THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1568, 11 October 1912, Page 6

THE COUNCIL.

PUBLIC SERVICE BILL. ' THE POLITICAL INFLUENCE PRO- ,-;;.. ..:--.,• VISIONS. ■ ■ - . The" Legislative Council met at 2.30 yesterday'afternoon. • , The .Public . Service : Bill was further considered in Committee. On Clause 6, whichprovides that no person . shall directly or indirectly solicit or endeavour to influence the Commissioner or. an assistant with regard to appointments or promotion, etc. The Hon. J.' ANSTEY- moved to strike oat -'the-.'clause.' ■' - Mr. Anstey.'". said ■ho moved as'-he did: becausei'vh'e thought the clause' was -inoperative and' useless. Ho thought.'the clause might bo used to the injury" of applicants for position who were, a long distance away from the centres. 'A slight mistake in an application might be termed solicitation. Mr. Anstey said that ho would be prepared to agree to the.clanso if, instead of prohibiting- direct or indirect solicitation, it was made to read that no person should improperly, by personal,' social, or political influence, endeavour to influence the Commissioner. The Hon.. H. D. BELL opposed the amendment which, ho said, would tako away - a~ large part. of the reform which the Government hoped to initiate. Tn' : the course of a long discussion, the Hon. Mr. Anstey offered to withdraw the amendment if ho was assured that a reasonable'modification would be made. Subsequently Mr.'Anstey did withdraw his amendment, to.striko out the, clause,and moved "that the words, "directly or in- ' directly solicit" bo deleted, and replaced by "improper personal, social, or political means," as explained above. ' On a division, the' amendment was •rejected, the voting being—Por theamondrnent'G, against tho amendment 21. Those in favour of the amendment were the Hons;* J. '.Rigg, G. Jones, W. Beehan, •Majpr Harris, J. Anstey, and T. Y. Duncan. :'... •..'-.'.' ;-' Tho Hon. H; D. BELL moved a new subclause to the section dealing with political Influence, to the effect that every-person jommitting an offence nsainst the provisions of the section, be liable on conviction to a .fine not exceeding .£SO. The - 'new clause was' adopted on the voices, - - '.The Hon. J. E.'JENKINSON moved a further new provision that the section dealmg with.-political influence should not apply to any member of Parliament nominating by letter to the Commissioner anr person for appointment to the service. The Hon. C. LOUISSON urged that ' such a..clause would, undo all the good that was contemplated bv the Bill. The Lion. ST. GEORGE agreed. The matter was forced • to a division but was rejected by a majority of 25 votes, only tho mover and the Hon. G. Jones —snpporting it. It was decided that the Governor-in-Cpuncil, and not the Governor, should appoint the Commissioner" and "the two" asi sistants. .-. "—■' Consideration of tho term of office of the Commissioners was, at the request of the Leader oLthe Council,, postponed until to-day. '.""". '; ; / •;-. ■■ ;, ':■ The Hon. J. BARR raised the. question Df the, salary, of the Commissioner, and asked if the chief commissioner's remuneration could not be* raised, seeing that tho assistant' commissioners -got within • • .£3OO of the chief. The Hon. H. D. .BELL, said the .Government would have been ■ glad to;«eo'tho salary of the! chief' commissioner'raised. However, the Council could not alter the salary, but tho Government was now considering the'matter. Progress was reported on Clause , 10. The committee stage will be resumed this afternoon,. . '

