SALARIES OF MAGISTRATES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 257, 24 July 1920, Page 8

SALARIES OF MAGISTRATES

THE BILL PASSED. . The Minister of Justice (Mr. Lee) moved tho second reading of the Magistrates' Courts Amendment Bill, which proposes to increase the salaries of Magistrates. The JBill, Ho said, provided that tho senior Magistrates in tho four centres should receive .£9OO a year eacli, instead of J3BOO. that second Magistratos at Wellington and Auckland should received- i! 850, and that all other Magistrates should. 1» paid. <£800 instead of JSW. ' - Mr. T. M. Wilford (Ilutt) thought the increases were inadequate. The National Cabinet had approved of a proposal he made ,to pay the Magistrates Jiloßo a year, and this sum was not too large. Tho Magistrates handled the people's litigation, and Now Zealand was I fortunate in having the services of men I of a very high--standard of intelligence and integrity.. •• • Mr. A. Ngata (Eastern Maori) asked for • improved salaries for tho Judges 'of tho Native Land Court. These Judges had great responsibilities. The Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald (Leader of the Opposition) supported this view. The Magistrates 'ought to have ample incomes. A i'ew other members spoke in general support of . better pay for Magistrates. Some few menibei'3 did not liko the idea of differentiation ' among Magistrates, being of opinion thatjilio Magistrates in secondary towns should, be paid as much as in the largo cities. In his reply, Mr. Lee said that ho proposed'to bring under tho notice of the Government the special case of the Magistrates regarding superannuation. 1 The Bill was read a second time, and Was also put through committee -without debate, read a third firne,. and passed.

| SCRAP THE ARBITRATION ACT A DRASTIC PROPOSAL. : The Hon. J. MacGregor yesterday gava notice in the Legislative Council, of the following motion:— "-Thnt in the opinion of this Council (1) the'6ysteni ,of State regulation of industry under the provisions of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1908, and. its amendments neither fosters genuine trade unionism nor promotes true conciliation nor prevents strikes, __ nor tends in any way to improve {he relations between Capital and Labour. (2) Tho time lias come when the whole subject of the relations Between Capital and .Labour must be looked at from ail entirely different point of view and dealt with in quite a different manner.; and in order to enable the Government, members of Parliament, and industrial unions, trade unions and associations of employers to reconsider the whole subject and avail themselves- of the knowledge derived from the study, Investigation-and experience of other countries, a short Act should be passed this session repealing tho Act and making provision for the following objects:— '■'(a) For continuing in force -until December 31; 1921, all awards of the Court of Arbitration and all industrial agreements in force on the date of the pass-' ing.of such Act; (b) foil empowering the Board of Trade, upon tho Government Statistician reporting to -it that there lias been a serious rise in tho cost of living, to make an order, to be published in the Gazette, increasing the rate of wages fixed by all or any of such awards or industrial agreements on =the; principles laid down by the Court of Arbitration; (cj for vesting in . the Supremo Court all tho judicial powers and juris-, diction now exercisable by the Court of Arbitration, either under tho provisions <)f J;he Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act or under the Workere' Compensation Act; (<J) for empowering the Minister of Labour to summon mandatory conferences to. deliberate upon the subject of the relations between Capital and Labour, such conferences to comprise representatives of the consumers, of industrial unions. and trade unions, and associations of employers, and for empowering , tho Governor-in-Council to make regulations for (lie election of such for (he appointment of a chairman of any such confenence, and generally for tho conthe proceedings,"

GRAND JURY SYSTEM . VINDICATED IN THE COUNCIL. In moving in the Upper House yestorday the second rending of his Crimes Act Amendment Bill, the Hon. J. MacGregor said that the effect of the Bill would be to confer on the law officers of the Crown, the power to perform the functions at present performed by grand juries. The measure did not propose to do away' with the present provisions for summoning grand juries, but it would make the summoning of such juries unnecessary. Mr. MacGregor quoted from "Hansard" the arguments he-'liad used when promoting the same Bill in a previous session. Sir JVancis Bell condemned the Eill as proposing to do away with an institution. which to-day provided safeguards against the tyranny of a Government. Mr. MacGregor, he es.id, should have brought down a resolution instead of a Bill, for it was impossible that the Bill should pass into law in its present, form. However, had the hon. gentleman pibposed; a resolution on the lines of the Bill, ho (Sir Francis Bell) would have offered just the same opposition to it as he was offering to the Bill. The 'Hon. G. J. Garland regarded the granH jury system as cumbersome, He thought that though apparently the ineasure as drafted was incapable of bringing about what it purported to aim at, the introduction of it and the consequent discussion might tend to promoto a desirable reform. The. Hon. H. L. Michel opposed tlio Bill because he saw in the'grand jury a. protection for accused persons—a piutection that might prove very valuable fj" an unjust Government should get iiito power. Mr. MacGregor eventually withdrew the Bill. CAMO'ILL The Gaming Bill was read a third time and passed by the House of Representatives yesterday without debate. It will appear in the Legislative Council nest week.