PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 980, 22 November 1910, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

•; :;'•■ RAILWAYS'. AMENDMENT. The, House of. Representatives did not meet -until- 7.30 yesterday evening on account of-the day having been given over to the sitting of the Hme Committee. When;tho House met tho Government Railways Amendment Bill (No. 2) was in-- .. troduced and read'a first time. ;' -■•"SCENERY-PRESERVATION; ■. . Is;.'moving tho second reading of the Scenery Preservation Amendment Bill, The, Hon.' T. MACKENZIE . faid; that the- Bill , was .promoted for the.purpose, of . acquiring, certain beauty. . spots and for confirming certain' purchases . made. The Bill t also . asked for, powers '. of; exchange, and .dealt -with fencing and firo. protection.'". TJio. Bill:.. practically..' concerned . beauty-spots on the Wanganui Eiwr. ■ Thq second, readiiig was agreed to.'., . Inj.Cojnniittep on tho.'Scensry. .Pre-scrva-±ion'Amendment Bill, Jlr., Herries (Taumoved to. delete Clause 10 (which , to validate- all land' taken for the purposes -of. scenery- preservation -lindor the Public \Yorks Acts), but his proposal ,wasVrsjecten by. 36 votes to. 28. i'he.-Bill then'passed through Committee.

: AUCTIONEERS AMENDMENT. 1 The Hon. D. BUDDO, sneaking on the' motion to. go into Committee- .on tho iAuctionegrs: Amendment: Bill; , ' remarked ■that -the amendments provided -for -a tan holding a license instead of each(individual auctioneer holding it. Under Ithe old-Act a three months'license could ibe .taken out for £W, but difficulties ihad'arisen, and this Bill provided for a six'months' license. Tho amendments, paid"the 'Minister, , had been" strongly (pressed r for;.' arid' he •■ thought : they would iprove satisfactory. '"'■"'-.' . . Mr. MASSEY eaid he did not see much 'to; object to in tho Bill, but there was a (peculiarity in Clause'■Sβ, which was feBertedby theconunitteo to which the Bill Tt-as. referred. Personally he ,-would have likedto hive ee'en byidence'taken on the Bill,' and to: .have .seen what. the' auctioneers' and 'commercial peonifl'. had to Bay.;' Clause sß,provided tliatlit any auction sale-"of fish,.fruit, or/vegetables every Jotfenall , be. sold to. tho'highest bidder, end.'it shall not bo lawful for any'auctioneer.to refuse; to accept a bid. from any per'EOn present at tho sale wh(j. is willing *° Payv.cash for the. goods,in delivery. iWhy, Tasked. Mr. Massey,'.. .should not other; articles be sold" to the highest bidder?.'.Ho thought this- matter would require' to be looked into very closely beioroihe Bill came up in Committee. .Byplacing this clause on the Statute Book" in its present form, we .were making the law:apply only to tho4hree-articles mentioned. ■-..:';.-..; . ~..";.',.,. .