JUSTICES OFTHE PEACE AMEND- . MENT BILL., Tho Statutes Revision, Committee... re-, . ported the Justices of tho-Peace Amendment Bill, with technical amendments,, and recommended that the Bill be allowed to proceed. HOUSE COMMITTEE.- '-. .'<" Tile House Committee presented a. report, which recommended.that steps, be taken to more effectively conservo tho' rights of members in regard to the nso of the tea-rooms and other- departments of Bellamy's. '. ■' CEMETERIES AMENDMENT BILL. The Hon. H. D.BELL moved the third reading of the Cemeteries' Amendment Bill; This was agreed'toi'and the Bill was passed without discussion. PHARMACY AMENDMENT BILL. The Pharmacy s Amendment Bill was committed when the Council resumed after the dinner adjournment. Sub-sec-tion 2 of Clause 9, which provide? that every registered chemist is guilty of an offence who supplies any medical practitioner with prescription forms containing any notification regarding his name or place or business; was so amended to cover every person deemed to bo the pro. prietor or manager of '. an open shop or place of business for the compounding or dispensing of prescriptions, as well aa every chemist. ' '- ■ ' Sub-section 1 of Clause 9, which provided that every registered choumt is guilty of an offence who pays any medical practitioner or his agent any, monetary gilt or consideration as commission on prescriptions, was amended to read as under: —"Every registered chemist is guilty of an offence' who pays, any..medical practitioner or his agent any monetary gift or other consideration as commission on prowiptions, or ,who- supplies, -or--causes to be iu^ei.-to-aia-'mejaj^jsriaßßaßfiL

prescription forms containing any notifications- referring to the name, shop, or place.of business of such, proprietor, manager, or chemist." , • . The Bill was^: reported with amendments,

LOCAL AUTHORITIES SUPERANNUATION. Tho Local Authorities Superannuation Amendment Bill was further considered in committee. On Sub-section 1 of Clause 'i, which gives local authorities power to'grant an additional retiring allpwance in respect of services prior' to the establishment of the fund," *' The Hon. J. BARE moved •an amendment, so as to include only those who had become contributors to the fund within six months of the establishment'of tho fund. The addition was agreed to. Tho.Hon. J. E. JENKINSON moved a new sub-clause, which provided that no allowance should exceed .£l2O per annum, and that no sum granted Under tho Act should exceed the amount which, added to the retiring allowance provided under, the principal Act, would increase tho .total retiring allowance above .£l2O per year. The-Hon. H. D. BELL said he was' unable to accept this addition. On a division the proposal was rejected by 11 to 8. A further amendment by the Hon. Mr. Jenkinson, which had the object of'fixing tho fund made under the Bill so that it.should be paid into the Public Trustee's- hands, was also defeated; on the voices.... •■'•-,'■ , j Still another amendments framed by • the Hon. 'Mr. Jenkinson, read:— "Notwithstanding anything contained in Section twenty-two of the principal Act, no contributor shall bo entitled on retirement from service of tho local authority to a retiring allowance exceeding .£3OO per annum. Tho new clause was added by 11 votes The Hon. Mr. JENKINSON also moved to amend Section 25 of the principal .Act, so that a retiring contributor should be entitled to'receive a further sum by way of interest computed in tho same manner as if the contributions from, time to timo paid by him r (after deducting all sums received by him from the fund), had been infested at, compound interest at three and a half per centum per annum. Tho Hon. H. D. BELL said that if this clause were agreed to it would .break every fund in the country. The new clause was thrown out on ; the voices. ; The Bill was reported- with amendments. BILLS'FROM/THEHOUSE. The Land Tax and Income Tax Bill and tho Legislative Council Bill were received from tho House of Representatives and read a first time. DIVORCE AND MATRIMONY. ! The Hon. H. D.. BELL moved the second reading of" the Divorco and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill. Tho Principal object of the Bill is to reduce the period for which a wife shall have been confined in a mental hospital beforo a. divorco can be obtained from ten to seven years. The Bill also proposes to do away with the necessity for a party meeting ■ for three months after a decree absolute has been granted before marrying again. The second reading was agreed to after some discussion.

WANGANUI RIVER TRUST. The second reading of the Wanganui River Trust Amendment Bill was moved by the Hon. H. D. Bell and agreed to without discussion. HAURAKI PLAINS BILL. The Hon. H. D. BELL moved the second reading, of the Hauraki Plains Amendment Bill which was agreed to without debate. Tho Council rose at 10 p.m.