PARLIAMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19365, 23 July 1925, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 22. The House met at 2.30 p.m. MR CORRIGAN INTERROGATED. After the transaction of formal business the Prime Minister rose and said: A few evenings ago, when the member for Patca was speaking on the Address-in-Reply, he suggested that a certain member or members of the Cabinet wore in some way interested in land on the Henderson line to the detriment of the State. He understood the hon. member was making inquiries as to the accuracy or otherwise of the information on which his statement was based, and he. would like the hon. gentleman to tell lhe House whether his information confirmed or otherwise his statement. He had no desire to make unnecessary fuss about the matter, but it was a well established custom of the House th.it when charges were made they should be- cleared up as speedily as possible. They must preserve the honour and integrity of members.

Mr Corrigan said he was making inquiries, and as soon as information came to hand he would certainly make a statement to the House. He had no desire to do an injustice to anyone, nor did he want injustice to be done to himself. If he was in the wrong he would be man enough to apologise. The remainder of the afternoon sitting was taken up with discussion on Minister’s answers to questions. Amongst others the following are some answers to questions asked during the week: That, regulations governing the erection and use of electric lines arc. now being revised. It is proposed to lay down instructions therein to ensure the safety of painters and others working on buildings, ami to provide for protection from contact with service wires. That the electoral law provides for prosecution if there is unlawful default to apply for registration by those persons who have so far not registered. They may rest assured that if they can give, any reasonable, excuse, for such failure their application, if in order, will be accepted. That a suggestion that a central organisation should be, formed for the. after care of prisoners has had the. Department’s attention, but. in view of the line work carried on by prisoners’ aid societies and the Salvation Army (both subsidised by the Government) ami probation officers, it. is considered that the existing arrangement should not for the present be disturbed. That it is proposed 1o Gazette regulations under the provisions of the Health Act regarding the use of white lead in paint. That it is not proposed to prohibit night work in bakeries. That it is proposed to introduce a Bill taking into account the recommendations of the committee on mental defectives. The. permanent heads of the Health Department and th*' Mental Hospitals Department, and Sir Donald McGavin, a member of the committee, who are now in England, have been asked to inquire, specially into this problem with a view to ensuring that legislation will be in a form likely to prove practically workable and effcc-

That the High Commissioner is in direct touch with Spahlinger, and reports all fresh information received by him in connection with the Spahlinger treatment. He has. however, been again asked to make inquiry and forward information in this connection. According to last advice, Spahlinger was not. in a position to give supplies of his preparations. The House adjourned at 5.30. SHEARERS’ ACCOMMODATION. M hen the House, resumed at 7.30 Mr Langstone moved tho second reading the Shearers Accommodation Amendment Bill which he explained sought to improve the, living conditions of shearers. The Bill provides that the ■'iiiing rooms where shearers are given their meals shall be adequately provided with tables and seating accommodation. ( nder no circumstances shall anyone sleep in a dining room. Proper washing and bathing facilities shall be provided, including an ample supply of hot ami cold water, including a washhouse and copper. Under no circumstances shall a killing pen be less than three hundred yards from the dining and sleeping quarters. Killing pens shall have concrete floors and shall be provided with an adequate water supply and fly-proof safes. .Mr Langstone said these amendments were necessary to bring New Zealand con dilions up to the level of Queensland. Mr Langstonc quoted lengthily from reports on the conditions in districts where Maoris were employed to show that, improvements were required, but said ail the improvements asked for would not bo demanded at once. The Minister for Lands said he did not intend to object to the provisions of the Bill. If any undesirable conditions existed it was time they were remedied, but if they existed some inspectors must be responsible. Therefore, ho felt there were sufficient powers under tho present laws to bring about all the improvements asked for. Mr Perry said there were a few employers who did not treat the men properly and those who did give employees full consideration would not be affected. If there were not very real need for the Bill it. would not be before the House now. The Minister for Lands pointed out in many cases accommodation for shearers was only needed for a week or two per year. Most of the large stations, however, had quite as good accommodation as anyone could desire in such, circumstances. The Bill would have lhe fullest, consideration from the Agricultural Committee, if it wont before them. Mr Holland said information supplied to Labour members showed the improvements asked for in the Bill were needed. There were authentic cases, for instance, of men being required to sleep in dining rooms. In others, men had to sleep in kitchens and there, were cases, particularly in the native districts, whore no provision was made for the separation of

