PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2522, 24 July 1915, Page 6

PARLIAMENT

DAYLIGHT SAVING BILL

A COMPROMISE EFFECTED

POSTPONED FOR THREE YEARS

COOK ISLANDS AFFAIRS DISCUSSED.

The debate on Mr. T. K. Sidey's D<* fimtion of Time Bill was continued after J-hk Dominion went to press yesterdav morning. ' At 1.30 a.m. Mr. J. B. Hine had "1, amendment to alter the title of tho Dill to The Dunediu Time Saving

At 3.30 a.m. thho Committee divided on the amendment, but it was defeated by 26 votes te 19.

A quarter of an hour later Mr. G. V Pearco moved to report progress, Mid! speakmg to the motion, Mr. J. H Es°ott announced that he and his friends were prepared te hold the Bill up until midnight on Saturday. ®jjs motion was defeated by 27 votes

Immediately on the declaration of the result. Mr. G. W. Pearce moved that the Chairman do leave tho Chair. At 0.45 a.m. this motion was defeated, by 27 votes to 20. ■

Mr. Hine then moved an amendment to have,tho effect of bringing tho Bill into operation on November 1, 1918 This amendment Mr. Sidey offered to accept jf the Bill were allowed to go .through Committee. It was suggested that the Committee rise then (at 6.'30 a.m.), to allow membersto discuss th« proposed compromise. The Hon. W. H. Horries, the onjj Minister in the House at the time, d<y lined the .terms of tho suggested agree«ent definitely. The opponents of the Bill claimed a freo hand at all other, stages of the Bill, reserving the righfj te voto against it'at the third reading, but they would ask for an undertaking from tho friends of the Bill that they, would refrain from all efforts to have the Bill restored to its original form in tho Upper House. Mr. Sidey agreed for his own part to do nothing to alter tho Bill back to its original form in "another place," but pointed out that efforts in this direction might bo made' by other persons outside of. the House when the Bill was before the Council. Mr. H. J. H. Okey said that he was opposed absolutely to the Bill going on te the Statute Book, and he would not bo a .party to any bargaining. He had sat tip all night to fight tho Bill, and he would not accept any compromise whatsoever. Other opponents of the Bill were less obdurate than Mr. Okey. Mr. Herries said that the effect of the compromise would be to "scotch'' the Bill for the whole of this Parliament. _ He would suggest as a further condition that tho member for Dunedin South should rest from his legislative labours, and should bring down no moro Bills for the remaining sessions of this Parliament. At 7.40 a.m. the Committee agreco to the amendment by 36 votes to 12., A Fight Clause by Clause, A division was taken on the clause as amended, tho result being 35—12 in favour of the clause. Although Clause '2 is merely an interpretation clause, a division was taken on it, and tho clause was agreed to by 31 votes to 14. • Clause three was the subject of another division. It provides that, from the hour of 2 o'clock in the morning of tho first Sunday in November in each year until tho hour of two in the morning of the first Sunday in February in each year, New Zealand clock time shall be ono hour in advance of New Zealand, standard time, and that for the rest of -tho year Now Zealand clock time shall bo tho same as Now Zealand standard time. The clause was carried by 29 votes to 16.

Clauso 4, providing that, for the pur-i pose of any Act, Orcfer-in-Cormcil, rule, regulation, by-law, contract, or any instrument whatever, in which it may be prescribed that something must be done, or something must not be done, at certain hours of the day, the time shall be deemed to bo New Zealand clock time as defined by the Bill, was agreed to by 30 votes to 15. One' clause which says that observatory timo as' used for the purposes of astronomy and navigation shall not be affected by the Bill was agreed to oil the voices. A new clauso limiting the operation of the Bill to a period of three months in one summer only, the period from 1 November, 1918, to the beginning' of February, 1919, was agreed to on the voices. The niotion to report the Bill to tli6 House was carried by 26 votes to 17. The Bill was reported with amend* ments. The House toso at 8.20 a.m.

YESTERDAY'S SITTING <

The House met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. The Church' Property Trust (Canterbury) Act, 1879, Amendment'Bill'(Mr.H. Ct. Ell) was read a second timo. Mr. R. W. SMITH (Waimarino) gave notice of tho Mangawliero Countv Bill. The Hon. R. H. EH ODES (Ellesmere) cavo notice of the Spriucs County Council Reclamation and Empowering Bill, .

FIRST READINGS. Tlio Thames Borough Council Enabling Bill (Mr. T. W. Rhodes), the Shops and Offices Act, 1908, Amendment Bill (Mr. Hiudmar:lh), the Inglewood Borough Endowment Disposal Bill (Mr. Oke.v), and the Papakura. Beach Vesting; Bill (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey) wero introduced and read a' first time. EXPEDITIONARY FORCES BILL'. The Expeditionary Forces Bill (tho Hon. J. Allen) was read a second tittie pro forma, and referred to the Secret Defence Committee. COOK ISLANDS " THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN " RAVAGES OF DISEASE. The Hon. Dr. POMARE moved that tho Cook Islands Bill (read a Second time pro forma) he committed. Mi'. A. E. GLOVER (Auckland Central) complained that quite inadequate medical attention was paid to some of the islands, and in one case there had been no doctor at the island for three years. Mr. L. M. ISITT (ChristchurcH North) dealt with the liquor question, and referred to the ravages wrought anions: tho natives by tho 6ocial evil, an evil which was genera-tod and spread by the practice of the Union Company, of takiiig Cook Island "boys" to Tahiti, which was a sink of moral iniquity. No shipping company should be allowed, to continue a practice which did so much harm. 110 advocated tho setting up of a wireless station at the Islands.

Dr. A. K. NEWMAN 7 (Wellington East) said that Mr. Isitt's remarks were mild by comparison with the facts. Tito spread of diseaso was du o to the practice of taking men to Tahiti, "the Cairo of the Paciiic." One alarming effect of the disease was the declining birthrate, and the impending extinction of the native race. It was a deplorable state of affairs, which tho Government were not taking adequate steps to remedy. Ho urged tho Government strongly to send, say, a couplo of doctors to the Islands to care for the health:'