POST AND TELEGRAPH BILL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 298, 10 September 1920, Page 8

POST AND TELEGRAPH BILL

CLASSIFICATION APPEALS. Tlie I'ost and Telegraph Amendment Bill was committed in tho Houso last uiglui. Clauso 1. which proposes that the Gov-eruor-in-Council shall havo power to widen the application of the section which secures to the Department a mono, poly of tlie business of letter-delivery, was objecr.fed to by tho Loader of the Opposit'on (Mr. T. M. AVilford). Mr. Wilford consdered that tlie clause was directed against a particular firm which made a business of deliverihp handbills, circulars and similar things from houso to houso.

The Hon. J. G. Coates agreed to incorporate in the Bill the following exemption: "Mere housc-ro-house delivery of trado announcements, circulars, or advertisements may be made by any person. but such documents become 'letters' when placed in addressed envelopes or wrappers, whether closed or otherwise." The House adopted the amendment. Mr. .T. Young (Waikato) referred Ho an amendment passed last year to givo relief to officers of the Department who under tho 1018 Act had been deprived of tho right of appeal the 1Sl!i classification. Mr. Young said Ml lmd been intended bv Parliament thnt tho Amendment should operate as from April

1. l!)l!i. but afterwards it had been found tiiat the amendment d'd lie! so operate, f-nnsenuently some hardship had Wn inflicted on a number of men who had not been, able to prosecute their anpeals. He moved n new clause designed to meet tlm position. Tlie Minister said ',?i«t if the matter. were reopened as the lion, member suggested it might happen that the decision nf the board would nlace =ome appellant? in a lower posit'on than that which tliey occupied now, and would mate vl necessary for them to refund some of the monev they had bei*L paid during t.lie past fifteen months owo. The.Prime Minister thought thnt Mr. Young's clauso ought to be accepted, and Mr. Contes agreed. Tho Bill was reported with the amendment's mentioned, was read a third time, and passed. OTAGO MEDICAL SCHOOL The policy of the Government in regard to the Medical School of Dunedin was mentioned by the Hon. C. J Parr (Minister of Public Health) in the House yesterday, Mr. Parr said that tho object of the Government was to make the institution in question the most efficient south of the line, and to allow no other institution to competo with it. Already, iu pursuance of tho policy declared b.v his predoccssor and by the Prime Minister, the Government wus committed to the expenditure of 6onie .£70,000 in connection witli the 6chool.

A Bill proposing to creato a South Otago Hospital District was yesterday reporteil to the House by the Public Health Committee, which recommended that the measure should bo allowed to nrocceci without amendment. Mr. C. E. Statham (Dunedin Central) moved that TTTe Sin 'sTiould be referred back to tho committee, and eventually tho report was "talked out" bv its opponents among the Otago members.