PARLIAMENT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18017, 4 November 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 3. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Leader of the Council informed Hon. Thomson that he could not circulate among members during the recess Bills postponed, and which it was intended to bring down next session. To do so would be to present members with the Government policy in advance. Sir Francis Bell moved the second reading of the Rotorua Town Lands Bill, saying the Government neither save nor lose by the change in tenure. Hon. Barr said the Bill left a deal to the imagination. He admitted there was reason to give the freehold for residential purposes, but did not see why the State should part with business sites. Incidentally, he felt the day would come when the rates under self-government would make the residents realise that the second position was worse than the first. Hon. Gow could see no objection to the Bill. Hon. Geddes expressed disapproval of the Bill, but realised that the question of leasehold versus freeuold had been settled. Hon. Nerheny supported the Bill, saying that competition would result among boarding houses, so that better and more accommodation would be available. Hon. Michel commended the Government for bringing down the Bill. The people of Westland were also suffering under leasehold disabilities. Hon. Earnshaw argued that the majority of freeholds in the world were leased to other people by the owners. He would vote against the Bill. Hon. Garland said the Bill was twenty years overdue. The second reading was carried by 24 to 6, the uoes being Hons. Barr, Earnshaw, Geddis, Grimmoud, HallJones and Izard. In committee, Hon. Barr asked whether any time would be set within which lessees should acquire the freehold. Otherwise, he feared some might acquire tlie freehold and that the Government would still have to carry on control of the town. Sir Francis Bell replied' that there was no limit. He expected the people would take advantage of the Statute and that a municipality would be created immediately. The Bill was reported without amendment, read a third time and passed. Sir Francis Bell moved the second reading of the Legislature Amendment, postponing the coming into force of tne scheme under which the Maori elections of members of Parliament are to be conducted in the same manner as European elections. The Bill also defined more clearly ! the section of the principal Act deal- i ing with the disqualification from I Parliamentary honours of a man ] who enters into a contract with the Government. Sir Francis Bell explained that the latter was necessary as it had been suggested that the exception only applied to land taken compulsorily by the Government. The Bill made it clear that the Government might acquire lands or offices from a mem-I ber or associations in which a mem- I ber held a share without risking the disqualification of those concerned. , The Bill was read a second time, [ put through committee, and passed, I The District Railway Amendment, I Orchard and Garden Diseases Amend- 1 ment, and Local Railways Amend-1 meat were received from the House, i put through all stages and passed, I Sir Francis Bell moved the second reading of the Bank of New Zealand Bill. The Bill was read a second time without further debate, and reported from committee without amendment, read a third time and passed. The Stone Quarries Amendment was received from the House and read a first time. The Council adjourned at 4.25 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WELLINGTON, Nov. 3. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Replying to Mr. Young, Mr. Mas-; sey said the Government was stilll considering the advisability of raising the age for free travel on the railways from three to five years, but he hoped to be in a position to make a statement on the subject in a tew days. Consideration of the matter had been delayed by pressure of other business. Replying to Mr. E. Newman, Mr! Massey said he had nothing to add to his last statement, made on 10th August, on the wool position in London, but he would send a cable to the Hign Commissioner asking if the ] position had changed since his last statement. Replying to • Mr. Field, Hon. Rhodes said Cabinet had not yet come to a decision in reference to the petition against the award of the New Zealand Cross to a certain individual. The evidence was very conflicting, and it would take a considerable time to sift it and arrive at a conclusion. Replying to Dr. Thacker, Hon. Nosworthy said the prospects for the next harvest were good. Steps would be taken to see that there ■ was sufficient wheat in the country till the new harvest comes in. Replying to Mr. Smith (Waimarino) who asked what was being done to relieve the shortage of rail- j way trucks, Mr. Massey said trucks I were being distributed to various parts of the Dominion according to the urgency of the work and the , perishable nature’ of the goods to be handled. He repeated the statement made some weeks ago that a costract had been let to a British firm for the construction of 2500 trucks. In addition to this, they were inviting tenders for the construction of one thousand trucks in New Zealand and a number were also being built in the railway workshops, so that he hoped the

i shortage would soon be overtaken. In this connection he also desired to say that a contract for twenty-five engines had been let in Britain, and it had been thought desirable to increase that number to forty-five, which would considerably relieve the situation. Replying to Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Massey said so far as he knew wool sales would be held in New Zealand next season, and he presumed the prices ruling at these sales would govern the prices of wool supplied to woollen factories. INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION. The Labour Bills Committee reported that the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill would be allowed to proceed. Mr. Sullivan said he objected to clause 3, because it would allow people who were not partibs to a dispute, and who might not be closely affected, to appear before the Conciliation Council or Arbitration Court and take part in the proceedings. Had such a clause been embodied in the earliest labour legislatiou it would have been possible to prevent any union obtaining an award. It seemed to be the outcome of the clerks’ dispute at Christchurch. He also objected to clause 4, which would justify disgruntled workers who did not want to join a union in forming another union. It was going to strike a blow at unionism and encourage "black legism.” He described the clauses as trades union "ratting” legislation, and declared that the Government would be driving the