The Hon.' T. Duncan; (Oamaru): Make ■Jit,apply.all round... \V . .':■..':■;; : Mr..llassey-: I quito'agreo with you.. ; ■ Mr'. '.WITTY- (Eiccarton) said that in eome cities auctioneers absolutely refused to; take a bid from-an. individual unleea Die belonged to a fruit ring. There was |a iing of the kind "in 1 . Christchurch. CPeople Icomplained of tho way things ■ Btooo, and, thousands of-tons of fruit were simply, wasted, as-.a- result of tho preesnt (position/of 'affairs. Tho clausa had been , psli«l'for. from all parts of New Zealand. (If. it: was . found" necessary "to . include . anything else the addition could ■bo mado later ; on. '.' ■..-.-" . . ( MriIILTJKE (We3lingtoa Suburbs) considered ;that;; taking the Bill as a whole, St., was a oo'nsiderable improvement on the: present Act."".-.' . ■': -•■.•■- . -Mr;:'NEWMAN (Mariawatii) 'said he had ibeeh.'asked : by..Representatives of fruitgrowers andi. others to support' Clause 58.' '.- The Hon. -D. BTJBDO, referring 'to Clause- eß.'eaid. it hod .been, found that' b'few'inconsistencies, had crept'into the trade in certain towns, which.. it had , ibeen found necessary? to meet by this pro■tvisioh.' '■'■■ '--'■; ." ■- ■:''.■■"■■■ ■''••■ [ It was decidedtto commit the Bill. I In Committee ■ on the. Auctioneers (iroendment'BUl, % ' ' • \ Jtop'ATOYXCliristohurch East) moved ■ jan : . to" the - - .effect .that;..tho [condition .'Unon which "lots' are to-fe'sold , |to; at ,_ sales of fishi" Sruit/.or vegetables shall to'that the/bidder'is'willing to-pay cash on the f all-tof'thei-'hammer. i "' :i -■■■■■• ' u - -w.., -,-.i, .-. ..i .The'.Hon. D. BTODO" said that he acoept'-fhe ; amendment;.- which wie'. , tagrecfd; to. . . I JIr.'PJVE (Eginont)'proposed that the mecesnty. for having, a licensed auctioneer Jtovsell .goods for religious, or charitable (oreanisattons should '■ be dispensed with j Tho MINISTER promised- to- have a'' to: this"-." effect - inserted in ■ tho Jmeasiiro.-- ' ■ -■■ --■'... .-".. ■ - , , i -■ SJr;- HEREIES (Tanrang'a) j mor<d-. an. (amendment which would have tho effect »f_givmg an auctioneer the option of pataag ,'pui .-his .license: in-i'aay district [where h'e- has -'a business;... :■. '■ • .-'■ .' .' This amendment was. agreed:to."• v .• : :Mr. MALCOLM -(Glutha)' moved--an-■amendment to provide that-.the' amount • [of. the-license fee in tho case of special : districts,should not exceed J3lO. ■ :The, amendment was reiected bv 36 »o.tes to 23. •-' . ■ ' '..'. -Th?.. Bill..:was' then ropcrjted' with :Junendments.'.... .. ~.../,.., j • AND OFFICES.- ?"■'■':. • : .The Hon:. J. A - .; MILLAR,- speaking -an ™*.motion -to go into Conimitteo on tho Shops.and-'Offices Bill, explained the jinncipal features of the Bill,- particujJarlyiniregard to the hours of work, for restaurant' employees. Tho [Mil only reduced tire-hours of labour as ■far as Wellington was concerned. ■ ' fWeffington. North) 'thought .that at this-lato stage of tho .-session,the Bill might bo left over until -the.^u^,met. .neit: jVar. Vlt ■ was true ihat.the Bill had Iwen l«foro the Labour f !] f. Committee, and had been thoroughly ..threshed out : there, but he thought itv^i:f , tha , t ' a B , iU " of ■'«« impo?tanco leholildbo brought down jaw-: tyhv he W \it^° t P &t^' this description f Court? The . w ft ol f. °. £ 'the Bill-f rom beginning toed fo?.rt5 P f r n . conditions '• Ulld « r ' whioh' ™ l-^?'?? 0 T £staurant employees ; H the "titration Court, was set-up for the specific-purpose-of settiug.' up-tho.conditions; under.which employees in. theso trades should labour it was the iProper; body-to deal with matters of this ! fi^i Pb wV The - &** in to i£ WiMly.better position .to:judge as.to.tho rights andiutercsts of tho employees and employers than - Parliament was^

Irritating and Annoying. ■ ' . '^j"f.!.'■"■&.'..-.another sample bf : thai; Hmm for yeaw past, and..which interd""V. %'Arbitration Court to deal- with the-matter; Heunderstood, th, Arb taawould Wrido the The-.H ?n : irr,.MillarV.No.... '. ' th^a^fe. tfo^ss^ :Mr,:FISHER (Weliiigton.North) 'refer- , ring;to.the amendments which th« Tobac conists Association; had urged "on the Minister in the" direction: of. getting a deßnihon or a. liecnse.-fee, asked for an explanation, of th_e exact position. European and Chinese. : ly , li ™y ' J «cm an odd thing. 4 sav, said ,Mr-..Fisher, -but.there are people Who are chary, of. going into business in this country,'. As to the tobacco business, a man ilived■"under far liap'pier conditions'if'he .was a";Cliinaraan than.if.ha was a Euro•p'eari.; . All. that tho tobacconists, asked was, a:, reasonable proposal, that Europeans should bo on an equal footing with 'the''Chinese in regard to trading.' No advantage' wns sought/for either side •■ Mr.-FOOLE.(Auckland West) thought, iit.wns high time the Minister took the i matter raised by Mr: :Rshfcr into careful ico'nsideratioii. . • ... Mr.: ' irtAßENV'(Wellington East) thought the Minister was to be coramemled for bringing" forward the Bill; It jgrantetl a measure of justice -where it was much needed. He strongly differed •from Mr. Herdman in regard to the Arbi- . tration Court. 'Mr..LEASEß, (Wnfcntipu) said, he hoped that tho Conciliation and Court could still deal with a number of 'these matters better than the Legislature conld. "• ~-. ■"'-.■■'. . '"' fheMinister'jin Reply. The Hon."'!:' A- MILLARsafd 'that' in everj Statn'in Australia the hours cf all. 1

