N.Z. PARLIAMENT

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8144, 21 April 1931, Page 3

N.Z. PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MEETS RAILWAYS AMENDMENT BILL THE MEASURE PASSED By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, th'.a day. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday and passed a motion recording appreciation of the faithful services rendered New Zealand by the late Mr A. W Hall, member for Hauraki, and expressing sympathy with the relatives. The House then adjourned till 7.30 as a mark of respect io deceased.

On resuming urgency was accorded the passing of the Government Railways Amendment Bill, which was thereupon further considered in committee. Mr C, G. Black moved to delete the sub-clause which necessitates a report from the Railways Board and its approval by Parliament before the resumption of work on any railway, which at the time of the passing of the Act had been suspended .

Mr W. D. Lysnar supported the amendment and said the question whether work should be resumed should be taken out of the hands of the board altogether. Mr Black’s amendment was defeated by 35 votes to 17. POWERS OF BOARD The Prime Minister (Hon. G. W. Forbes) then moved to insert a new sub-clause providing that at any time within one year after the commencement of the Act the board might submit to the Minister a report on any railway, or part of a railway then under construction (construction having been begun before the commencement of the Act), recommending that the work of construction be not further proceeded with, or that it be carried out to such an extent only as is recommended by the hoard, and that the Minister should as soon as practicable after receiving such report present it to Parliament, and both Houses should pass a resolution approving the recommendation of the board that no further work in connection with such railway, or part of a railway, should thereafter be carried out, save in accordance with the recommendation of the ooard.

Messrs E. F. Healy and J. Makitanara intimated their intention to vote against the amendment and urged that the work of completing the South Island main trunk railway should proceed. The sub-clause was adopted by 35 votes to 16, and the whole clause dealing with construction was then passed by 3 4 votes to 17. A further division was taken on the clause giving the board power to close unprofitable lines, the clause being retained by 36 votes to 16. SALARIES OF STAFF When the clause giving the board power to appoint the staff of the department and temporary employees was under consideration Mr M. J. Savage said provision was made in the case of permanent employees that the classification list and scales of salaries should be subject to the approval of the Governor-Genet al-in-Council, but these was nothing to protect temporary employees. He asked Mr Forbes whether he would agree to insert a'proviso that their rates of remuneration and conditions of employment should be at least equal to those provided for in the classification list.

Mr Forbes said there should be no reason to fear that the board would not treat temporary employees reasonably. Mr Savage said he was not satisfied to leave the matter at that, and moved an amendment seeking to insert the proviso he had previously outlined. The amendment was rejected by a 5 votes to 16. The remaining clauses were then puth through without discussion and the Bill, with amendments, was reported to the House at 1 a.m., read a third time on the voices by 33 votes to 15, and passed. The House rose at 1.25 a.m.