Parliamentary.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 4 October 1901, Page 3

Parliamentary.

(ode parliamentary reporter.)

The Factories Bill. Wellington, This Day. The Factories Bill has come from the Labor Bills Committee.

It now provides that the hours of employment for women and children shall not exceed 45 per week and for adult males 48. The restrictions on overtime for male labor are to be done away with and wages are not to be allowed to male adults for holidays on New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labor Day and the Birthday of the regning sovereign. Freezing works and dairy factories are included in the industries exempted from the operations of the Act. The Public Debt. A return presented to-day by Premier apportions the public debt between the various administrations thus prior to 1871 was £816,524 or an increase to date of £41,426,004. The total debt was £49,591,245. The increase contributed was as follows :

Of the last item the Premier said that over seven millions are earning their own interest and £6,800 more, the rest of the borrowing representing no more than an addition at the rate of £296.000 a year to ihe debt.

(per press association.) THU 'FRISCO MAIL SERVICE. Wellington, Oct 3. In the House of Representatives this afternoon in reply to Mr Witheford who enquired as to the position in regard to the San Francisco mail service, Mr Ward said the Sprcckles Company had submitted proposals for a five years contract for £26,562 per year. The Cabinet considered this offer and came to the conclusion that the sum was in excess of what the colony could afford to pay, and the offer was therefore subject to the approval of the House, to pay £15,000 per annum for three years service, but Sprcckles had cabled refusing to entertain that offer. As soon as proposals wore formulated they would be submitted to the House for consideration. amendment of conciliation act. On the motion for the committal of the Industrial Conciliation and Amendment Bill, Mr Herries moved that it be an instruction to the Committee'on the bill to furthei amend the principal act in the direction of bringing the Crown and Departments of State and workers employed by them under the provision of the Act, The Acting-Speaker ruled the motion out of older on the ground that it proposed to place additional burdens on the taxpayers, and could therefore only be brougat down by the Governor’s message.

The House then went into Committee on the Bill. In the course of discussion on the Bill, Mr Seddon said he was certain that the legislation of the Government on this subject would stand the test of depression. It has proved beneficial to both the employers and employed. As Minister for Labor he declared that although our legislation was not perfect, we had to a groat extent gone a long way to solve the problem which had troubled the civilised world.

After the telegraph office closed the Conciliation Arbitration Amendment Bill was further considered in committee.

In the course of the discussion Mr Seddon said he had drafted an amendment by which powers of Conciliation Boards would be vested in Stipend! airy Magistrates, but he would let matters rei main As at present for another year. Then if they did not improve, he would, next session move an amendment in the direction he had indicated. Mr Willis moved a new clause to enable either party to go direct to the Arbitration Court.

This was opposed by the Premier, bu; carried by 80 to 18. The Bill was reported and after some debate was put through the final stages on the voices. The House rose at 4 25 a.m,

Fox Govt. (1872-73) ... £1,443,095 Yogel (1873-76) ... 6,855,323 Atkinson (1877) 8,439,550 Grey (1878-79) ... 2,125,600 Hall (1880-82) ... 6,450,500 Unstated (1883) 965,900 Atkinson (1884) 1,626,571 Stout-Vogel (1885-87) ... 4,670,071 Atkinson (1888-91) ... 4,088,697 Ballance (1892-93) ... 427,490 Seddon (1894-01) ... 10,333,405