PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1051, 9 June 1882, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

NEW BILLS,

Wellington, May 23.

Under the Employers’ Liability Bill, introdnceil by Mr M W. Green, it is provided that compensation shall he paid to any workman for personal injury arising from defects in any works, machine y, or plant ; from any negligence of the person in superintendance ; from, any act or omission done or made in obedience to bye laws • f particular institutions; or from the negligence of any person in the service, or any employe having control of any. signal, point, engine, or train upon a railway. Compensation will be paid to the workmen suffering harm, or in case of death, to his legal representative. The maximum amount of compensation is not to exceed three years’ earnings for the injured person, and action for recovery will not be maintainable an less notice of injury is given wi'hin six weeks, and action commenced within six months from the occurrence of the accident. The provisions of the Act to apply to the Government as well as other employers,ami a course of procedure is supplied for enforcing it. The term “Workmm” will not include a domestic or menial servant, bub will refer to any railway servant, labourer, servant in husbandry, journeyman artificer, handicraftsman, miner, or person otherwise engaged in manual labour. The Eight Honrs Bill (Mr M. W Green) constitutes eight hours’ work out of every 24 on any legal working a legal day’s work, and 48 hours per week a legal week’s work in all occupations, whether of a mental or physical nature ; and provides lhat all work or labour performed in excess of that time shall bn reckoned as overtime, and paid for either at the same rate as ordinary hours, or at such rate as may be agreed between employer and employed. Domestic servants, persons employed in dairies, and those engaged in such employments as allow a smaller number of winking hour*, are to he excepted from the opera ion of the A ct.

The Evidence Bill (Mr Hutchison) provides that an accused person shall he competent but not compellable to give evidence for or against himself on his own trial, and that husbands and wives shall he competent but not compellable to give evidence against one another. MISCELLANEOUS. June 5. Mr Steward’s Gaming and Lotteries Amendment Bill, just circulated, contains one operative clause, as follows:—The following proviso shall be a ided to section 19 of the said Act, and shall be read and construed as part of the same, that is to say : Provided always that any sweepstake or sweep drawn on a racecourse on the occasion of any or on the ground and within view of any race, shooting, coursing, or other match, athletic contest, or game of skill, in which sweepstakes ov sweeps, where the stake or share d.f each individual participating therein sh .11 not exceed the sura of live pounds, shall be exempt from the operation of the Act ” Replying to M r TJ ? Lautour. The Colonial Secretary sai l that the disdriot would be re-arranged, so as to modify the present arrangements for administering the Warden’s and Magistrate’s C un ts, and to facilitate the, business thereof, on the Otago central gol I fields. EDUCATION ACT AMENDMENT ACT. Mr Pyke moved the second reading of the Education Act Amendment Act, IBS2. He said the welfare of the next generation was bound up with Ibis measure. Ho had no desire to diVn-b the existing syst m > ho simply asked, that other than public schools should receive" assistance, provided -•hey conformed to certain provisions provided for by the Act in existence,’such’as the qualification of’■teachers, standard, inspectors. etc. As regards matters' of religion, the Hill was liberal enough’ to meet the views of all classes of the. community. He dwelt at some length ou the importance of a system of education bring provided which should provide for the development of intellectual facilities. The consequence of educating all children under a particular standard was calculate 1 to thwart that diversity of-character ori which so much of the greatness of our nation depended. At present there was one, fifth of the number of children attending school in the colony receiving education 't other than public schools. He might luul himself in a iespectahlo minority to-night, but the time would come when they would he compelled to make a provision r, ‘ this kind. They were doing a wrong in causing religious teaching to be excluded from schools, and also in excluding the Word of God. Ho could not justify such a state of things to himself. Ho would be told that religion should bo taught at the fireside, bid he )o minded them that in a new county like this they were all struggling to make a home, and after their day’s struggle they were not in a proper frame of mind to go home and teach their children religions truths. They were told that this was an age of toleration. Now, he asked, where was ttn-ir toleration ? They said to the minority, “ Von shad conj tribute to llio educational system in epora- ! tion. no matter how strong your ennsniontions objections may bo.” He nsk“d for fair play for that minority, and in committee lie would bo ready to accept any reasonable jn ad it] caliana which might bo thought expedient. Iho Bill was eventually thrown out.

