PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 60, 5 December 1918, Page 6

PARLIAMENT

: RESTRICTION OF RENT ;; I THE REPATRIATION BILL : COUNCIL DISCUSSES LICENSING !■ :■■...' ' '.: BILL'. :') ■•• j The Legislative Council met at 2.30 >p.m'. yesterday. . . i The Licensing Act Amendment Bill was [received from the Lower House, and was jiefewed to : a special committee, which isat last night to hear objections to the [compensation clauses. I 'SIB-FRANCIS BELL.moved the second'reading of tho Bill. He euggested jthat the debate should take place on the i third reading, when they would have a jmore complete Bill before them, after it i had been dealt with in Committee. i The Hon. 0. SAMUEL objected to I'tiiie course. . The debate was then proceeded with. \ SIR FRANCIS BELL explained the. 'provisions of the Bill, which he said ho : had drafted. He did not think theiro ;were any catches in the Bill, but if there were he .would .be very sorry. He wanted to.be fair in the matter. He was not ; impartial, and he (lid not pretend to be. ;"I have a. very strong partiality," said ■ Sir Francis Bell, "but I want to be ;fair." Referring to the section regarding :6 o'clock closing, which had 'been insertled in the Lower House, he said he believed that closing at G o'clock had proved its value, and that it would be a Jcrime to go back to the state of things that existed before its inception. But the question was whether the right way ihad been adopted in effecting the purpose '■which he most strongly desired to see efifected. However, he would leave the 'matter to the vote of the Council.

y "Attempt at Compromise." :.'. The Hon. 0. SAMUEL objected to expediting the passage of the Bill, which iwas not urgent. In fact, it should never 'have been introduced .at the present time. The introduction of the Bill showled a want of courage on the part of the Government in endeavouring to eliminate from the programme of election as representatives of the people a matter of such lenormous importance as that dealt with : in the Bill. It was purely an attempt at 'compromise between two sections uf people, with neither of whom ho agreed. : Sir Francis Bell: There is no comipromise so far as I know. iy Mr. Samuel: Is it not perfectly appar'ent to everyone , that here is an inducement held out to the Liquor Party to ijoin hands with their natural enemies, ithe Prohibitionists, in order to obtain jfor themselves four and a half millions of money ? i The Hon. G. Jones: Not intentionally. ' Continuing, Sir. Samuel said that if it i-was necessary to have a poll 'on the liquor issue, there should also, be a election. But he held that the present was not the'time to hold an election, or tio take a referendum on tho iliquor. issue, .The referendum would 'cause as much'dislocation and wrangling ,as would an election, and it should not ,be held until conditions became normal. Be contended that proper (onsideration 'should bo given to the Bill, especially 'to the issues which would le placed before the people. The-inclusion at the ! last moment of the 6 o'clck clause as a permanent measure was grossly unfair. It had been regarded only as a' war mea-. sure, but suddenly it had been decided to make it apply in times of peace. That ;was not common honesty. When the war was .over and they were on the eve of peace. Parliament should not have undertaken to fasten upon the people a ihard and crude code such ae the proposal under notice. I. . Two Polls Unnecessary. 1 The Hon. J. T. PAUL said the Bill 'appeared to him to he one of the worst 'political compromises in the history of 'politics in the Dominion. It showed a !lack of courage to deal with the_ question in any shape or form. He did not think it was necessary to make provi■sion for the taking of two polls. All the ■possible' and practical methods of dealing with the question should be submitted'to the people at the one time. procedure which was propped was /cumbrous. Provision should have been Tmade for preferential voting. The method ■of taking .the second poll was dishonest, ■and it might result in affaire remaining fas they were at the present time. By 'having one'.poll, to bo decided by preiferential voting on four issues, it was i possible that some .£30,000 of the taxpayers' money conld be saved. i~Tne"Hon:- G. H. -IZAHD said he did ino't like the Bill. He. did not bsilieve • in-the referendum, but on 'tho liquor issue he would not oppose it. Be did not believe that (he means proposed would settle the question. He had jsome. doubt as to whether compensation jshoujd be paid, but if thev decided to .pay it, they should seo that it was full and sufficient. ; I .No Attempt at Compromise. ■■ Sir Francis Bell, in reply, denied ■that there had been any compromise. jWhat had. taken place had transpired in Jhis room,, and '•.each side represented emjphatically declared that they opposed any 'compromise. : The Bill was read a second time, and ;it wa3 decided that the Committee stage should be taken to-day. ; Tlie Aviation Bill. : SIR FRANCIS BELL moved the second i reading of the Aviation Bill, which he '■ foreshadoVed was only the first of other : measures that would have to bo intro'duced to deal with aerinl navigation. ' The Hon. H. F. WIGRAM said that he entirely approved of the Bill, which ;he'looked upon as the first instalment of what was coming in th-o future. He !would like to seo a Ministry,of tho Air i constituted, for he was sure it would have 'plenty of important work to do in .laying out the highways of navigation in the Dominion. From a defence standpoint it was essential that aviation 6hould be developed. Had there been aeroplanes watching on the coast, he did ■'not think that the Wolff would have ■ been able to lay mines around the shoresof New Zealand. The Hon. W. H. TKIGGS referred to j the interest which Mr. Wigrnm had 1 shown in the establishment .of a flying school in Canterbury. He thought provision should be made in the Bill for the making of regulations which would ■ guard against accidents in the air. Re- ■ gulations should .be framed governing : the "rule of the road" in the air. He supported the Bill. ' : The Hon. O. SAMUEL paid a tribute ' to the work done by Mr. digram in materially urging forward the development > of aviation in New Zealand. He thought ,' that in the future the defence of the Dominion would . devolve upon submar- > in'es and aircraft, and he hoped that the ; Bill would receive tho support of the Council. The Hon. G. J. GARLAND considered ■ that aviation would lead to great ■• commercial prosperity in New Zealand. : He referred to the work being done at the flying school at Kohimarama. That : school had been started by a Mr. Walsh, : who built and learned to fly his own . machine. More flying stations would i have to be established for the protection of the country and'the development of trade. . ~ ~ . In reply, Sir Francis' Bell said the ;'Bill contained n provision covering-the ' point mentioned by Mr. Triggs. The Bill was reported from Committee with certain technical amendments, read ; n third time, nnd , passed. J WAR LEGISLATION BILL, 1 'The War Legislation Bill was roported 1 from the Statutes Envision Committee, i with amendments. The .short title of i the Bill was nlteied by tho Committee i to rend "The War Legislation and Statute Law Amendment Act, 19i!>The amendments were agreed to in ' Committee, and the Bill was read a I third time, and passed. I At 5.10 p.m. the Council uni til 11 a.m. to-day.