SUMMER TIME BILL PASSES SECOND READING IN HOUSE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18208, 15 July 1927, Page 16

SUMMER TIME BILL PASSES SECOND READING IN HOUSE.

| “ WORSE THAN WEEDS OR RAGWORT,” IS VIEW OF COUNTRY MEMBER. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 14. On a division, the second read- . ing of Mr T. K. Sidey’s Summer Time Bill was passed in the House of Representatives yesterday. i Mr Sidey said the Bill had been redrafted to conform to the recommendations of a committee ! which had considered the quesI tion last session. Summer time I would take effect in November and end in March. Medical opinion was I strongly in favour of the measure, while chambers of commerce and com- | mercial organisations were equally in I favour of it. Feeling in country dis- ! tricts- also was growing in its favour. The only opposition in the country had come from the Farmers’ Union, but there was division of opinion even amongst farmers. He was confident the Bill would one day be adopted in New Zealand, even if he did not live to see it. lie made a strong appeal to the House to pass the Bill in the interest of the health and well-being of the community. Mr Lysnar strongly objected to the Bill on the ground that it would detrimentally affect country interests. If the towns wanted more sport they could have it without penalising the farmers. The Bill had passed the House last session only because of the popularity of the member introducing it and because those opposed to it had not taken the matter seriously enough. Mr Sullivan said the Bill was not passed last session so much because its promoter was popular, but because the Bill was popular in all parts of the country. The bulk of the opposition came from dairy farmers, but liethought thefl'r fears were not well founded and they would soon adjust themselves to the altered conditions. As a farmers’ representative, Air ’ Field opposed the Bill. Air Wilford said lie had supported this Bill for eighteen years and his experience of the principle in England and France last summer had more than ever confirmed him in his support of it. There were objectors to the Bill, no doubt, but he had not met a single objector in England and Scotland. lie had a similar experience after travelling three thousand miles in rural France. Sir George Hunter said the time was inopportune to introduce legislation which would be experimental so far as farmers were concerned. Sir John Luke said the principle of summer time had won its way into the good opinion of the people of England, France* and Belgium, and now had become an established part of their lives. It was not so much a question of sport as of health. The Bill had the support of the medical profession. Air Horn said the best feature about the Bill was that it was going to confer its greatest benefit upon women, who now had no opportunity at all of engaging in any kind of outdoor amusement. The Hon D. Buddo supported the Bill, believing it would be conducive to the general benefit of people in the country. Mr Potter contended that city and town workers were entitled to benefit under the proposals of the Bill. Air Glen opposed the Bill as an in* i terference with the business of the man lon the land. Every branch of the | Farmers’ Union in the country opposed ! the measure. Every country member 1 of the House who voted for the Bill ! would find a black mark recorded against him at the election next year. He would find his constituents saying to him in effect “Your job is back on the farm, not interfering with the farmers’ job.” Mr Linklater added a protest against the continual introduction of this Bill, which would have a particularly harsh effect on conditions in the dairying industry. lie quoted the experience of Australia,where a Daylight Saving Act ! was repealed after three months’ trial. Air Samuel said he looked upon the ' Bill as nothing less than class legis- ! iation, since it was really only in the j interest of townspeople. He regarded j the Bill as a menace worse than ragI wort or blackberry. The farmer alj ready worked from daylight till dark, and this Bill would mean that he would have to get up an hour before daylight to keep pace with altered clock hands. It was the duty of every country representative in the House to oppose the Bill, or he would be “dealt with” at : next election. If city people desired an extra hour for recreation, there was nothing to stay them from getting up an hour earlier in the morning, but they did not do it. Mr Ilockly considered the general trend of opinion of members was that the measure had been so many times I before the House that all were heartily ! sick of it. He hoped the inember in charge would accept the fate of this Bill as final, and abide by it for good Air H. E. Holland said this mattei never had been made an election issue !, and was not a party issue in the House now. lie would support the seconc ” reading, and would then move in com mittee to have provision made to med the needs of particular industries tc standard time applied to them so as to avoid hardships that other wise would arise. He agreed that the - Bill would confer a certain amount o - benefit upon the city people, particu - 1 larlv the worker, who would have at additional hour for sport and recrea tion. but he feared that as a matte: of fact the Bill would not afford anj relief to the manual worker. If the} wished to benefit the worker’s health why not take one hour off the day' l work, or reduce the working week t< t, five days. Thus they could do some thing to meet the unemployment pre h blem. He doubted whether the Bil would bring benefit to the farmer. wh< would still have to work as long hour - as he does now, and, he added, “the; should not forget the reason why tb (1 farmer has to work those long hour.' i, It is the mortgage on the farm. I e that could be lifted he would not nee< ■* to work so long and hard.’’ Mr Campbell said the Bill would no affect the sheep farmer much, but th - dairy farmer would be at a disadvar tage where served by trains, whil grain growers in the South Islanj o would have serious hardship impose* ■e upon them. s - Mr Nash supported the Bill, content ing that farmers would benefit a much as townsmen from the additions >. ! hour that would be available for re<

reation. He believed a trial would prove that the Bill was a good tiling. The Hon A. D. Al’Leod said that farmers had in the past looked upon this Bill as not worth serious thought, but lately they had awakened to the fact that it spelt some danger to them, and that it should be opposed. Every member of Parliament probably had received a letter from a women’s organisation asking him to oppose the measure. During his visit to Australia he had not. met a single person who favoured daylight saving or suggested that it should be tried there again. The Minister thought too much attention was being paid these days to what made for pleasure, and the time had arrived when the country should seriously consider cutting out a lot of pleasure. Unfortunately the tendency seemed to be that if work interfered with play they should cut out a bit of work. The debate was continued by Alessrs Mason, Tapley, Forsvth and Armstrong, who favoured the Bill, while Messrs J. C. Rolleston, Burnett, J. R. Hamilton and Rhodes opposed it. At 12.30 a.m. Mr Sidey replied. A division taken on the second read- ; ing resulted:— For the Bill 33: against the Bill 21. The House rose at 12 50 a.m.