hotel workers had been fixed at lower than wns proposed in. New Zealand. It was too Into in the day for Mr. Herdm.in ■to.raise tho point that the proposed legislation would over-ride nn award. Tho Court of Arbitration should be subject to the statute law. Although Parliament had fixed cejrlain hours in respect of coalminers,'i.thq Court had declined to makethe hours part of its toward. That was not as should ho tho case. All thnt the Court had-'to'do'was'to'go into the details. . To Mr. Fisher lie would say that tho Minister for Customs was tho only Minister who could deal with the licensing of tobacco sellers.' It was proposed to meet the rase of a certain form' of unfair competition in a number of linos. As it was now, tradespeople-who,did not employ labour , conld keep their shops open , after tho recognised hour for closing. ■To meet this ho would propose an amendment to the effect that every shop shall be-registered by the proprietor in the name of ono perron.as occupier, and except in the caso of husband and wife, , every other person working'in it shall be deemed to be a shop assistant. Ho believed that all shops in tho oup. trade should open and close at the same hour. It was , then agroed that the Bill should bo committed.' . . • . - HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. ■ -The second reading of. tho Hospitals and Charitablo Institutions Bill wns agreed 46, after a brief .discussioii. . : STAMP DUTIES.'AMENDMENT BILL. "The Stamp Duties Amendment Bill was read a eecond time, without' discussion. SLAUGHTERING AND- INSPECTION. ;. INSPECTION OF .-PIGS. The Hon. T. MACKENZIE, speaking on the motion to go into Committee on tho Slaughtering and Inspection Bill, said: "The Bill enables, the Department to' give more comnensation- for certain, diseased stock, that" may have to be destroyed." The Minister, went on to explain tho. provisions of the Bill in regard to export licenses, and abattoirs generally; Ho hoped that in discussing the matter members would' handle it- in a temperate - war. This country had very much: at stake. They were fully alive to what was. necessary,'but if. they were forced beyond a certain point, the cud in view might bo defeated. Though it made no-noise, tho -Department had enlisted the sympathy of producers of tlio country to an enormous extent. . Referring to the recent circular •issued by- the Department to' dairy factories, etc.. in regard to. the pasteurisa-. tion of milk and by-products,' before they •were distributed, he had received 110 replies, and only four of-that number declined to take any action. Three of tho four came from the Stratford district. New inspectors and. veterinary surgeons were-being appointed. I , ■Mr. WILJORD (Hntt) regretted that nothing had been done in regard to tho inspection'o? ..pigs. It was -a. difficult jnatter, but it was one which required attention. -. -.-'. '". ' ■ 'Mr. WITTY (Riccarton). thought the Bill jvas a. distinct.. improvement, and that it would do'good..

Country Abattoirs. ; ' . . ' ' Mr. • HEBKIES (Tauranga) hoped tho Minister , would not only; turn his attention to tho town abattoirs, but to thoso in tho country, which had to depend on inspectors who were, not veterinary inipector3. When- an- inspector was appointed in these cases, he. thought they should bo men in the trade—butchers, tor instance. He would suggest tnat duly qualified veterinary. inspectors should go round these districts, and report on tho inspectors at tho small places./ An interchange ,of theso, inspectors, would be a benefit.' . '.' '..,,, ■' ■Mr. BUCHANAN (Wairarapa) said that looking at tho Bill as a whole, he did ! not think any serious objection couw !■ be'talk to it. - Mr. Buchanan went ..onto urge the 'necessity for an ■ improveresetted that there. was no clause m tho Bill 'providing for the compulsory inspection of pigs. He quoted a gent e--man who knew the business, weir to the. effect that out of thirty bacon factories "only i'oiir were under total inspection. One factory that was under inspection had 000 pigs condemned .in six months, at a loss to' the factory' of. r<21400. -Mr. Wright asked how many pigs passed into consumption that wero diseased.- ihe writer of this- letter, estimated .that out of every twenty, sides, of bacon-one side was liable to be diseased.. The argument for \ compulsory' inspection of pigs was unanswerable.■-■ Xt was as important as I the inspection of meat and butter. ,

