DAYLIGHT SAVING BILL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2521, 23 July 1915, Page 7

DAYLIGHT SAVING BILL

TOWN V. COUNTRY OPPOSITION FROM FARMERS' REPRESENTATIVES. The Houso -went into Committeo on the. Definition of . Time Bill (Mr. T. K. -Sidey). at 3.45 p.m. Mr. T. M. Wilford urged all supporters of tho Bill not to be drawn,' but. to • sit quiet, - for. by - so doing they would best help the Bill. ' Mr. G. J. Anderson (Mataura) asked the member for Dunedin to withdraw this trivial Bill,_ a Bill, which nobody ■wanted, and which "would do np good. It would not make a single other blade of wheat grow. The only idea of it lvas to. allow people more time for sport. He appealed to the honourable member . to consider what was going on in the >-world. ,_lt. was not a time for foolish .•trivialities- '-'v. -

( Mr: ~ W.' Nosworthy (Asbturton) said, he: did not tliink tho honourablo • • member had shown good ; form to attempt to force on' tho coun- . try a Bill which had causpd so much aninoyince in the past. The Bill, if carTied," would certainly raise a' storm of i-protest from the- country .districts.' ' Mr. 0. E. {jtatham (Dunedin Central) said that the 'beat ira.y to save time ■would be. to get .to a division on the /Bill. - .

] Mr.. H. J. H. Okey : (Taranaki) -said fthe honourable member .-liad brought tho ;'Bill-before the House, about ;nino times, rand must have cost the country thou- \ Bands of pounds. Heurged' also ■ that :<the stupid Bill should be. withdrawn;; • • . Mr. 0. A. Wilkinson (Eltliam), opposfing tlio Bill, said that he'could assure ;the member for Dunedin South that the was not going tobo 'allowed i# go •, through. He said'also-.'that there would '.'bo no more scared person in this country- than the member for Dunedin •'South-if -the Bill should happen to get i.througa, so great' would : he the outcry ; from : tho country. - Mr. G. V. Pearce (Patea)' said he initended to do all ho could to prevent the Bill becoming law.

Mr. G. W. Forbes (Hurunui) said ho' was opposed to the Bill, and he thought tlie member should not, have tried) , to' force-it through.' . ''.

Mr. T. K. Sidoy (Dunedin South), said : that those who urged the '.withdrawal of - the Bill on : account ■ of- the war were .those who bad opposed the; Bill always. •He pointed out again that the Bill pr'oi, posed to givo. the scheme. a -trial''for i three-months in the summer of 1916-17. | ' Mr. J. Anstey (Waitaki) said he wisli-,'it'to-be'clwrly. imderstoodv that all . the. friends of -tho farming community \and all the opponents of the Bill were | not on the Government .side of the I House. He would oppose the Bill. I: : Mr. C. J. Parr (Eden) said that he \ wished to say. a- word oil behalf of the ; city, members: t VHe did not for a moment I weliwe that thb .city members wished to /-inflict injury on the fanning.'industries of the country, .and he- would vote against the Bill in Committee. He had voted for the second readingj'but he did . so. because he thought,the scheme worth a trial. He would: say, however, that ■[■the. present: times were not normal times and' in view of this he would ask I Mr. feidey to . withdraw the Bill. I Tho burlesque debate-with occasional intervals of seriousness was resumed at' >V.3U p.m.' [ Mr. G. A. Wilkinson quoted from >n authority to show the awful-effect ,-the -Passing o ftlie Bill would have on j clocks, v He, said , clocks could .-b© put I forward without .much harm, but putting a clock back was liable to interfere ].' with the striking apparatus! And the •inere- accident, of a. clock- being' out of i order, might, cause a disastrous Tailwav 'accident!

!■ , Mr. G. W. Forbes (Hurunui)' said that a better name for the Bill might he The Sidey ./ Fooling-time -Bill." ..(Laughter.) .1 Mr. C, A. Wilkinson: The fact that .we are wasting time on this Bill tomghtis a spectacle for the .gods. Wo ■?[?' trao„ endeavouring to stop .this iSiil sotting through, but can any-, one imagine that-the Empire is engaged :in the greatest struggle in history and •'Parliament m New Zealand is wasting .tiriieon suoh a measure?-

I _Mr. J. H. liscott again appealed to j the member for Dimcdin South to ( withdraw the Bill, and-so enable the to get on with work of much greater importance. j Mr.D. Buick (Palmerston North) Baid that ho was prepared to'sit till daylight to prevent the passing of the measure. If people wanted to get up early to have their bit of pleasure thoy j would do so without any Act of Par- | liament. He suggested that progress ' should bo reported, and the Bill, brought back in three or four years. I Mr. E. P. Lee (Oamaru) suggested ras a solution to . tile difficulty ,tliat ; the mover of the Bill should tako ship for an island a thousand: miles from New Zealand, and there put tho tßill into operation. [ Dr. Newman (Wellington East) .thought that the House was "playing it low down" on the member for DunSouth. He had asked l that a sympathy vote should not be given on . the second reading. The . Bill went through the second reading, and now they had a wearisomo reiteration of statements to kill tho Bill. The members against the Bill would kill it, so they all might just as well go" home then as waste further time.

I Mr. 0. J. Talbot (Temuka) said •, that before the honourable member attempted to force the Bill through, he should travel round the country, and 1 get the real' feeling of the people .on the measure. ./ ,

At 11.20 p.m., Mr. G. J. 'Anderson (Mataura) moved to report progress. The Committee divided on the motion 'ttt once, and the Toting was: Ayes, 26; noes, 88. j At ten minutes after, midnight the.

Committee divided on a motion that the Chairman do leave tlio chair. The motion was defeated by 32 votes to 22. .

At 0.30 a.m. attention was called to the state of; the: House. The Chairman counted a quorum, but a- minute later the boll had to be rung for a quorum.

At 0.40 a.m. Mr. J. 13. Hino moved to report progress, and the Houso diyidcd. The voting was: Ayes, 22;. noes, 30. The Hon. W. H. Herries (Minister of: Railways) said that he was opposed to tho Bill because ho thought it would be bad for the country districts. He suggested they should pass the short title, and then report progress. All contentious legislation had been avoided by the Government at this time, and the Opposition had acted as they should do under the circumstances. Now a private member brought down a highly contentious measure: He thought it was only fair that a private momber should not bring such a measure at the present time. .

Mr. G. Witty (Riccarton) contended'that the .Son! member bad introduced party into. the discussion. There: was no party when a'private member brought down a Bill, nor was it contentious. . '

, 'At 1.30 a.m. Mr. J.. B. Hine moved an amendment to the short title of the Bill: —that. it-be. called' the Dunedin Time-Saving Bill. Ho said! that his idea was to make tlie Bill applicable toiDunedin only. This question was still being" argued when The Dominion -went to press, . . ' . (Left" sitting.)' ' ■ '