PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 18, 16 October 1919, Page 6

PARLIAMENT

$ POST AND TELEGRAPHS COUNTRY TELEPHONES AND PRIVATE LINES THE HOUSING BILL The Legislative Council met' at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS. The Hon. G. M. THOMSON moved a motion advocating the establishment of a , Department of Scientific Affairs, with a Minister at its head, and an advisory board to assist him. The Hon. C. A. C. HARDY seconded the motion. SIR .FRANCIS BET.I, said that he could see the necessity for an advisory board. He thought, however, that the desires of the Hon. Mr. Thomson might be fulfilled by development of the functions and funds of the Board of Science and Art rather than by an attempt to group under one head the scientific activities of several Departments. Ho did not agree with the proposal contained in tho motion, though ho agreed tliat a board of advice which should be able to advise the scientific men of each Department (if they somrht advice) would be an advantage. He honed that the motion would not be pressed.

The Hon. Mr. Thomson withdrew his motion.

BILLS FROM LOWER HOUSE. The following Bills were received from the Lower House, and were rpad n ?vM time:—Education Purposes Loans Bill, Discharged Soldiers' Settlement .Amendment Bill, Manawatu Gorge Hoad and Bridge Bill. MORTGAGES EXTENSION. The Mortises Extension Bill was received }>ack from the Lower House with amendments. f The amendments were agreed to. BOARD OF TRADE BILL. • The Hon. 0. SAMUEL moved: "That the reports of the Statutes B«vi«ion Cnmmittee on the Board of Trade Bill, brought up on September 25 and October 7, 1919, together iv.itli the minutes of procedings and evidence, be printed." The motion was carried . FISHING INDUSTRY. The Fishing Industry Promotion Bill was rend a second time. The Council rose at 3.50 p.m. THE HOUSE The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. The Hon. W. NOSWORTHY (Minister of Agriculture) moved the second reading of the. Howard Estate Bill, explaining very briefly -the effect of the Bill. Tho Bill was read a second timo. THE UNIVERSITY. SIB JAMfcS ALLEN moved the second reading of the New Zealand University Amendment Bill, which provides increased funds for tho university! colleges.

Mr. T. K. SIDEY (Dunedin South) urged tho importance, of paying adoijuato salaries to university professors The demand for competent men was world-wide, and if New Zealand paid low salaries the beet teachers would bo attracted elsewhere.

Sir James Allen said tho matter must be left to the university authorities. Tho Bill was read a Hccond time.

POST OFFICE BILL, QUESTIONS~OF DETAIL. Tho POSTMASTER-GKNERAL (Hon. J. G. Coates) moved the second reading of the Pest Office- Amendment Bill. He said it was chiefly a. machinery Bill, embodying certain ohanges of procedure and extension of power. The Government was taking, power to control private tolephoiie linos. It was not intended to hamper settlere in tho construction of telephone lines, but eomo supervision mis essential.

SIB JOSEPH WARD (Awania) agreed that tho machinery 'amendments generally were desirable. Ho suggested that tho Department should allow telegrams to bo addressed to telephone numbers, tho postal officers transmitting the messages ovor the telephones on arrival. This system had been found a great convenience in other countries.

Mr. A. HARRIS (Wiiitcmatn.) objected to a. clause imposing upon local authorities all the cost of alterations of wires made necessary by street deviations and other local works! The Postal Department had sometimes disregarded altogether the wishes of the local authorities as to whero poles and wires were to bo erected and had then charged the local body with the cost of necessary alterations.

Ik. G. V. PEARCE (Pateaj asked for tlio excision of the clause giving the Department power to control private telephone lines. If these linen had to bo erected under strict Government regulations, the cost would be .increased and necessary communications would be hampered.

Mr. \V. A. YEITCH (Wanganui) sug'gested nn extension of the functions of tho Appeal Board, No other Department had such a weak and useless Appeal Board as tho Post and Telegraph Department possessed. Tho right of appeal was limited to matters of promotion and salary. There was no appeal against discipline. It wes .not necessary to maintain an unjust position in order to secure discipline.

Mr. G. FORBES (Hiirunui) sitid tho proposal to ceaso sending out receipts for Post Office Savings Bank deposits under .£2O was regarded with- disfavour by,officials, on the ground that it opened tlio door to fraud, especially in small offices wlicro supervision, was difficult. Country Telephones. Mr. H. G. ELL (Clmstchu.rch South:) asked for improved country mail services. The Department should- ho careful not to check telephone construction in tho country districts, and should improve the country mail services. Country people ought not to bo specially charged for deliveries of mails. Public interest required that ]ieoplo should be encouraged to live in t'ho country. More slot telephones were required.

