THE PUBLIC SERVICE BILL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1549, 19 September 1912, Page 6

THE PUBLIC SERVICE BILL.

—• PROPOSED AKNDf ENTS, AN ANIMATED DISCUSSION IN THE HOUSE. PURIFYING PUBLIC LIFE. MR, HINDMARSH'S BILL LAUGHED OUT.

THE COUNCIL. j,;Zr:X- FIRST, READINGS. ■'.'/'- • The Legislative Council met at 2.30 yes>' .terday afternoon,-after an adjournment for.a. .'.fortnight. .-.- . \ '..' - ..'The following Bills were received from the House of Representatives and read a first' time:—Dunedin District Drainage and, SeSwerage Bill, Mbkau Harbour Board Empowering Bill, Gold Duties Amendment Bill, Waihou and Ohinerauri River Improvement Amendment Bill, and tho Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Amendment Bill.:"'' —'•• The. Tatum Trust Revocation Bill, was also received from tho Xower House. ■' PARLIAMENT'S HOME. ••■• . The Hon: H. D. BELL (Leader of the Council) inatfe a. formal reply to the Hon. " Sir'W; "J. Steward's question as to the ■ intentions : of the 'Government with re- ; gard to tie new Parlianicnt Buildings, i ' on-the lines of the. explanation made in ';'■"•' the. House of Representatives on Tuesday. • . Sir. Bell added that the question of the ■■';'■■ material/of which the building would bo constructed lay between two qualities of '■-. ■ granite and a third character of stone which would be determined practically by. the architect subject to the question of expense and the amount being kept .. within the estimate. '. ' The Ministerial statement was considered to be satisfactory. '.".■' HAWKE'S BAY RIVERS. ,The, Hon. J. D. OEJIOND, in moving the. second...reading of the Hawke's Bay Rivers' Amendment Bill, went into an explanation of the reasons which led-to tho necessity for amending A Bill which had only been passed, in 1910. The Bill, as.-.amended .bv the- Local -Bills. Commit- - tee,-provides that the river district, shall 'be divided into eight subdivisions, or wards,- as ■ under:—Taradale, Meeanee, Pa- . pakuraV Karamu,-' Ciive, Hastings, Suburban, Piikahuy and Omaraenui,.- the areas and boundaries-of which are set out. Provision isvlnade that the special rate, in the Hastings, Suburban, and Pukahu wards >may.-differ.'from-the .rate in other wa'rdsy.and that the Hastings and Pukahu rates also may .differ'. In certain cases rates in/the above-wards are to be determined by a special commissioner. The second reading wns agreed to.. ,', .PRISONS AMENDMENTS > The Prisons: Amendment, Bill was reported from..the -Statutes Revision Com-, mitteev.-w'ith.'. :one amendment. .•Th.e amendment.'in :qiiestibn is to Clause 2, which deals with.the regulations-as to photographing and taking measurements and finger-prints'of. prisoners, and'provides that the regulation may-provide for ■ .tho destruction of any records taken, in the case of-persons not subsequently convicted of any I criminal offence, and .of any other-records.vthe presertation of which 's no longer desirable. ■>■■■'- MARRIAGE AMENDMENT BILL. The. Hon; H. D. BELL moved the second reading of the Marriage Amendment ■ i Bill, a summary of which has been published. The object of the. Bill is to avoid . certain superfluous practices relieving w-hieli are at present necessary when a registrar'of births goes On holiday or, -happens to bo-ill. Tho idea is to relieve the. Government of the number of letters of -advice tendered at present.. ' The second-reading was agreed to. BIRTHS AND DEATHS REGISTRATION, The.Hon. H. D. BELL moved the sec . ond reading of the Births and Deaths Registration Bill.. The first section of the Bill, he.said, repealed the' provision of. the Marriage Bill as to "tho" appointment st; deputies by. the. Registrar-General.-The Bill was promoted to meet the re-- ' quifements of. the Department concerned, - and the amendments were of a technical character. > He would move later that the Bill should be referred to the Statutes Revision Committee- The Bill required "the certificate of a doctor, nurse, or souieothec'pereon present at the birth of. a child! Again, the time for registration of births'.had been shortened to 48 hours in a'borough, and powerwas granted the registrar to remit the immediate payment of'the registration, fee in certain cases. Members really required the original Act Alongside them, in order to follow the amending Bill. It was proposed to make every' teacher of a Native school a'registra'r of. births and deaths. Where there ' were no schools the Government hoped to arrange with the police, and where ■£■ that -was impossible and as a last resort, with'.the Maori chieftains. The Hon. Dr. COLLINS, in tho course of the debate on the Bill, in which several'members took part, said, he thought there should be an examination of the body of every still-born child, as .well as the notification and registration of. the "still-births" as provided in the Bill. , This examination should bo made by a ' medical, man before the burial. It was just possible, he said, that a neglected child might .die ishbrtiy after birth and be buried as a still-born child if this.examination was not made. In his opinion •every person should be examined by a medical man after death. This could not be done in the back-blocks, but it could in.the towns and boroughs. Incidentally . Dr..Collins remarked that it was'almost impossible for-a person to be buried alive nowadays, but-in any people believed that this, was possible. Within the last three months ho had been asked by a person who subsequently diei", to open an artery after-death before the body was put into tho coffin in order to make certain that death had occurred. In another case the rela'tivesof a deceased mail had been very insistent that the doctor should make certain .that, the man was. dead. In his opinion, the only cases where it was pos-1 Bible for a person to be buried alive were in-rare cases of trance or epelepsy. The Bill was.read a second time and referred to the Statutes Revision Commit- . -tee. ■ ■ . The- Council adjourned at 4.30 p.m. THE, HOUSE. "SIX DAYS A WEEK, .'" The House met at 2.30 p.m. • Mr. J.. PAYNE (Grey Lynn) asked the Prime' Minister, without notice, whether • he would introduce a six-days'-a-weck Bill for hotel and restaurant employees during the. present session. These employees, he stated,, did not ask for Sunday off, but onlv for one clear day off in each week. Tho. PRIME MINISTER replied that the matter was at prescDf. under the con•siderarion of Cabinet. He had submitted proposals—not exactly on the lines proposed by the hon. member—and in all probability a Bill would be introduced before the end of the present session. BARMAIDS' REGISTRATION. The PRIME MINISTER gave notice of the Barntaids Registration Bill. PANAMA CANAL. CHE INTERESTS OF NEW ZEALAND. The Ron. D.. BUDDO (Kaiapoi) asked the Primo Minister whether any correspondence had been received from (he Im-

