PARLIAMENT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12599, 13 September 1905, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, September 12. Tho Council met at 2.30. Tho Hon. Jones moved to recommit tho Marriages Validation Bill, to amend tho clause validating marriages between any person and his deceased wife s niece, or between any person and her deceased husband's nephew, which has 'heretofore been contracted, by adding the words "Or may hereafter be contracted." . " Tho motion was lost by 16 to 10, and tho third reading was carried by 17 to 9. Tho Shipping and Seamen's Act Amendment Bill passed its final stages. The Masterton Trust Lands Trust Empowering Bill was read a second Tho Oamaru Volunteer Drillshed Site Bill waa reported from Committee with amendments. The Council rose at 4.10 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THAT TOUCHER.—MORE PETITIONS.

Messrs Taylor, Fisher, Ell, and Laurenson presented several petitions asking for a full public inquiry into the voucher case.^ RBAJ) Tho Education Act Amendment Bill and tho Lincoln College Reserves Bill were introduced by Governor's mesact. . Tho amendments already made in committee in the Shops and Offices Bill were agreed to on the voices and it Avas Agreed to recommit the Bill to reconsider clause 3A, and other proposed amendments. ~ ~ „ Mr Baumo moved to recommit^ to consider an amendment to section 4 ot , tho principal Act, allowing overtime fOl stocktaking to be worked on 40 instead of 30 days in any one year, and without tho previous written consent ot tho mSEThS*was opposed by the Premier, and lost by 31 to 16. : Mi 4 Massey moved to recommit to consider an amendment exempting fruiterers from the operations of the Bin, except that provision which limits tho hours of shop assistants. This was lost by 36 to 10. . Tho Bill was then recommitted. Ine first clauso dealt with was 3A, dealing with tho employment of shop assistant*. , , ~ c Mr. Kirkbrido moved that part ot the clause be struck out. He argued that country storekeepers would be severely handicapped by being unable to "employ'their assistants more than 52 hours a week. . Mr. Seddon opposed the motion. The clause, ho said, was only operative unlesa •shopkeepers camo to an arrangement as to the hours of closing, unde* section 21 of tho principal Act. _ Mr. EU objected to anyone who did not employ labour being given an advantage over a man who did employ labour. ■«., _ Mr. Barber' urged that the House should not take any course which would unduly interfere with people Avho were endeavouring against odds to earn a living- ■,' '~•,,.,. In tho course of considerable discussion, Mi\ Taylor said the time must come when -the House would have to leave the question of closing hours to a tribunal outside Parliament. Mi*. Baume agreed that Parliament was. not the proper body to regulate the hours of various occupations carrying on under varying conditions. Mr. Ell said it looked as if Parliament was prepared to go back on the labour legislation of the past. Mi1. Baume retorted that he did not think there was a single member of the House who wanted to negative the lab- ; our legislation of past years. Mr. Hogg urged that the consumer, particularly of the working class, was , entitled to* some consideration in fixing tho hours of closing of retail places. ; The House rose at 5.30. < Tho House resumed at 7.30. _ ( In committee on the Srops and Offices .-, Bill, on the motion of Mr. Kirkbride, n sub-section 3 of clause 3A was struck out by 27 votes to 25. This subjection .; provided that a shop assistant shall not bo employed in any shop after 6 p.m. if none of tho trades mentioned in the first and second schedules is carried on ; therein, viz., bakers, booksellers, butch- < ers, chemists, dairy produce sellers, florists, hairdressers, tobacconists, confectioners, fishmongers, fruiterers, pork butchers, refreshment room keepers. i The following is the division list:— For Mr. Kirkbrido's amendment (27)— Aitken, Allen, J. Barber, Baume, Bennet, Bollard, Buchanan, Field, Hall, , Hawkins, Herdman, Berries, Hogg, Houston, Jennings, Kihkbnde, Lang, ■ Lethbridge, Mander, Massey, McLachlan, Reid, Rhodes, Rutherford, Symes, J C. Thomson and J. W. Thomson, j Aeamst tho amendment (25).—Can-oil, i Colvin, Davey, Duncan, Ell, Fisher, ; Graham j Guinness, Hall-Jones, Kidd, Laurenson, Lawry, McGowan, McKen- : zie; Mills, Parata, Seddon, Sidey, Steward, Smith, Tanner, Taylor, Wilford, Ward, Wood. . ' In place of the sub-section struck out ott Mr. Kirkbride's motion, the Premier moved a new sub-section" to make the 6 p.m. employment of shop assistants apply to the shops contemplated in the struck out sub-section only in the case of combined districts. He also moved a new sub-section to establish 8 p.m. • employment of shop assistants in similar shop 3 outside of combined districts. Mr Millar said ho would sooner see tho Bill thrown out altogether than have h passed in the form it now was. By .carrying Mr. Kirkbride's amendment, tho House had swept" away the safeguards certain shop assistants had enjoyed for years past. In the interests of thousands of workers throughout the colony he asked the House to agree to tho new sub-section proposed by the Premief. , Mr. Barber urged that there should not be special legislation for the four cities, and that the provisions of the Bill should apply to the whole colony. Mr. Hogs objected 'to ihe apparent attempt to bring the country shopkeepers into the same trouble as the city shopkeepers had been in. Mr. aume saw no reason for differentiation between combined districts and other places. Why, he asked, should towns like Timaru,lnvercargill, Napiei', and Wanjnnmi bo exempt.' After further discussion, Mr. bedaon said if the committee continued to wasto timo over the Bill he would be forced to report progress and leave tne law ai it is. , Mr. Taylor said this Bill should be dtopped, and in its place a Bill of one clanso should bo brought down, containing tho schedule exemptions to clauso 3 of last year's act. If that woro clone, ho ventured to assert tha^ tho shops and offices law would stand for many years to come. Mr. Buddo mado a similar suggestion. .. _ r ' ~ A ftei' further discussion, Mr. berldon withdrew the two sub-section* ho had propose.!, and moved the following new proviso: "Subject to tho provisions of any retmisition, gazetted under section 21' of tho principal Act, and if within tlueo months after the passing of this Act no resolution shall bo carried as provided in the said section, a shop assistant shall not be employed m any trade over that of those mentioned in tho first and second schedules hereto, after 11 o'clock in the evening on one working day in each week, or seven o'clock in the evening on other working days." . Mr. Davey thought it was very untair

