THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1561, 3 October 1912, Page 8

THE COUNCIL.

:." MR. JOSHUA JONES , ?; CLAIM.:; j The Legislative Cfluneil met at 2.30 yes- !' terday afternoon. ■' ': : The Jlon.vJ. KtGG brought forward the ; ' interim report of the Joshua Jones Claims Committee which, recommended: (l). That ■ the meetings bo open to the press; (2) [ tbat-'.-the Government provider fees foi" >. counsel'for. Mr. Jones; ami (3) that tho i. Government should bo'i represented by '.: counsel. ■ ' :.' ' '.' Onthe motion of Mr. Rigg the first of } the three recommendations was agreed to, the pthor'two beingdeeined matters pu're- ■- \? for the House.;'.--'.. ; CONCERNING A FORFEITED SEAT. ','■ . The Eon. 0. SAMUEL asked .tho Min- :.-■• ister for Internal Affairs (the Hon. H. ;.' D: Bell) 'whether it is the intention. of ;', tho Government to,>seek,'•legislative'.'nu- ■:• thority'l'or the;, reappointment:. of Mr. r AViremuPere as a'|m ember', of the Council for a'terdi to iexpire when his recent ;.' term as a member would'jhnve expired ; had ho not forfeited his.'neat .by reason i- of the following facts:—(D That'his. absence, resulting-in-forfeiture of his seat, was unavoidable; (2) that he was imablo ' . on account of illness to attend during the first short session'Jif this'year, iu which : no : business other''than that of,,a formal. . jinturo was-transacted by.the Council; (3) '. that his subsequent absence on the first daycf the present'session., was caused by .-., o. storm (in which the Star of-Canada was ' wrecked at GisboVne), and that he arrived ', at the Council Chamber/for, the purpose of taking his seat on the same day'as and within a. fow hours-only after the Council ; had risen; (J) that/he is a Maori and does not epeak.or understand Englifh i ,(5). that ; thero is only one Maori member'jn the I Council, and none who is conversant, with the requirements, and.special, conditions affecting the Jfnoris "residing in the North Island; and (I!) that he has been elected : a member of amiiserve'd in.the House of Representatives in five Parliaments. .'■■ Tho Hon. It. ]}..BELL, in reply said that under the original constitution of the Council such a point could not have arisen. It was not tho intention of the Government to introduce legislation, to enable a member of ; !the Council who had lost his seat by accident to hold that sent for tho balance of the term for-.which he was appointed. If an appointment -was mado is must io for tho full term.' "He did not propose to. say what advice tho Government would tender to his Kxcellency tho Governor on this question. THE MACARTHY TRUST BILL. ..Tho Hon. H. D. BELL introduced tho \ Sos. G,eo. Macarthy, Trust Bill which.

was read a first time and was set down {or its second reading to-day. WORKERS' COMPENSATION BILL. MOTION FOE THIED BEADING DEFEATED. The Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill was put through its Committee stage and reported without amendment. In the course.of a brief speech on tho third reading.. ' ' The Hon.- H. D. BELL remarked that ho was opposed 16 the Bill and to tho principle it contained. The Hon. J. E. JENKINSON expressed ft fenr that the Bill might incline em ploycrs to become- more careless. He .thought more responsibility should be placed: on the employer and less on the insurance companv. The Hon. 0. SAMUEL said he took the Bill as an expression of opinion of certain members of the Council who had studied this question.' He did-not think the majority of the Council had fully considered the Bill, and if it went to a division. , he' would vote against it. At this period of the session, however, he looked upon the Bill.as merely an idle piece of paper to be sent down to "another place, and to be disregarded there. The Hon. C. M. LUKE said that there had never been a larger measure of humanitarian caro by employers for the wellbeinff of the emplovees than at present. Hβ hoped that the Bill would not so through. It would only increase the charges and shackles on the" employers. The Hon. J. BAM approved the Bill. He did not think there was anything in it to which exception could be taken. Tho Hop. T. THOMPSON thought it would be inadvisable to pass the Bill. The Labour Bills Committee had called witnesses, biit only one came forward and gave evidence.. The Bill might well.stand over until, next session. • The Hon. J. BIGG eaid the object of the-Bill, was to see that the workers got justice,. and_ what, they were entitled to from the, insurance,: companies/ Thn iworkers, were 'entitled .to* certain benefits and the insurance companies often deprived, thqm of, these benefits. The Hon. Goo. Jones: Do you know of any? ■' . ...' the Hon. J. Bigg: Yes; plenty of them. The Hon. J. T. Paul: Scores of them. Continuing, Mr. Eigg remarked that there were three witnesses present to give evidence before the Labour Bills Corn', mittce, one of them coming : from Wα. nganui. . The Hon. J. E. Jenkinson: The clerk or tho messengers could not find them. In conclusion; Mr. Eigg remarked that an underhand attempt had,been made in Committee, in his absence, to try and kill tho Bill. He was, however, satisfied with the way the Bill hnd been treated in the Council.. ■ • The Hon. J. E. JENKINSON, by way of' personal explanation, denied that any underhand attempt bad been made in Committee to kill the Bill. He was supported by the Hon. H. D. Bell, who stated that'far.from there being ajiy attempt to kill tho Bill, -he had moved an adjournment to enablo the Hon.-Mr.-B-lgg;to'be-present. :■. ■. . . ' " 7 ,-■ On a division tho motion for the adoption, of the third reading was defeated by 11 .votes, the voting being: For tho motion 9, against tho motion 20. Those' who supported the motion were: Tlio'Hons. J. H. Callan, J. Eigg-, J. T. Paul, J. Barr, J. E. Jenkinsou, W. Beohan, E. A. Loughnau? W. W. M'Cardlo, and C. H. Mills. AUCKLAND EDUCATION RESERVES. '■ The Auckland Education Reserves Bill .was-read a third time and passed without discussion. PUBLIC SERVICE BILL. SECOND BEADING DEBATE. The Hon.iH. D. BELL moved the second ..reading of the Public Service Bill, already explained at length in the House o'f Representatives. He was aware, he said, that the proposalto transfer the control of the Civil Service from patronage to a Co-mmissjoh, as' was .proposed, had met with'vehement opposition by the party which had; held power for -so many years. Ho did'not use the word "patronage".in any offensive sense—it had bee.i used in the past-— ' . The Hon. Geo. Jones: Because of improper accusations. • ■ The Hon. 0. Samuel: Because needy men sought a patronage in the old days and-obtained it at the expense of the State, y ' . . _ To illustrate, tho necessity for eliminating the personal relation and regard which...'With Ministerial appointments necessarily stood by certain officers, and which others, however competent, could not combat, Mi\ 80ll T instanced certain recent appointments—admittedly good appomtments—but' against which no other officers in the service, however capable, could coin pete with success. It was this Ministerial personnl relation and regard which the Government desired to eliminate; Members would readily recdgnisß the difficulty created in providing a course of promotion in the service.'and of advancement by merit, where there, had to be taken into consideration, in tho question of promotion; the sense of personal obligation of a Minister to. a particular officer. Tim Government's proposal was not an experiment,,butsonicthiiig that had been tried and proved. Mr. Bell remarked, in tho course of his detailed explanation of the Bill, that he might later ask tho Council to make' an amendment in the section dealing witlr tho duto of the coming into force of, the Act. ■■ The debate bn the. second reading was adjourned on the motion of the Hon. Geo. Jones. Tho Hon. ,1. E. Jenkinson gave notice of motion of his intention to move in Committeo that the Post and Telegraph Department be excluded from tho provisions of tho Bill. , ■ s ■ The Council rose at 3.10 p.m.