workers to other methods than unionism. Mr. Bartram said the Bill was calculated to destroy unionism. It would not bring industrial peace but industrial warfare, if the Bill was passed as proposed. Then 5700 “scabs” could defeat the wishes of 82,553 loyal unionists. Hou. Herries, at this stage, intimated that he was prepared to drop Clause 4, but he must insist on retaining Clause 3. Mr Parry declared that the Bill was designed to wreck industrial unions. He would prefer to assist in wrecking tns Arbitration Court than that unions should be wrecked. The measure expressed purely and simply the national policy of the Employers’ Federation, which was to split industrial unions. The measure was thoroughly retrograde in character, and would not promoro industrial peace. If the Minister would eliminate Clause 3 as well as 4 he would go a long way towards averting considerable industrial trouble. As a protest against an attempt to destroy unions, Mr McCombs complained that such an important Bill should be brought down in the dying hours ot the session without any evidence being taken from those people most directly affected by the measure Discussion was proceeding at the 5.30 adjournment. The House, resumed at 7.30. Hon. .Herries moved the second reading of the Native Land Amendment and Native Land Claims Adjustment Bill (Native Washing-up Bill). He explained that the measure was to some . extent a compilation of matters that | bird been before the Native Affairs ComI mittee during recent years. There was ] afeo a certain amount of amendment of .native law in the Bill, which he proceeded to explain clause by clause. Mr Ngata said he could give the Bill a certificate of character. It was free from anything of a dubious character. It simply gave effect to recommendations made by a Native Land Court Judge latter inquiry into various matters. Mr I Ngata said it had been whispered trial I the present Minister* of Native Affairs ] might; not be holding that portfolio next i session, and he wished to record His ] high appreciation of Sir Wm. Heroes’ I work for the natives. At one time he Iliad thought the Minister’s policy cold land callous, but in recent years he hao I revealed a spirit of justice and mercy • in dealing with native affairs that evoltled the respect of the natives. Mr Ngata | hoped Sir Wm. Herries would see 'his way to retain the portfolio. He concluded by hoping the consolidation of native land laws would lie completed at an early date. Si:* Wm. Hemes, replying, referring to Clause 9, enabling the Court to partition the Mawhera Block (which the Native Affairs Committee struck out), said lie was willing to have it reinstated if all those locally interested could be induced to agree. Ho must, however, abide by the decision of the majority. Sir Wm. Herries said he hoped legislation passed during his term cf office, providing among other things for the establishment of a Native Public Trust Office, would do a great deal towards clearing up many of the difficulties connected with native affairs. He j believed he could leave a clean sheet it I lie retired from the office In conclusion, he referred to t'he visit of the Prince of Wales, who had expressed great appreciation of the wonderful welcome given him by the natives. He (Sir Wm. Herries) wished to thank the native members, Sir .lames Carroll, and other native leaders for the fine assistance they had given in this connection. Tlie Bill was read a second time. EDUCATTON AMENDMENT. Hon, Parr, in moving the second reading of the Education Amendment I Bill, said it made only small amendments. It was not a pretentious Bill, but he hoped it would produce improvements in educational methods and administration, and mark the beginning of a forward policy. He hoped to seo more done in the matter of raising the school age and providing for compulsory continuation instruction. Ho regretted the large proportion of children who left t'he primary schools without reaching the Sixth Standard or its equivalent, and hoped the proposals in the Bill would enable these to be caught before it was too late. The Minister explained what had been done regarding teachers’ grading. Seventy-five pvr cent, of the teachers wanted gradii as shown by the recent poll, when out of 3800 teachers 2971 voted, the result being for the Bill 2200; I against 771. Tne measure proposed the ! abolition of the right of a scholarship or bursary 'holder to use it in a private or denominational school, also to abolish the State subsidy to such schools for tuition of scholarship holders. They must do nothing that might weaken the national school system. The Bill proposed to classify secondary school teachers. Mr Sidey said the Bill did not come up to his expectations, but he hoped it would prove the forerunner of further leforms which the Minister would be able to carry into effect before the end of this Parliament. Mr Malcolm claimed that the Bill contained several reforms which he had advocated in years past. Unfor-

tunately it still failed to remedy the system of payment of teachers on the average attendance at a school, which he considered antiquated and unfair. He doubted the wisdom of extending the age of compulsory attendance at school up to fifteen years. He further condemned the practice of giving home lessons to children attending primary schools, to which practice he attributed many nervous breakdowns amongst young people. Mr Masters said that to say he was disappointed with the Bill was to express himself mildly after the statements which the Minister had made from time to time in various places. It was composed mainly of machinery clauses, and the opinions of the School Committees’ Association and the Education Boards had been disregarded, and when their representatives came before the committee to give evidence they were told they must be slick about it, as there were only seven minutes in which they could place the deliberations of the recent conference before the committee. Mr Nash supported the Bill, and hoped that the Minister would stick to his guns. Mr McNicol said it was evident that control of education was rapidly passing out of the hands of the people. Mr Smith complained that the effect of the Bill would he to further whittle away the powers of education boards and school committees. Mr Holland moved as an amendment that the Bill be referred back to the Education Committee in order that it may consider the question of .deleting the present scholarship clauses and substituting proposals whereby all scholarships would be abolished and education in national institutions would be wholly free, and under which there would be no bar to a child’s progress other than his own ability to pass examinations. This was seconded by Mr Bartram. Discussion was continuing when the Telegraph Office closed. .