' Mr. T. A. H. MELD (Nelson) said tho Department, had done good work -with regard to country telephones and country mail services in tho past, ne regarded with disfavour .tho proposal to put restrictions on private • Telephone lines, which had bjen an enormous boon in the country districts. The charges were too high already.

The Hon.' D. BUDDO (Kaiapoi) urged the Government to give better telephono facilities to Wie country settlers. The postal and telephone services in the country districts were not adequate, a.nd did not do justice to the people who were facing the disadvantages of country life. The payment for telephones ought" to be based on (lie number of calls made. Mt. P. MANDER (Marsdeu) made a plea for better telephono facilities for tho country settler?.

Mr. K. A. WEIGHT (Wellington Suburbs) said that-tho charges for telephones should be more evenly distributed, possibly by charging according to the number of calls in tho year. ][e expressed satisfaction with the plot telephone scheme, and urged-the extension of it to suburban and rural districts. Ho ap-' proved generally .of tins Bill. If any promise had Seen innclo by Sir Joseph Ward as Postmastor-Gcnaral that a war bonus; should bo paid to > the Post and Telegraph (staff, tlmn the Government was bound lo redeem that promise, even if it should be the opinion if the Government that Sir Joseph Ward had made a mistake. Mr. A. T. NGATA (Eastern Maori) pointed out clauses in the. Bill which were against 1 ho country pettier in tho matter of telephony facilities. It seemed to him that tho people on private telephone lines in'the back-blocks would have to pay very heavily for being joined up with the Government line. Mr. It. P. HUDSON (Jlotticka) also joined in th,o protests being made against tho proposed restrictions on tho extension of telephones into tho backblocks, 1 Mr. V. H. EEED (Bay of Islands) eaid

it was very unfair to demand contributions from 'back-block settlers for their postal services. If anything would prevent people going into the back-blocks it would ho lack of postal and telephone facilities.

Badly Maintained Private Lines. The Hon. \V\ D. S. MACDONALD (Bay of Plenty) said that tho Bill had been prepared by tho Department while ho was Acting Postmaster-General, but the Bill had never been considered by himself or by Cabinet. Ho said that ho fully realisi'd tho important work done by the privato telephones in tho bn:k-cou.ntry, but it was also a fact, as ho knew, that some privnto lines wero the source of extreme vexation to tho Department. Some settlers maintained their lines, efficiently, others neglected them, and they all expected the sumo service. He thought the Department had a right to insist on a certain standard of construction.

Jlr. W. T. JENNINGS (Taumaninui) said there was a feeling of deep resentment in the country districts regarding tho attitude of the Department in postal and telephone matters. The people felt that the Department in recent years had not treated them with reasonable consideration. Betting Telegrams. Mr. C. A. WILKINSON (Kgmont) eaid the Bill made it un olfence io tamper with tho time recorded on a, telegram. This clause seemed to be designed to assist tho bookmakers in carry nig on their business through, tho Post Ulh'ce. He understood that (no boukmuKing business done through Iho Post Ulhco was illegal. Tno Hon. W. 11. Hemes : It is not illegal. It is illegal to .send money to be put on tho tolaiisator.

Mr. Wilkinson thought that the use uf the' Post Office lor belting should bo checked. It would ho belter to legalise tne double totaiisator, and so bring the betting into the open. Bacicblock districts should not be penalised by tho Postal Department. It Mas not fair to put special charges on back-block settlers.

Mr. J. P. LUKE (Wellington North) also advocated improved telephone facilities. Tho adoption of a system of payment by calls would be a retrograde step. Ho deprecated .-xcessive inverierence with private telephones, and urged that the rights of local bodies should not ba overridden by tho Postal Department. The streets of the ;-ity were owned by tho citizens and Dot by the Postal authorities.

Mr. B. W. SMITH (Waimarino) said it was true that tho c.o3t of country mail services had increased, but 50 had the taxes paid by tho country settlere. THE HOUSING BILL. At 10.45 p.m. amendments to the Houbing Bill were introduced by Governor's Message and referred to' the Committee on tho Bill.

