THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1572, 16 October 1912, Page 8

THE COUNCIL.

A PETITION. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. Oil behalf of tho Public Petitions Committee,"the' Hon. C. It. Luke mo,veil that the petition of William Humphreys, concerning his rights in certain Native lands in the New Plymouth district, should be referred to the Native Affairs Committee. The motion was agreed to. MOKAU COMMITTEE. The Mokau Committeo was granted nn extension of ten days' time in which to report. FIRST READINGS. The local Bills which wore passed by the. House of Representatives on the pre-; rioris 'evening, wsyo read a first time, and referred to the various Committees. PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM. In Committeo the Council continued its consideration of the Public Service Bill. The clause providing for penalty for breach of the regulations was altered by reducing the maximum fine froiii .£SO to -CIO.

A division was .taken on an amendment proposed by Hon. J. Ki.eg to tho clause . regarding the public notification of vacancies., By 15 votes to G votes it was resolved to retain' tho provision that vacancies shall be advertised three times in the newspapers.' The Hon. Mr. King's idea -was that it was unnecessary to bind the commissioner down to advertising, thrice when onco might suffice. He also suggest- . cd that notification in the Gazette might' be sufficient. Tho non. 11. I). Bell replied that publication in tho Gazette would not reach all tho people. Clause 40 was altered so as to mako'the commissioner responsible for the appointment of probationers. ' ' ' 11 On the motion, of-the Hon. H. D. Ball it was dccided ' to mafco provision in Clause 50 for consideration of servants who pass certain examinations within twelvo months after the commencement of. tlie Act, instead of limiting tho choice to t'hoso passing tho examinations before tho commencement o£ tho Acfs oporations. The last clause had been reached and ' -passed by 11.30 p.m. Several postponed clauses and the schedules have yet to be considered, and this will bo undertaken this afternoon. Tho Committee, reported progress, and the Council adjourned at 11.33 p.m.