"WASHING-UP" BILL.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 29, 29 October 1917, Page 7

"WASHING-UP" BILL.

NEW CLAUSES ,ADDED.:. ' SIB FRANCIS BELL moved tie second reading of the Reserves and.'Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Bill. He said that, the Bill •contained 126 clauses, affecting various parts of the country, and he did not think, any good (purpose could be served by sending it to a committee. , The Council must trust .the Ministers m dealing with such a Bill. A detailed 'explanation of eaoh'clause of'a Wash-ing-up" Bill, whioh was. really a compilation produced by many Departments, did not appear practicable. If-Minis-tors wished to.deceive, .they could conceal the true meaning of a clause from a committee as easily as ironi the CounciL A check was supplied by the fact that each, clause was understood by at least one public Department. , The Hon. 0. SAMUEL said, that as a point of order the Bill .should be. referred to a committee,, since it . was really.a collection of local and private The Council agreed to suspend the Standing Orders to enable the Bill-to Pr^he e Hon. J. T. PAUL said/that there Wre elates in the Bill which were strange to the members representing the districts affected. . That' surely was - a said he understood one clause of the Bill lifted the reservation on a scenic reserve of "11 acres •because the wild pigs were troublesome to the settlers. He thought the pigs could have been'dealt with m an--OtSroWFRANOIS BELL said all' the clauses relating to land had been considered by the Lands Committee, of the House of Representatives. There must be a method of handling minor questions without hampering the machinery of Parliament. The method adopted by the House of Commons was to deal with local matters by means of orders of the Local Government Board. These orders were Taid.on the table- of the House, but thev were not considered by members. The New Zealand system was to put through a "Washing-up _. BUI. It Vould not bo contended that member always understood local Bills. . They accepted the decision of the Administration and the members immediately concerned. The Bill was put through Committee. Several additional olauses were added to the Bill on the motion of J3ir Francis Bell One clause added HoTOwhenua County to tho Palmerston North Hospital District. . ,• The Bill was read a third time and passed;. NATIVE LAND. The Native Land Amendment and Native Land Claims Adjustment Bill waß put through all stages and passed.

ONLY WAR LEGISLATION.. . The Hon. 0. SAMUEL said the statement had been made at tho beginning of the session that only wnr legislation would bo dealt with. But at a late stage of the session Bills that were- not war legislation had been brought down. A new Bill, the Statute Law Amendment Bill, had now beeii introduced in the House, and it '»as uot war legislation. SIR FRANCIS BELL said the Government had not 'departed from its original statement to any extent Tho Minister, as a matter of fact, had not intended to bring down tho Bill mentioned, but the Departments Tiad said it was necessary. Oqunoillors would have ample time to examino it. The Council adjourned at 8.35 p.m. until 11 a.m. to-day.