The Prime Minister sa»kl no doubt, there wore some instances whore conditions wore not as they should be. He hoped, however, that in applying the regulations, especially with regard to the location of killing pens, some elasticity should bo permitted. The Minister for Labour ffeid all that was asked for could bo accomplished by regulations under the existing Act, Messrs Armstrong and O’Brien supported the Rill. Mr Langstone sbid the present Act did not apply to small sheds and this Bill simply sought to secure decent conditions for men employed therein. The Bill was read la. second time on i the voices and referred to the Agricultural Committee. COOK ISLANDS BILL Sir Maui Pomaro moved the second reading of the Cook Islands Amendment Bill providing for the transfer of lepers from the Cook Group to leper station in Fiji. The second reading was ctarried without discussion. NURSES AND MIDWIVES In moving the second reading of the [Nurses and Midwives Registration Bill, Sir Maui Pomare, Minister of Health, isaid it was mostly of a consolidating nature. The new provisions are for the setting up of a registration board and for special facilities being given for training maternity nurses. The Bill was read U second time on itho voices. MASSEY BURIAL GROUND I The Massey Burial Ground Bill (constituting Point Halswell the burying ground for the late Primo Minister) was moved by the Hon. Coates and was read a second time. * | In supporting the motion, Mr Willford suggested that the opportunity [should be taken to make a beginning with recording the work of the Prime Ministers by having oil paintings hung in the precincts of Parliament. Mr Coates agreed with the suggestion. which, he said, the Government would be glad to consider fully. ARBITRATION BILL The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill (Hon. Anderson) was read a second time pro forma and referred to the Local Bills Committee. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES The Weights and Measures Bill (Hon. Anderson) was put through the llnal stage, read a third time and passed. LOCAL LEGISLATION BILL l Hon. Bollard (Minister for Internal [Affairs) moved the second reading of tiic Local Legislation Bill to provide ' lor proper means of dealing with minor | matters requiring legislative authority and which were now included in the Washing I p Bill. The latter wtas now assuming such proportions each session that it was felt something should be done to limit the matters included therein.

Mr Veitch protested against the Bill which would take Uway from local bodies the opportunity of validating some little technical error. There were many such matters of great urgency and to require local Bills to be promoted in every case would entail hdavy expenses and delay that might, be fatal to the matter concerned. This Bill permitted too much Ministerial control and its effect, if passed, would be injurious to local bodies. There was no justification for the Bill on the ground that anything improper had ever been done through the Washing Up Bill.

The Hon. Anderson said members had always stacked the Washing Up Bill in the past because those concerned did not know the import of the clauses introduced. This Bill provided that anything introduced should be properly understood in the locality affected. It was really a Washing Up Bill in another form which ensured thut the clauses .received proper publicity. Hon. Buddo thought the Bill involved a. grave departure from precedent, in Parliamentary procedure. He opposed the Bill.

Sir John Luke said the Bill preserved to Parliament all the authority it, had now’ under the Washing Up Bill. After the supper adjournment Mr Veitch asked the Speaker to give a ruling on the latter part of Clause 8, which states: ‘No provision shall be included in the Local Legislation Bill as hereinbefore provided for unless application has been made and notification given in the Gazette as provided by this Act.” Mr Veitch said this part of the clause conflicted w’ith the Standing Orders and rights of members who would not, if this clause passed the House, have the right to move any new clause or amend any existing clause once the Bill had been introduced to the House.

After a brief discussion the Speaker said he was vitually being asked to give the legal effect of the clause, if it passed. He could not. do this but he would say that in every case the Statute Law of the land would override the Standing Orders of the House.

Mr Smith (Taranaki) said most of the clauses which appeared in the ‘‘washing up” Bill had nothing to do with local badies and he asked what was to be done with them. Much of the praise lavished on the Bill was only so much moonshine. The Hon. McLeod said this Bill would not do away with the Washing Up Bill altogether but it would take a great deal of responsibility off the Minister in charge of the Washing Up Bill since he. often had to decide whether clauses were simply emergency clauses or whether they were really local Bills. Mr Sullivan said the House should not give, the Bill a second reading with Clause 8 in it, unless the Minister gave some indication that he -was prepared to amend it. In reply to Mr. Holland, the Hon. Bollard said ho was prepared to amend clause 8 in such a way as to conserve the rights of members to amend Bills. The Hon. Bollard, in reply, said there was no need for members to get nervous about the Bill. It would safeguard the interests of ratepayers inasmuch as the fullest, publicity would have to bo given to proposals by local bodies. There was no attempt to curtail the rights of members under clause 8. That, was designed to prevent surprise clauses, but he would look into it and if necessary make its purpose more clear.

The second reading was agreed to and the Bill was referred to the Standing Orders Committee. The House rose at 12.5 till 2.30 tomorrow.