PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 246, 10 July 1908, Page 9

PARLIAMENT.

MORE ABOUT ARBITRATION; LOAN BILL DEBATEWELLINGTON. HARBOUR BOARD BILL. ■'/- DISCUSSION, ON CORONER'S ' , INQUESTS. The Legislative Council yesterday spent a couple of -. strenuous hours 'on tho arbitration question. -Tho Hon. G: Jones favoured Mr. Rigg's idea of. causing unions to give a guarantee wlion iuiVaward is made, but wished to go further, and make all- - the unions in the . Dominion guarantee all agreements. Tho Hon.. J. Barr, tho Christchurch. Labour member,- gave the Council some, results of his experience■ as a stonemason.,, Having been through big -strikes overseas, ho had not seen anything worth calling a strike'in this .country.,. T Ho was utterly opposed to the /exertion; wage idea; and believed that'his own observation when his ■ employers put ,him : in ;Jhe; position • ofVa pacemaker showed just how,\it;. would result.: The men,: straining',to earn a few mora shillings, would be' in health and constitution,' and • prematurely" worn out.. The Attorney-General,: whose' interjections • - did much to-inake .the;-sittinglively one; • reminded ;hun, ; that. 'the'',sys ( tem.swould. be..op-' tiorial, but Mr- Barr' Teplied that the workers would need ,to bo protected against themselves. He was convinced that the. great body- of .organised -'labour.: was. strongly l attached . to.- the'.' arbitration'' system,' buthe thought : the v 'employers. -.- really wished 7 the ropeal of tho Act. • ;;

The first -Ijalf-hour .in': the Houso in the aiternoon was occupied in hearing Mr; T. Wilford's • remarks / introductory to the second, reading of' the: Wellington Harbour Board Reclamation:- 'and " Empowering Bill. After all facts connected with 'the proposed loan of £1,000,000, arid tho necessity for. . a betterment clauses in ' regard to • Mirainar lands, bad been suhnntted,' and Mr. Wilford had explained that 'the : petitioners against the acquisition .of the Patent Slip had withdrawn any to 'the■ second reading of; the Bill,'the reading was moved. Speaker) after Messrs., Massey. and Pisheir had' spoken on the • point; expressed d<?ubt : as .;t'd. . whether. the Bill bad beenrightly introduced as ,a private ; Bill, and ordered it _tio be referred to the Joint- Committee.: on,. Standing Orders to ,be classified.. This means that the Bill will, be > delayed in its passage; possibly'it| may require to be! reintroduced as a public Bill. \ ' The Government' Loaii' Bill for £1,250,000, published yesterday, was nest . under discussion, the Premier proposing, its second reading. . A Jengthy. debate. ensued on financial matters, : the main feature of which was the 1 Premier's ■ submission of .the Dominion's, returns for the last quarter. .' The' figures: showed an increase in. the net revenue, over last year of £6892, notwithstanding the decrease of £80,847 in .the . Customs revenue" for that period': compared with last year. _ Mr.. Massey- lodged ,a -protest against . the Loan Bill being introduced .before the ■ derails of proposed : expenditure wero-.pre-sented, but the Premier explained that; the procedure, this- year -was in accordance ■ with in be '= held ;.when .the fsVatemCnt is-introduced.. The Incorporated Societies; Bill was' read a third time, also the New Zealand Accountants Bill, .and the Pawnbrokers' Charges Billrwas :read a second, time. . -

During l tho evening the House decided, on the motion of Mr. Izard, that coroners, but; not- their juries shpuld,;be. required to view the body, and at :Sir. 'William Steward's suggestion that the right to hold an inquest without a jury should not extend to deputy coroners arid Justices 'of the Peace. Dr. and; Mr.\. Wilford : insisted on the' . value ofTposfc mortem .examinations. . The Bill' passed, through committee as amended. Sir . Joseph Ward's- Civil Service Amendment Bill elicited an interesting discussion on the miking; 6f appointments to the Public Service. It passed iti second reading'on the 1 voices,: and after receiving, the Friendly Societies. Bill and the Second Ballot Bill by. Governor's: Messago and reading them a < first time, the 'House roso at the comparatively early hour of II o'clock.