Is There Favouritism? . The Hon. T. MACKENZIE, said he would like to have goho further, but what was being put on the btatute-book was a beginning." It was the - intention 6i the-Department to takd up tne:»spcction of pigs, as they came into tho- centres,, and tho-country "inspectors would be much more vigilant. One; speaker had said that some of tho. inspectors showed favouritism.-. He would glad to receive information in this direction, and if it was confirmed, steps would-be takon'to see that it was cot repeated.. Where mistakes , had been mado by inspectors they had been reduced. ■ A voice: "You don't pay them enough ' W Th<TMinister saiit he did not think thero was an officer who had done his. work' properly that had not received a rise last year. Provision was made in . Clause 27, that the lo'cal authority .should not be interfered with' in any respect. Par more pigs were inspected- last year than were not inspected, said the Minister, in reply to. Mr. .Wright,. Last year..., some, G7,B!iG pigs wero ' examined, and passed as lit for human consumption Hie figures given by..Mr. -Wright related to; a company which had had its pigs inspected, not out-of philanthropy, but to. enable if to engage in trade with the Old Country. ' . .' .

Letters in "The Dominion." - - A great deal had been niado of the correspondence which had appenred iu The Dominion, over the signature 6f Mr. Hill. Ho had already replied to some of the;statements, but he did .not.reply to tho second letter because he had not.had the necessary time to reply, to everything. It would liavo been, quite impossible to havo placed the 900 pigs referred to on tho local, market. . The grievance 'against tho Department was not that they had taken too little, care, but that they had b«u too. vigilant. If they had relaxed their care the letters that had be.en printed in Tiie Dominion would never havo appeared.- If the policy of. pasteurisation of skim-milk, etc., was carried but, we would very soon find a great improvement taking jilaco in-the condition of the young stock. In eighteen months or two years we would see a great change for the better i» the stock of the Dpminion. It was then agreed that tho Bill should >be committed." HAWKE'S DAY RIVERS BILL. Tho Hawke's Bay Bivers Bill was read a. second time after a brief explanation of tho measure, had. been made by tho Prime Minister. ' ' ' :

CROV/N SUITS BILL. . LIABILITY OF: THE CROWN. After explaining the general provisions of the Crown Suits Amendment Bill, . Tho PRIME MINISTER eakl: it wns proposed in the . supplementary order .paper.that had been issued, to lihiifc tho liability of tbo Government to .£2OOO in respect of a debt in case of personal injuries. An 'easy way of recovering small sums of less than .ESO in UIO.S.M. Court was also provided. By a proposal to delete Clause 9, provision was mado for a jury to try cases. Mr; MASSEY said he welcomed tho Bill. The Act that had. been, on the Statute Book previously had inflicted hardship, on certain people, for instance, Motorman Barton and tne'Farmers' Distributing Company. . Continuing, Mr. Massey said if tho Crown Suits Act had not been on the Statute Hook Barton could liavo sued the Crown as he could a private person. Tho Stato now conducted many trading or commercial enterprises) ana employees in theso enterprises should have the 'same right to recover as privato employees. Clause 8 seemed 'to limit the' amount of compensation that could bo obtained against'the Crown. This was inequitable because ttio average risk in State Departments \vns greater than the average risks of jjriyate employers. lie was ulad that

the clause providing thnt nn case should goi before ii jury had been struck out. Mr. WILI'OKD (Hutt) welcomed the I Bill. Ho pointed out, however, that no action could be- brought unless tho injury were indicted by a public work. J. lie definition of public work was .narrow. It would not, for instance, be competent to bring an action if a Stato coal wagon ran over and -killed someone. He was glad the clause providing that cases should not go before juries" had been struck out. The Crown law draughtsmen had shown a fondness for putting such a 'clause-as-this-into Bills this year; Ho was-a 6trong believer in the system of trial .by jury.. Ho had never seen, an innocent man found guilty before a jury. Ihat was ono reason, why ho believed- in tho jury system. The PHBIE MINISTER said ho thought it would be found that tho points raised were already covered in tho Bill. ■ The Bill was then read a'second time. I STATISTICS. Tho secofSi' , reading .of tho Census and Statistics Bill was moved by the Hon. D. Buddo, who remarked in explaining tho measure that the next census would be taken on tho first or second Monday in April next. The .second . reading was agreed to., ,; ■ ■ . ~' '" BILLS PASSED. . The following Bills were read a third time and passed:—Scenery Preservation Bill, Auctioneers Amendment Bill. The House adjourned at 1.15 a.m.