PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 970, 10 November 1910, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

THE COUNCIL. TUBERCULOSIS AND THE MILK SUPPLY. When the Legislative Council met at 2.30 yesterday afternoon, ' The Hon. Dr. COLLINS (Wellington) asked the following question of the At-torney-General :—"Whether, owing to the importance of the milk-supply to the' inhabitants of the Dominion, the attention of the Government lias been drawn to the following recent statement by the Chief Veterinarian:—'Tuberculosis, declared Jlr. Reakes, was one of the most disastrous diseases, and this would have to bo tackled. They were doing a good deal of work at present in getting rid of many affected animals every year, but tho necessary advance would not be madn against this scourge as long as they rcureil a crop of calves every year on milk which contained tho gorins of tuberculosis. Such milk was plentiful among dairy factories and creameries in- this country, a fact proved by the number of pigs fed on factory skim-milk and whey found to be affected. Tho bane of Bis existence at the present time was the tubercular pig. He was quite satisfied that if dairy factories and creameries throughout: the country would pasteurise their by-products before these were fed to calves and pigs they would not only soon make the trouble in these auimuls of little consequence, but would make an appreciable advance in checking tho spread of the disease in dairy cattle. Mr. Keakes expressed the hope that directorates and owners of dairy factories would take up the matter and install pasteuris-ing-plants without delay. It was a movement that would have to come in this country somehow or another.'" The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, in reply, said that the . Government was fully aware of the position. The whole matter oi'tuberculosis in the lower animals, and its bearing on the public health, was now engaging the most earnest attention of the authorities. The Minister for Agriculture had taken steps to ?ecure information in regard to the intentions of dairy factory proprietors on the pasteurisation of the by-products, so that -the Government, would be in a position to decide as to tho necessity or otherwise of making reform compulsory.

THE WATER POWER SCHEME. The Hon. H. F. WIGRAM (Canterbury) moved the following motion of which he had given notice:—"That tlfis Council congratulates the Government on its policy of conserving the water-powers of Now Zealand for tho benefit of the people, ami recommend that oue proposal only should be selected for immediate installation, and pushed forward to completion before others nre undertaken for the following reasons amongst others: ' —(1) That it is of vital importance in the interests of the conntry that the first installation should be a success; (2) that in embarking, in a new undertaking of so much magnitude, the experience is that unexpected diliiculties are certain to be encountered, which may be lessened or avoided in subsequent operations by tho experience gained in the pioneer experiment; and (3) that apart altogether from the engineering and mechanical problems, it. is very desirable x that practical experience should :be gained regarding the cost of power, tho demand that exists tor same, and other matters as a guido to the requirements of the several districts. -.. Mr. TViffram said he did not suggest that the Government should be bound to any. particular scheme. Hβ recognised that their advisors must direct them in the matter of which scheme was to be started first. The H<». J. -R. SINCLAIR (Otago) sr.it! there seemed to him to be something unusual in a member submitting a motion offering congratulations to Die Government on adopting a particular line of policy. It seemed to him tint on principle it was not a desirable attitude for members to. take up. The motion did not commit'members to any scheme by Jf-me, but it went as far ns possible in that direction without actually nainin" any scheme. The Hon. W. C. SMITH (Hawke's Bay) asked what was the use of passing a Bill authorising the Government to spend money on a number of schemes and then carrying a resolution confining it to'rno only. Everybody knew it was Lake Coleridge the hon. gentleman wanted, although it was not named. (Laughter.) He had just had a report from a competent engineer 'setting out the advantages if lake Waikaremoana which was far superior to anything else in New Zealand. (Laughter.)

The Hon. W. C. F. CAKNCROSS (Taranaki) supported' the motion. Ho thought" one schomo should bo seen through and niado an established success befor» auv otlier schemes were taken up. It was not certain that the Government would take in Lake Coleridge first. It was shown, lie believed, that there was more, demand for power from the Hutt scheme.

The Hon. J. BAER (Canterbury) thought the. Council would bo justified in suggesting that only one scheme should be gone on with until tho success or otherwise of the venture had been proved.

Tho Hon. J. T. PAUL (Ota?o) did not think tho friends of nationalising tho water power would be doing the best thing in supporting the motion. The first scheme might not bo a success and it might not bo the best, but all of tho other schemes might be prejudiced by this one.

The Hon. C. M. LUKE (Wellington) expressed the opinion-that Lako Coleridge would bo ono of tho . most ■•. successful schemes, but there would be others equally successful—Lako Waikaremoana ■ and the Hutt.

The Hous. T. Kelly, E. A. Louglman, W. Beehan, and J. B. Callan also spoke. . The ATTORNEY-GENERAL , said tho net effect of the motion would he to delay all the water schemes'of the Dominion until the first one was in working order, and the working results had been obtained. They might have to wait four or five years before the other powers could be developed. No doubt Lake Coleridge would be one of the first schemes.

The Hon. H. F. 'AVIGRAM objected to remarks made suggesting Ms partisanship for Lake Coleridge. At the samo time, he believed the Coleridge scheme was the best, but he was quite willing to support any scheme the Government _ engineers chose. There would he no difficulty, he thought, in finding the best ono. ■ (Laugh.ter.) Dr. Findlay (jocularly): We have found out that the Hutt is the best. Voices: Who has found out? The Attorney-General: The wise members of the Council. At this stage it was pointed out that the motion had not been seconded. The Hon. C. J. Johnston immediately seconded it. On a division the motion was lost by 16 to 8. STONE QUARRIES. A message was received from the House of Representatives, stating that the House disagreed with one of the amendments made by the Council to the Stone Quarries Bill, viz., the new Clause. 11, providing that the Factories Act shall apply to stone quarries. The House did not think it necessary or desirable that the provisions of. the Factories Act should apply to stone quarnThe ATTORNEY-GENERAL said the view taken by the Crown Law Office was that a stonequnrry might be, but was not necessarily, a factory. He did not think the Council should agree to the omission of the clause without further explanation. It was decided that the Council insist on its amendment, .njid a committee, consisting of the Hons. Dr. Findlay, G. Jones, and J. T. Paul, was appointed to drnw up reasons for insisting on the amendment. LAND SETTLEMENT FINANCE. _ Tho Hon. GEO. JONES (Otago), speaking on the third reading of the Land Settlement Finance Amendment Bill, expressed the opinion that the anticipations in regard to the Act had not been realised in the past. The present amendments were like piling sail on a ship that had no hull. It was not the machinery that was wrong, but the. principle of.the measure was'utterly, wrong. This land settlement finance scheme, said Mr. Jones, was a degenerate scheme, and was making buck to the old daj-6, when notluns but fieahnld was xecomised, Ho

believed the measure was unsafe, as well as defective, ami lie utterly distrusted tho Bill, which was ousting another of a beneficent character (the land for settlement scheme). The Bill was read a third time and passed. SECRET COMMISSIONS. "It will make for better and cleaner commercial life in this Dominion," said Dr. Findlay, in moving the second reading of the Secret Commissions Bill. At tho same lime he admitted that to get at the really bad offenders the scope of the measure had to be made very wide. The second reading was agreed to, and the Committee stage was set down for to-day. CONTAGIOUS DISEASES REPEAL. The Contagious Diseases Repeal Bill was put through Committee without amendment, and ivas then read a third time and passed. VARIOUS SECOND READINGS. The Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill, Noxious Weeds Amendment Bill, and the Counties Act Amendment Bill were all read a second time.