplinary institutions. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. ! EVENING SESSION.

When the House resumed at 7.30 p.m.,

air Wilford said that all that the Munster was trying to do through the medium of children’s courts was already being done in Wellington lor months past. It might bo,that there was no legislative authority lor this, tint the lact remained it was being done, and this Bill would not advance matters in Wellington one bit. It was a. pity we did not have women justices in New Zealand. He wanted to see omen’s courts herd, with their “city mother” to advise and help those in trouble. There were many cases in which women were the only possible judges, and he regretted that there was no-tiling of that sorb in the Bill.

Mr H. E. Holland maintained that the children’s court should not be near tho ordinary courthouse, and ordinary uniformed police should not bo employed about this court. Ho regretted that our legislation in connection with the mentally deficient was so backward. He wanted to see not only women justices appointed, but he would like to see permanent women Magistrates, as there was very special work for them to do. This Bill was largely socialistic in character, and it was interesting to see that Ministers who so frequently* denounced Socialism were fathering tho measure.

Mr W. Jordan, urged that every effort bo made to avoid tho tendency to trout deficient children us criminals. Tho Bill was road a socond time, and referred to tho Education Committee, IRON INDUSTRIES. The House then went into committee on tho Iron and Steel Industries Amendment Bill, which was reported without amendment, read a third time and passed. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Tho Weights and Measures Bill was next taken in eommittoo. Considerable opposition was shown to the clause compelling tho expos uro to tho buyer cf tho weights and measures used. ITar.tical diHicultios wero pointed out, particularly in connection with the grocery trade, uc.d tho Min. istor promised to have tho clause recast. Tho Minister promised to make tho Bill apply to wholesale merchants <i.s well as to retailers, Considerable discussion took ?ilaco nil Clause 20, dealing with goods* sold by net weight or measure; Several members contended that those containing |i Instead of Iti ounces were a ' ‘con lid enem ’ nick upon tho public, who believed they Mere piirolw.-.hu' a lili tin, The. Minister gave his assurance that lie would have the whole mailer looked into again by expel (s, and I lie remainder of the clauses were passed unamended. The Mint i - .. at ll.til p.m. till L'-’.-JU lo Ear..a..