to ask the shop assistants to work an hour longer than they had been doing hitherto. Ho moved to strike out "7 o clock" in the Premier's new proviso, with a view to inserting "6 o'clock. Mr. Wilford urged that all that M-as required was to repeal clause 3 of last year'w Act. At 10.30 Mr. Ell moved to report pro- | otcss, on tho ground that the House waa in no mood to deal seriously, with tho Bill. , , t , Mi. Seddon intimated that unless the Bill went through to-night he would drop it. If tho Bill were rejected or diopped ho would not trouble the House with another Bill tins session. Mr. El! then withdrew his motion to report progress. Mr. Seddon suggested that tho words "In any combined district" be inserted in his proviso after the word "employed," and at his suggestion, Mr. Fisher moved in that direction. Eventually both Messrs. Davey's and-Fisher's amendments were agreed to, and the ''■'Premier's proviso, as amended, was added to the clause. The whole clause 3A wan then put and carried by 42 voten to 23.

Clauso 48, dealing with overtime in exempted offices, was amended technically, in order to give effect to the amendment:} previously made. Mr. Baume, on advico from the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, objected to the clause as a whole, and on ?. division -it was retaiiiod by 44 to 16.

Mr. Tanner then proposed to amend section 8 of the principal Act by providing that tho combined districts should consist of boroughs "adjoining" tho four centres, instead of boroughs

"within a milo of" the centres, as at present.