PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 962, 1 November 1910, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

THE HOUSE. TWO BILLS INTRODUCED, When 'the Honso. resumed its sittings yesterday leave to introduce tho following Bills was granted:— Seamen and. Shipping Act Amendment BM(Hoii. Mr." Millar)/ Noxious Woods Amendment Bill (Hon. T. Mackenzie). COUNTIES ACT, AMENDMENT. The Hon. E. M'KENZIE gave notice of his intention to movo on next sitting day for leave to introduce the Counties Act Amendment Bill.. PUBLIC WORKS AMENDMENT BILL. Replying to the Hon. Sir Wm. Steward, the Hon. E. M'Kenzie stated that it was intended this session to introduce a Public Works Amendment Bill. NAPIER THEATRE SITE. ' Leave was asked by Mr. J. V. Brown, Napier, to havo tho Napier Municipal Theatre and Buildings Bill referr 1 back to the Local Bills Committee. Since the Bill was'before, the committee, said Mr. Brown, further information had come to hand which prompted him to make the above application. The Bill was referred back to the committee for further consideration. TARANAKI SCHOLARSHIPS. The amendments made to the Taranaki Scholarships Amendment Bill in committee were agreed to without discussion, and the Bill was read a third time and passed. ■ • OPIUM AMENDMENT BILL. The Opium Amendment Bill was put .through its. third reading stage and passed without discussion. ■ , KAURI GUM INDUSTRY. AN AMENDING BILL. . The House was engaged.practically the whole of the afternoon and part of the evening in consideration of the Kauri Gum Industry Bill. On the motion that the Bill be committed, Mr. STALLWORTHY (Kaipara) quoted figures to show the value of the kauri gum industry.' It had been stated that the industry was a declining one, but during tho past ten years we had exported five and a quarter million pounds worth of kauri gum. The quantity exported during that time was eighty thou-1 sand tons, of an averago value of £S0 18s. per ton. In 1909 the export was eight thousand tons, of a value.of'\£ss2,Goo.. .At tho time of Mr. Clow's report five thousand persons were employed regularly on the gumiields. and three thousand persons were employed casually. Ho welcomed the . power given to make regulations for grading. ■ During the past ten years the average value of gnm exported had been sixtyseven pounds per ton, but the digger had received thirty-five pounds at the outside, and sometimes very much less. Suggestions by Mr. Bollard. Mr. BOLLARD (Eden) .suggested that the diggers should be allowed to get forty acres on the homestead system, to enable them to make homes on the far lands of the north. It was'a common complaint amongst diggers that they were cheated, and that merchants wore making large profits on the London and American markbts at their expense. He thought that this question • might be settled by the Government buying a quantity of gum, preparing it for the London and American markets,", and sending it Home. ,'■ Actual figures . would then be available to show what, the profits were. Mr. MASSEY endorsed these two suggestions. He thought that forty or fifty,acres was not too-large a quantity of land to allow, a digger,-in.view of the fact that gum/land .was invariably poor. The vesting'of "so -much''''control 1 in the Commissioner of Crown Lands was a retrograde step. He thought that after the cost of administering the Act hod been deducted there would be very little to hand back to the local bodies. He had no sympathy'with'those who came to New Zealand meaning to make money as quickly as possible and clearing out again. At the same time, some of the best settlers in the north of Auckland peninsula were Austrians and Dalmatians. At the Puhoi settlement, for instance, there was an excellent type of industrious settler, and no difficulty shonld-be placed in the way of naturalisation. Question of Shipping. -~'.' Mr. MANDEK (Marsden)' thought one shipment would not be sufficient to test the market, as a specially good or specially poor market might be chanced upon. .Mr.'E. H. TAYLOR (Thames) said the/ suggestion that .'when the land became worked out the diggers should be allowed to cultivate it was a good one. It was time that the State stepped in and nationalised the industry, grading, and marketing the gnm. . Mr. H'. V. REED (Bay of Islands) said that the Bill did not go quite so far as he would have liked, but if was a valuable measure. ■ The Hon. J. A. MILLAR said that there was an objection to Mr. Bollard's proposal to. give diggers forty acres of land. Some of tho gum land was of quite good quality,- and the Government must be'careful in dealing with it. • The Government had no intention of nationalising the' industry, but it had taken power to make regulations for grading I gum, and would go into the matter to tee if some' practicable scheme could be evolved. • The difficulty was that gum was sold to storekeepers all over the peninsula. If it came into one central store there would be no difficulty. The reason why control was being taken from the local bodies and vested in the Commissioner for Crown Lands was that tho local ' bodies had expended all the revenue thoy derived, under the Act on roads, etc., outside the reserves. The Commissioner would see that the reserves were properly marked out. Several minor amendments were made in Committee. i Mr. EEBD moved an addition to enable the Government to undertake tho ; draining of swamps. Mr. Stallvorthy ' supported ' the proposal. Tho 1 Hon. J. A. MILLAR refused to accept the amendment, and' said if it wore carried he could not proceed further with the Bill. Such a proposal should be embodied in a separate Bill, when details of cost, etc.. could be furnished to the House. It was true tho power was permissive, .but when permissive' powers were given to a Government, pressure was always brought on it to exercise that power. The amendment was lost. on the voices. The Bill was then reported lo the House.

MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS. NEW BILL DISCUSSED. The Municipal Corporations Amendment Bill was further considered in Committee^ At Clause 6, 'which defines those eligible to stand for election to a municipality, the Minister moved an addition that neither a director nor a general manager of a company should be cliMr'. WILFORD did not think this would meet the case. Ho thought the following words should bo added: Provided, further, that the accepting of corporation advertisements by _ a newspaper in which a mayor or councillor is interested shall not constitute disqualification. Mr. LUKE (Wellington Suburbs) took the opportunity of pointing out that wherever the firm with which he was associated was tendering, or, rather, when the tenders were being accepted, he left the council chamber. During the wholo of his public life he had never known a councillor act other than in the public interest on the Wellington City Counoil. Ho failed to see why a newspaper proprietor should have moro privileges than a director of an engineering or- any other firm. An Anomaly. Mr. JAS. ALLEN (Bruce) thought the proposal of the Minister would prevent snme of the best-fitted men in citi'cs"-and

towns from becoming members of municipal bodies. " It simply meant that a shareholder of a company could be a mayor or councillor, and a director could not. Peoplo should not bo so limited in their choice of members: It was a question of who could bo elected, not who- could tender. The MINISTER, in reply to various points raised, snid tho disability did not apply to casual work by a firm, but only to those firms having contracts for supplies already entered into. There was | nothing in the Bill to prevent newspapers taking advertisements. If the clause was carried, he proposed to add a proviso clearly exempting nowspapers. On a division", the Minister's amendment was agreed to by'4l to 19. The MINISTER, in reply to .Mr. T. E. Taylor, said he had found that his proposed amendment in regard to newspapers was premature. Mr. WILFORTJ moved an amendment to Clnuse 9, dealing with separate hank accounts, to provide that a special book account be kept for each separate undertaking or loan. Tho amendment was agreed to on the voices. Overdrafts. Mr. WILFORD, in obiecting to the proviso to Clnuse 10, dealing with overdrafts, remarked that if the Wellington City Council, for instance, was engaged in -operations which would require the expenditure of more than was owing in revenue for the current year. they, would be in trouble. It meant that tho four centres, which were working on overdrafts, would have to go and raise loans and put a permanent charge on the ratepayers.' He moved that the first line of the proviso be strusk out. This would mean killinrr the proviso. The MINISTER did not think there was any ground for the objection raised. He thought the proviso was in the right direction, and would make nrovision for raising a loan when anything special came up. Mr. FRASER (Wnkatinu) said he could understand the difficulties, but he was not inclined to give any further powers in the direction Mr. MYERS (Auckland East) said he took-it'Hint the object of the clause was to prevent councils living/above their revenue. He said it was very difficult to follow the exact trend of clauses brought up offhand, and' he suggested that a committee should be set up of men experienced in' public life to go through the amendments. It would take a few hours, .but he was sure it would bo time well spent. He did not think councils should be restricted to such an extent that they would not be given reasonable latitude to work by way of overdraft from time to time. Law Should be Left Alone. Mr. JAS. ALLEN (Bruce) .thought the law as it stood was very satisfactory, and should be left alone. Ho. thought the Minister- should let the clause go. Sir W. J. STEWARD (Waitaki) asked the Minister where the clause had originated. He had not heard of any municipal conference asking, for it. . , The MINISTER said it had been found that the existing law would allow funding and funding again, and - the Audit Department . , found - great difficulty in dealing with the matter. It was important that ratepayers should blow exactly where they stood. Replying to tho suggestion as" to a special committee thrown out by Mr. Myers, the Minister said this had been considered. They must just fight away at it until it was through. Mr. FRASER (Wakatipu) asked the Minister for a specific answer as to whether there had ever been a-single instance where a local body had' funded its overdraft, and had funded again. The Minister said it was proposed to prevent this being done, and if had never yet occurred. Mr. T. E.