PARLIAMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19364, 22 July 1925, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MOTHERHOOD ENDOWMENT AND PENSIONS BUDGET ON FRIDAY NIGHT (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 21. The House met at 2.30. WASTE OF COAL. Replying to Sir John Luke, the Prime Minister said he, as Minister f> r Railways, would inquire into the wastage in coal carried on the railways He was aware there was a certain amount of wastage and he would consider what steps could be taken to reduce it to the minimum. UNEMPLOYMENT. Replying to Mr McKeon, the Prime Minister said that if the Government subsidised the Wellington City Council to give relief to unemployed the work undertaken should be as far as possible of a national character. The Government could not be expected to merely subsidise the city rates to do work which obviously should be done by the city. In reply to Mr Howard, he said he had authorised some £2OO or £3OO for relief work at Christchurch. Auckland had so far not made any appeal and that city was evidently showing a certain amount of self-reliance. THE BUDGET. Tn reply to Air Wilford the Prime Minister said the Budget, would be brought down on Friday night and the debate would begin the following Tuesday. WORKERS ’ COMPENSATION On the motion of Air Howard the Workers Compensation Amendment Bill was introduced and read a first time, i MOTHERHOOD ENDOWMENT.

Mr Savage moved for leave 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 on having large families. The best immigrant the country could have was the child born in its homes and some of the attention now devoted to breeding racehorses should be devoted to the care of children. The 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 tho Arbitration Court. He anticipated the cost would be about two millions per annum. The Bill was introduced and read a first time. COOK ISLANDS. The Cook Islands Amendment Bill was, on the motion of Sir Maui Pornarc, introduced and read a first time. PENSIONS. The Ministej- of Pensions asked for leave to table the annual repoi'. of the Pensions Department. Mr Wilford complained of want of uniformity in our system and if the Minister could do anything to smooth out this lack of uniformity he would be doing a great deal towards making our pension system less difficult, and more efficient. There was no reason why one woman should receive a larger sum than another just because she came under some other statute. A pension should be paid because of necessity, not because it happened tn come under a. particular statute. He favoured greater powers of reciprocity throughout the Empire and he wanted to see magistrates given greater powers of discretion ami not tied down to the strict wording of the Act so that a greater measure of justice could be done in cases of extreme hardship. Mr Harris urged greater generosity in treatment of sohliers. particularly men afflicted with T.B. and V.D.. If these men could not be assisted out of the Pension Fund could they not be helped out of the. Canteen and Patriotic Fundsf

Mr Holland complained that, the additional 2/6 granted last year could not be paid to all old age pensioners just because they owned some small amount of property or because of some other trifling disability. This extra payment should bo paid to all classes of pensioners. Pensions for the blind should also be liberalised anil anomalies shoub*] be removed from the widows’ pension.

A number of speakers discussed the report, each advocating some extension of the pensions system. The Minister, in reply, said last year he wanted to bring about uniformity in the system but the House would j »'f allow him because that meant reducing some persons’ allowances. He h ped this session to put before the House some principles which would improve the system so that they might be discussed. He eulogised the work done by the Secretary for Pensions, who put in a great amount, of labour and sympathy in the interests of pensioners. It had been said there ought to be more discretion given to the administration of the law. There was no one to whom be would rather give discretion than to the Secretary for Pensions, but he was sure that gentleman would not have it. Magistrates did not want, it. The proper way was for tho House to lay down the principles and for tho officers to carry out those principles. Otherwise there would be too many cases of the heart running away with the head. So far as reciprocity was concerned Australia had not responded to our efforts. So far as the Old Country was concerned he would have nothing to do with reciprocity unless the Old Country agreed to increase the pensions for their own people, otherwise we would simply be flooded with their pensioners because we pay higher pensions than they do. He was considering the question of treating blind persons who wore not. born in New Zealand but who had lived in New Zealand twenty-live years. They should be entitled to a pension.

So far as miners’ phthisis pensions were concerned, be considered the only safe basis of invalidity pension was contributory basis. He thought, that, the Pensions Department was being worked with great, economy and efficiency and was a striking tribute to the organising ability of the Secretary of the Depart ment. The paper was tabled. CHILD WELFARE BILL. The Hon. Sir James Parr moved the second • reading of the Child Welfare Bill. In doing so he retraced the explanation given to the House when the Bill was introduced, again stressing the advantage of the boarding out system of orphan children as against housing them in disciplinary institutions. The House adjourned at 5.30. When the House resumed at 7.30 Mr Wilford said all that the Minister was trying to do through the medium of the children’s court was already being done in Wellington for months past. It may be there was no legislative authority for this but the fact remained it was being doin' and this Bill would not advance matters in Wellington one bit. Il was a pity we did not have women justices in New Zealand for he had seen them administering justice in America and he had seen nothing but substantial justice done. He wanted to sop women’s courts here 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 there was nothing of that, sort in the Bill.

Mr Holland maintained that the children’s court should not be near the ordinary courthouse ami ordinary uniformed policemen should not be employed about this court. Ho regretted our legislation in connection with the mentally deficient was so backward. He wanted tn see not only women justices appointed but he would like to sec 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 the Minister who so frequently denounced social ism now fathering the measure. That degree of repentence was welcome. Mr Lysnar thought provision in the Bill that the children’s court was to be presided over by special justices and magistrates was wise. Mr Jordan urged that every effort be made to avoid the tendency to treat defincient children as criminals. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Education Committee for inquiry and report. IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRIES The House then went into committee on the Iron and Steel Industries Amendment Bill which was reported without amendment, 3955, read a third time and passed WEIGHTS AND MEASURES The Weights and Measures Bill was next taken in committee. Considerable opposition was shown to clause 16 compelling exposure to the buyer of the weights and measures used. Practical difficulties were pointed out. particularly in connection with the grocery trade and the Minister promised to have the clause recast. Air Masters contended the Bill should be made to apply to wholesalers rath r than to retailers because it was the wholesaler who packed the goods. If the Bill applied to wholesale merchants there would be some sense in it. The Minister promised to make it apply to wholesale merchants as well as to the retailers. Considerable discussion took place on clause 2(1 dealing -with goods sold by net weight or measure, several members contending that tins containing 14 instead of 16 ounces were a “confidjonce ” trick upon the public who believed they were purchasing lib tin. The Minister gave his assurance that he would have the whole matter looked 'into again by experts and the. remainder of the clauses were passed unamended. The House rose at 11.24 till 2.30 tomorrow.