PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1809, 23 July 1913, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

A DAILY SUMMARY.

Possibly on account, in part, of vaccination and its after-effect?, tho tone of..discussion iu. the House of Representatives yesterday was languid. A number of Bills were advanced a stage, but only one—the Police Offences Amendment Bill, which has been nick-named "the Waihi Bill" — proved to' be a bone of contention,

The Legislative Council resumed yesterday after an adjournment of somo ten days.' A little private business was done, •and then the Leader of tho Council, tho Hon. 11. D. Bell, moved tho second rending of the Legislative Council Bill. He did not speak of tli9 general principle of the Bill, but lie reminded members that it was the samo as that of the Bill of last year, and thnt the Council had affirmed that principle. They had, in effect, asked fur a. postponement last year, and this year lie asked them to deal with the Bill definitely. When tho House assembled in the afternoon notice was given' of an unusual number of questions, some of wliidh seemed to indicato not so much a desire for . information as a desire to make pointed .reference to current events iii the Grey electorate, lively interest was manifested in the Pensions Bill and in. the Pensions Reciprocity Bill, , two measures in charge of the Hon. F. JI. B. Fisher, which were introduced by Governor's Message. Tho iirst'liamed, measure makes tho old age pension payable to women at the age of GO, and Temoves the disqualification from persons who have been absent from the Dominion for some years, provided they have resided in New Zealand for forty years and for twelve months jirjnr to making application. Further, the Bill does away ,entirely with tho present property, disqualification in the case of applicants for the military pension.

; ' Some party oriticism was levelled by Mr. Russell and other members iat the general attitude of Mr. Fisher and the . Government towards the pension system,' but members on both sides of the House agreed in commending the provisions of the .Bill. retorted vigorously,' stating that the Government hoped to do something to repair the defect in the existing pension system, under which thrift was penalised (by taxation of a pensioner's cottage home) and lack of thrift Was encouraged. The Pensions Reciprocity Bill was well received. It ratifies tho provisional agreement made by the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher (during his recent visit to Australia) with the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth. Residence in Australasia, so far as pension qualification is concerned, is to be taken as equivalent to residence in either New Zealand or Australia. The Dominion, it is proposed, shall meet about one-seventh of the liability incurred. The agreement will only come into operation when Bills embodying it have been passed in the Commonwealth and in New Zealand. The.Prime Minister gave notice to introduce the Methodist Union Bill and She ■'Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill. ,

The Industrial Conciliation and, Arbitration Amendment Bill, which .provides that certain agreements arrived at before a Conciliation Council may be registered as awards, went through Committee without discussion and without amendment. In the latter part of the afternoon the Police Bills, introduced by the Hon. A. L. Herdman, camo up for second reading before a thinly-populated House. The Police Force Bill is a consolidating amending measure, bringing up to date the obsolete statute under which the Police Force is now controlled. Some now provisions are embodied, the . most important of which gives members of the force right of reference to a Board of Appeal in the event of their dissenting from judgment pronounced upon them by their officers. The' second-reading '.discussion npon the Police Offences Bill extended into , the evening sitting. The-principal interest of the Bill resides in the power which it proposes to confer upon the police in dealing with, such irregularities ns may mise in timesiof-,industrial.:unrest., ; .Tho -Bill was severely attacked, by some Opposition and' Labour members, and was criticised in.a:more disoriminating jra.r by Mr. T. | •M-WiHoM), who stronsYv endorsed ti sngsyrtion % ilt. V. H. D. 'BpU that Uto ' Kill sfcauM ba referred to the Statutes I 7?«n'.=ion Committee. The Hou. /I. L. \ Herdman replied to critics of his Bill before and after the supper adjournment. He had declined.la refer it to the Statutes Revision Committee in the middle of the recaiuWeading debate, but moved to do so as c «on as the second reading had been agreed to. on a division, by 37 votes to 22. The only other item of business transacted was'the consideration in Comm'ttee of the Amendment? Incorporation Bill, which was renorted three minutes later without amendments, • read a third time, and passed. - The House rose at 10.40 p.m.