NOTES FROM THE HOUSE. PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 35, 28 August 1902, Page 20

NOTES FROM THE HOUSE. PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT.

The whole of Tuesday afternoon was taken up with the answering of qneations and the transaction of formal business. In the evening the Acting-Premier moved the second reading of the Bank Holidays Bill, which fixes the bank holidays as follows .-—New Year's Day, Good Friday, the day after Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit- Monday, Christmas Day, the day after Christmas Day, St. Patrick's, St. Gaorge'p, and St. Andrew's Days, the Sovereign's Birthday, Prince of WaWs Birthday, and Labor Day. Mr Pirani pointed out that there was no provision in the Bill to prevent bank authorities keeping their employes at work on holidays. Sir J. G. Ward, in reply, said the point raised by Mr Pirani required consideration. He agreed with the opinion of a previous speaker that there should be a limit to the hours worked by bank employes ; but if a clause were inserted in the Bill stipulating that no work whatever must be done inside banks on holidays it might result in great inconvenience to the public and to the Colony. Communications he had received showed that bank employes were completely in accord with the provisions of the Bill. The second reading was agreed to on the voices. The Hon. Mr Rigg's Tied Houses Bill, a summary of whioh appeared recently in our columns, passed its second reading in the Counoil on Wednesday afternoon. The Transport Commission has decided to exclnde the Press and public from its sittings. Some members resent this, and voiced their grievance in the House on Wednesday afternoon, but they got little satisfaction, as it was pointed out that the Commissioners were within their rights in acting thus. A Parliamentary annual, in the shape of the Elective Executive Bill, wan again before the House on Wednesday evening, wlu-n Major Steward moved its second reading. If perseverance would win success the hon. gentleman should have been in a position to get this measure passed into law, for session after session has it been introduced only to be rejected, a fate, sal to say, whioh overtook it on the present occasion. The voting was 19 for, and 35 against. On Thursday evening the House considered the Bank Holidays Bill in committee. Several amendments were proposed and negatived on the voices, among these being one by Mr Arnold that Whit Monday and the Saints' days be struck out of list of bank holidays.

On the motion of Mr Pirani the following clause was added :— 'If any bank employee be employed in the ordinary oourse of business by any bank on bank holidays the banker shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £5 for eaoh offence in respect of each bank employee so employed.'

On Friday afternoon an Imprest Supply Bill for £475,000 was introduced in the House, and after a diaoussion whioh lasted five hours passed through all its stages. Several unimportant measures were advanced stages, t»nd the Houp<? rose at 2 a.m. on Saturday.