- .TAYLOR (Christchurch North) said it was clear, that the Minister could not quote a case in answer to Mr. Fraser's question. He opposed tho Bill being sent to a special committee. Tf it did it.would irot be seen again this session. Amendment Carried Against Minister, On a division the proposal: to strike out the first line of the proviso was carried by 34 to 2S, and the ' clause was struck out. ' The proviso read as under:—Provi_ded,.,that the , amount, borrowed and owing by "the council on any of its accounts shall not at any time exceed tho estimated revenue of that account for the current year endinc March 31. nor shall it at the end of March in any year exceed the amount of revenue accruing for that year, and payable into that account, and then outstanding and legally recoverable. There, was spme. discussion on Clause IG, relating \o the mode, of entering into contracts. '. Mr. WILFORD (Hutt) moved as an amendment that the clyise be .deleted with a view to tho substitution of the following :—"No contract made by .'a council shall be invalid by reason only that it. is not made in the manner provided by Section 132 of the.principal Act and if such contract has been made in pursuance or to give. effect to a resolution of the council." Ho 'pointed out that it had been held that a contract was invalid merely because it did not bear the spdl of the corporation. . . The MINISTER said that he would accent the alteration, which was adonted. Mr. SMITH fßangitikoi) moved an amendment to Clause ■ 20, to the effect that a council might agree with the Minister for Railways for the construction by the Government of an overhead bridge over a railway. The amendment was agreed to on the voices. Sunday Concerts Mr. WILFORD (Huttt moved an amendment to' the effect, that any house deemed to be unfit for occupation may he dealt with within two years without the necessitv for the certificate mentioned in Section 291 of the Act: . This amendment was also nerecd to. Section 30G of the principal Act provides that no concert or entertainment shall be held on a Sunday without the written consent, of a council. It was proposed under, the Bill that the clause should also apply. to Good Friday' and Christmas Pay. The proposal was adopted by 37 votes to 25. A new clause granting the permissive use of votinc machines was proposed by the Minister, and was nerewl to. . Another new clause adopted was to the effect that a council might make bylaws prescribing the minimum frontage and area of an allotment of land on which a dwellinghouse may be erected in the borough or any specified part. A Betterment Scheme. Mr. CRAIGIE (Timaru) proposed a clause providing a system of betterment in cases where streets were widened, and this was approved. It was agreed, on the motion of Mr. Wilford, that no claim by anv person to be entered upon the district electors' roll of anv .borough, the population of which exceeds three thousand, shall be lodced during the fourteen days nreceding the day on which the said roll is deemed closed in the case of an ordinary election. - . Another clause adopted on the motion of Mr. Wilford was to the effect that in regard to all elections the poll shall close at 7 o'clock. A clause was adopted that a corporation might make by-laws in regard to tho licensing of refreshment, rooms. Under another new clause by-laws may bo made for defining and licensing itinerant traders, not being hawkers or pedlars, and imposing a license fee not exceeding i£s. provided that such shall be refunded if the licensee remains continuously in business in the borough for six months. Councils are to be allowed under another clause to make by-laws permfttfng hawkers and pedlars and keopers of oof-1 fee and other stalls to occupy stands in I such streets and publio places as . tho councils think fit. According to a further clause inserted on tho motion of Mr. Wilford. a council may refuse to issue a license for a common lodging house ot billiard room if satisfied that the proposed licensee -is not a person of good character. Another Ministerial Reverse. Upon a division being taken it was decided by 32 votes to 21 that the Crown and every tenant of the Crown shall bo subject to the provision of the Act concerning the erection, maintenance, repair, or rc-ereetion of buildings and tho drainage and sanitation tlicreof, and to all by-laws made by a corporation concerning these matters. The Hon. D. Buddo then moved to report progress. The Houso adjourned at 2.5 a.m. i