Mr. H. HOLLAND (Grey) protested against proceeding with the Housing Bill at such a late hour. The Hoiisb had sat until 2 o'clock that morning, and business had been done by about fourteen meni'bers, half of them asleep. Mr. 11. G. ELL (Christolnirch .South) said Mr. Holland's statement was incorrect and ungenerous. Mr. Holland was out of the House a good deal himself.

The PlilME MINISTER (Mr. Masscy) 6;id he had not proposed to try to force, the Housing Bill through, at one- sitting. He had arranged for one. of his colleagues to move tho adjournment of tho debate on the Bill which had been going on all the afternoon and night. lie had decided that no more time could be wasted on tho Bill. It was not very urgent, and no great harm would result if tho Bill did not paw this session. lip was satisfied, also, that the Bill required amendment. Tho responsibility for carrying on the business of the House rested upon him as leader of tho House, but no member could divest himself of responsibility, and ft very much phorter debate ■would have sufficed on the Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill. The session must end in less than threo weeks if the elections woro to 1)0 held before Christmas. If tho elections were not to bo held before Christmas, then they must have- legislation to postpone the life of Parliament, and he did not think many people would irish that. It was quite true that the Iloueo had been asked to at Into hours, but tho hours were easy by comparison with those which had been usual twenty years ago. Mr. Ktt: We are getting oMer. ,Jlr. Massey: "And wiser, I hope." Ho eiml a fow words more a.bout tho inordiiiato length of tho debate. . .Mr. M'Callum: Apply tho closure. Mr. Massey: Wo have no closure. X am not very much in favour of the closure anyway. But it will have to come to the closure if this sort of thing goes on. 1 Mr. Massey sa/d he proposed to gat tho Mnondmente b> tho Housing Bill beforo the Committee, then to go on with two sirafl Bills, and then ho would decide whether to go on with the debate or not. The clauses wm-e. referred to tlie Committee on the Bill. LITTLE BILLS. The New Zealand University Bill and tho Howard Estate Bill were put through committee without amendment, read a third time and passed—all in less than five minutes.

THE DEBATE AGAIN. AND MOltE DISCUSSION. The debato on the Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill was resumed. Messrs. Sykes, Holland, "W. H. Field, P. Fraser, and Dr. Newman all supported the. payment of the bonus, declaring that undoubtedly Sir Joseph Ward had given a promise that the bonus would be paid. Dr. NEWMAN indicated that ho would move in committeo to take from the Postmaster-General the right to forbid the distribution of any magazines by refusing , to permit them to go through tho post. It would be a. retrogression into the Dark Ages if this dictatorial right was to be exercised by.any Minister of the Crown. He said also that he-would divide tho Honso on the clause dealing with the relationship of tho Government and local bodies regarding the telegraph and telephone lines and such matters. Tho clause sought to encroach on the rights of local bodies. Mr. PARR (Eden) said that it seemed that the Poal master-General had committed the Government to payinont of this bonus, although the Government had not sanctioned this promise. But the service had understood that tho promise was made nnd the Government must honour the promise. Hβ admitted that the railway service and other branches of tho Public Service might demand like treatmeat, but whatever the cost the promise must be kept.

Long Debate Entlod. Mr. J. G. COATES (Postmaster-General) replied on the question of the payment of the bonus. (His remarks afe noted elsewhere.) He discussed nil the point? of difficulty raised. Ho promised to accept im amendment of clause 23, declaring that tho lccil body nnwt bear the cost of removal of electric lines on account of the alteration of a road or (street. He indicated also that some system of charging for telephone connections would be adopted by which the charge would bo regulated by tho numbor of calls of the subscriber" concerned: As to the proposal that telegrams might bo sent to telephone numbers, tho regulation was now in existence. Tho Bill was read a, second time and committed forthwith. The two clauses to which most exception had been taken were deleted by the Minister in Committee. These were tho clauso relating to the licensing of privnto lines and the clauso imposing; an obligation on the local bodies to bear the cost of removal of lines. The Bill was. put through all stagca aml| pnssed. The House rose at 0.53 a.m.

Mr. W. H. Field (Ot.-ki) has asked tho Minister of Defence "whether it is true that the nioto'.'-ainbulance provided by children's subscriptions in tho OtakiI.evin district for the use of our men in France, and whirh was attached to the Pioneer Native Battalion, hits been sent out: to the Dominion, and has been appropriated for use in Wellington city; and whether, if this is so, the ambulance in Question shall be at once forwarded to the district which provided tho funds for its purchase, and which therefore has tho best claim to it, and where it is urgently needed."