KPARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 170, 18 July 1907, Page 3

KPARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

(Py T elesrapi--P^ Eeporter.y

Wednesday. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. The afternoon sitting was devoted to discussing answers to questions. Among noticed was thai ol the, North Auckland railway. * Mr Poole (Auckland West) said he: fe lt 'it Ms duty to refer to the equalisation of the railway mileage in both the islands. 'Ihey were glad that, the Main Trunk line was being poshed. en to completion after protracted delay, bat there was the Main Trunk line north, of Auckland to be rera-embered. It was a necessity, for owing to the lack of metal there, the roads were almost unusable, for many months in the year. The Premier. Teplying to various observations, said 'an enormous number of little improvements were demanded on j the railways. He bad once totalled upj the cost of carrying out these small j alterations. The total reached £2,000,----000 The question of a new post oftice at Pukekohe was down for favourable, consideration. The Hon. MeGowan. Minister for rub- ; !ic Works, and the Hon. Geo. Fowlds. ; Minister for Education, also replied. The \ latter, dealing with a. suggestion from j Mr. EU (ChristcauTch) thai land owners catting up their estates should be compelled to provide a school site, said a J preferable course would be to load the vhole of the estate with the cost of a school site, HOLIDAYS. Mr. Major (Hawera) moved the second reading ot the Public and Bank Holidays Bfll, which provides that when ajny of seven holidays specified in the Jail fall on any other day than on a Monaay, the following Monday shall be observed as a holiday instead. Mr. T. Mackenzie {Waikouaiti) de- j dared -that banking institutions should be j included in the Shops and Offices Act.. The motion -was adopted without further discussion, and the bill referred tothe Labour Bills' Committee. FARRIERY. Mr. Major's bill, providing for registration of farriers, was read a second time, practically without discussion. i LIGHTS ON VEHICLES. Another measure of familiar aspect introduced by Mr. Major, having as its object the making of nnif orm regulations i all over the colony enforcing the carrying , of lights by vehicles at night, was Tead & second time. COAL MIXES. The second reading of tne Coal Mines: Act Amendment Bill (Mr. Colvin) was taken pro forma, the measure being referred to the Mines Committee. KQXIOfS WEEDS' AMENTVMEXT BILL The House went into committee on. the JCosdous Weeds Amendment Bill (Mx. B. Mackenzie), which seeks to force every local authority to clear noxious weeds from all lands aad roads under its control. Several members intimated that they would support the measure, if the member in charge of i; would consent to the exclusion from its operation of the areas represented by the speakers.

Mr. "VCilford (Hutt) Trent a step further, in moving that; the bill apply only io .Nelson province, front which Mr. Slack enzie haiL-.

This was carried by 31 votes to 27 and Mr. MacKenzie then moved to re port progress.

Mr. Massey (Franklin) said au amendment of the Act required, making it clear that so long as a man kept weeds from seeding or flowering, he would not be breaking the law. The Government was one of the grextest sinners. Recently forty farmers were fined at Pukekone ior infringements of the Noxious Weeds' Act, though blackfberries were actually growing luxuriantly in the Courthouse enclosure at the time.

The Hon. R. HcXab, Minister for lands, said he realised that the power possessed by the Minister to cope with, the question was insufficient, and he hoped to submit proposals to the House to deal with it systematically on basis that they should not compel individual owners to struggle -with the.' pest in any district where ihe State itself was not able to take over the question so far as. its lands were concerned. The motion ±o report prcjrress was adopted. POKE FOODS -RTT.t;. The House considered the Pura iFoods Bill (Hon. G. Fowlds) in committee. The-Alrnister intimated that he proposed Io add a 6ai>-cianse by -which -sv«Il-kiiown. ertieko of food, which had been estab£shed for years,-conld be exespted the operation of dause 12, requiring the i vendor to disclose tbe nature- of any 'adulteration. He added that-lbe-eseep- - ferns would be made by Order-in. Council, which -»o3ild..»be tritadravcn if it--was »>nnd that the article fell below- the* Bsoal'standard.

A good-deal, of objeetioißrwas -taken to* eknse 13, providing that it should be* no- defence to a—ebarge of-adulteration, that the offence-was unintentional, and &H siapTTr)mejit-jgras mov-ec£<- ma-king iack r of fawe-ledge-» good defence. Ths Hon. G«o. Kowlds pointed out ttat retailers Tould protect themsehies ■. *J" a Trarranty-frorn: ihe wholesale merchant, who, ha-ring. continuous, dealings-: tie manufacturers, had the best dianee of secsririg -a whoLesom-e-tarticleJ U it was-insioted -upon. The amendment vas' mgultvavji, but' to the drrision the clause.Out by 29 votes to 28.

i Ths -House-adjouraed ,, at midnight.