perial Government with respect to Panama Canal tolls.

The Hon. W. P. MASSEY. (Prime Minister) replied: The New Zealand Government has been in'communication with, the Imperial Government in regard to tho Panama Canal and tho attitude uf the United States Legislature in. connection therewith. All that can. be said at. the present time is that the Imperial Government is looking carefully after the interests of the Dominion of New Zealand in connection with the dues likely to be levied on any of its shipping passing through the Canal. WORKERS' ACCOMMODATION. SHEARERS AND FARM LABOURERS. Mr. G. WITTY (Eiccarton) asked the Government whether they intended to see that the law with regard to housing accommodation for sheojers and farm labourers was given effect to. The Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Minister for Labour) replied: Yes, a great deal of work is carried out by the Department of Labour every year in the inspection of accommodation for shearers throughout New Zealand. The Act. has-been found. somc : what defective in respect, to the procedure for enforcement, and the Government hns under consideration the.question of-in-troducing a'new Bill providing a more expeditious method of carrying, outits provisions. Coming to accommodation for, agricultural labourers, in any case where complaint has been made to the Department as to the inadequacy of the accommodation,provided on any farm; the officer's.of the Department have inspected the premises'and have insisted .-upon proper accommodation being provided. The fact that in many cases farm hands reside in the same houses as their employers requires that more than ordinary- care' should be taken in carrying out the work of inspection under the provisions of- this Act: All. legitimate complaints as to unsatisfactory.or inadequate accommodation will,.as hitherto,' receive careful and prompt attention; ; - . ..;.,... DEFENCE. • ■ ,THE IMPERIAL'COMMITTEE. . Mr. A.M. MYERS (Auckia'ud.E'ast).askcd the Prime Minister. whether, as there is. an earnest disposition on the. part oi the -self-governing.. Dominions to help to maintain the existence of the British Empire by assisting in its, common ■ defence, and as the British supremacy at sea is ing .seriously he.'does not.consider that, the ( timo has arrived :fo.r.- New Zealand to Hie lead':o.f and ask' that a. membe/ of the. New .Zealand Cabinet.should have a-'.seat on the Imperial Defence Committee in London, and thus remain in constant personal touch with the Imperial Government. The Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Prime Minister) replied: The matter referred to by the honourable member will be taken into the serious consideration of the Government during the recess, witha view to submitting proposals to the House when' Parliament meets again., ,• THE MARRIAGE BILL. ' THIRD READING DEFEATED. Mr. R. M'CALLUM (Wnirau) moved the third reading of the Marriages Validation 8i11....•".' There were no speeches on either side, and the voting was taken at once. The motion for third reading was lost by 27 votes to 25. ' DAYLIGHT SAVING. THE BILL ABANDONED; The New Zealand Mean Time Bill (Mr. T. K." Sidey) was committed. 1 At onco Mr. Sidey moved to report progress, but the Chairman, of Committees reminded him that it .was necessary that tho committee should make some progross before progress could be reported.. ■' Mr. G. W. RUSSELL (Avon) asked the Prime Minister whether -he. did not feel a little more kindly to tho Bill now that the Egmont Election was over. (Laughter.) The Hon. W. F. MASSEY (Prime Minister) said ho could see no connection between the Bill and the Egmont election. So far as he was concerned, his attitude towards the Bill was the same as, it always had been. 'He. would oppose tho Bill, because he knew that to bring about the. proposed change in agricultural districts would lead to a great deal of trouble. He would not obstruct the Bill, but he would vote against it. . After further discussion Mr. Sidey's motion that the chairman do leave the chair, was carried on the voices. This means in effect that the House permitted him to withdraw .Iris Bill..