THE GOLDFIELDS, Wellington, June 3. There was a large mooting of the goldfields members of the Honse this morning it 10 o'clock, with a view to coming to a common understanding in regard to the gold duty, miners’ rights, prospecting and other questions of importance in connection with the goldfields of the colony. Mr Pyke was votedto the chair.

Several members from both Islands urged the importance of combined action, the sinking of,local differences to secure for one of tlio most important industries of the colony its proper recognition at the hands of Parliament.

Mr Do Lautour pointed out” that the meeting could hardly do anything more than work nfjthe mnstj kind. This was much, as the questions which they had to settle among themselves were large enough to constitute a policy for a Government, and keep the whole session fully employed in working that policy out. Mr Sheen,in said that he expected sub stantial results from the combined action of the goldfields members. The work which they would have to do would divide itself into two great classes—Firstly, all important questions, such as the gold duty, miners’ rights, and public works on goldfields, which ..fleeted nil the goldfields in the same manner : and secondly, the more important local requirements of goldfields which had been placed in tlr- hands of the several members for presentation to the House. He pi oposed that they should deal with the general principle first, and then let each member bring his log or logs up afterwards Mr De Lautour moved— “ That a committee consisting of Messrs Pyke, Weston, J Cl - Brown,. Seddon, Fitzgerald, Cadftian. Sheeuan, and the mover, he appointed to collect and prepare the necessary information required to enable the meeting at an adjourned sitting to discuss and settle the following questions:—The abolition of 1 the gob I duty, the maintenance, reduction, or abolition of miners’ rights fees now paid ; the propriety of codifying the whole of the mining laws of the colony ; the restriction of Chinese immigration ; the construction of public works on goldfields ; tbe question of providing reasonable assistance under fair conditions for prospecting, and foi the employment of diamond-drills and other rockboring machinery, and generally any other matters which in their opinion might be worth while submitting for the consideration of the goldfields members.” Captain' Morris pointed out that the meeting would have no result unless the members present agreed to act together for the purposes mentioned, and that if they were merely to be a sort of outside Parliament they could look for no practical result.

Mr Sheehan said it would be only fair to mention in regard to the abolition of the gold duty that the North Island goldficl’s members would expect if the duty on gold was abolished that the Government should at once take steps, first, to purchase royprsionary interest of the Natives in the miners’ nghls fees now pa'd to them ; secondly, to acquire the freehold of those parts of the cold fields now held under lease, a fair price being paid and ample provision made for reserves for the Native owners.

The feeling of the meeting was in favour of this proposal. One or two of the more important South Island members s’-id that they would assist the' North Island members in placing the North Island goldfields on the same footing as to local revenue os those of the Sou.'l) .Island. A sub committee met this afternoon at 2 oVloek,.Mr Pyke in the chair. The f flowing proposals wore adopted for submission to the general meeting ;—First, that Ohinn'e immigration should be forthwith shopped ; secondly, that the duty at. present levied noon the exportation of go'd should be abolished, but at the same time the necessary steps should he taken to place the North Island goldfields upon the same footing as to local revenue as those of the South Island third, that reasonable aid should he given under workable conditions for the development of new goldfields by assistance to prospectors, and the Government should procure diamond drills and other scientific rock-boring apparatus to be used on the various goldfields under business-like conditions, and that an endeavour should be made to codify the mining laws of the colony. Messrs Cadman and Dr Lautonr were appointed a committee to procure the necessary information in regard to gold duty and miners’ rights fees, and to report upon the tenure of the Thames and Coromandel gold, fields. Messrs Pyke, Rendon, Fitzgerald, and Weston were appointed a committee to report on the question ef p-ospe tiny, the employment of diamond drills, and public works on goldfields. Messrs J. 0. Brown, Weston, and Sheehan were appointed a committee to report upon tho mining laws and regulations now in force in the co'onv. The general meeting will resume work on Monday, at ten o’clock. —Morning Herald