PARLIAMENTARY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2045, 23 November 1907, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THURSDAY, NOV. 21.

SUPER-ANNRATION BILL. The Bill was generally supported by mombers. Mr. Jenkinson said it paved tlio way for privato employers to do likewise. In the course of Ins reply, the Attorney-General said the onlvjinember of the Government who deserved congratulation was Alio Premier. Prom first to last and in every way the .Bill was the Bight Hon. Sir Joseph Ward’s, and it was due to him to recall that right through his public career'lie had striven in some way to provide for those who served tho"'Dominion as faithful servants. (Sir J. Ward had been responsible fo.r the Post and Telegraph Superannuation fund and the Kailway Superannuation fund, and now this Bill was due to him. The Bill avas read a second time on ±hc voices and committed.

Mr. Jenkinson suggested that the retiring allowance in any case should he limited to £3OO per annum.. If this v.cro done it would he better for the lower grades. The Attorney-General pointed out that the amount at stake spread over the lower grades was so infinitesimal that it was hardly worth considering. •Mr. Jenkinson did not persist with his suggestion. Clauses X to 39 were passed with machinery amendments.

Progress was then reported GENERAL.

The Stock Act Amendment Bill (providing for the abolition of “the sheep tax) and the Packet License Bill were put through all their stages and passed. The National Endowment Bill was read a third time and passed. 3he Attorney-General announced that the Judiciary Bill would not he proceeded with this session. NATIVE LANDS.

The Native Land Settlement Bill was received from the House, read a first time, and immediately put forward for its second reading.

The Attorney-General said that in his humble opinion Mr. Ormond bad not ‘ approached tlio matter with a mind capable of fair criticism. He was an advocate of a system of freetrado in Native land. In this position ho was but a melancholy voice crying in the wilderness. The records of' free traffic in Native land were a positive disgrace. ’ There was no injustice and no blot in the Bill. Substantial justice was being done the Native peoplo. . The second reading was agreed to by 25 votes to 2. Tire.Bill was committed. Clause 10 emuowers the Governor-in-Council, on the recpiest of the Commissioner, to prohibit all private alienation of land reported on by the Commission. The Attorney-General moved to strike out the words “reported on by the Commission,” with a view to inserting “of any area of Native land whether such land has been reported on by the Commission or not.” Speculation might be going on ahead of the Commission, and ho wished to prevent any such tiling taking place. The amendment was agreed to on the voices.

Section 5 affecting sales of Native land was also amended- on the motion of tho Attorney-General. Tlio amendment provides that a purchaser of Native land becomes, subject to part 4 of the Lands for Settlement Act, 1907 (limitation provision) in tlie samo manner as if the land had been alienated by tlie Crown.

Mr. Anstey took exception to clause 27, which provides that leases should he put up for public auction. The result would probably be inflated prices. The Attorney-General said this Bill affected privato estates, and .it was tilie duty of the State to make the best bargain, for Native owners. The clause was not altered, and the Bill was reported with amendments. The third reading was agreed to by 24 to 1, and the Bill passed. The Council rose at 9.30 pun. FRIDAY, NOV. 22. The Council met at 11 a.m. PUBLIC SERVICE SUPERANNUATION. The Public Service Superannuation Bill was further considered in mittee. . Clause 41 provides for the inclusion of the Teachers’ Superannuation. Fund in the Public Service Superannuation Fund. On the motion of the Attorney-General the clause was struck out

A number of machinery amendments were made in several clauses of the Bill. The Bill was read ■ a third time, and passed. The Council adjourned at noon. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. FRIDAY, NOV. 22. The House met at 2.30. BILLS OF EXCHANGE ACT. The Conference on the Council’s amendments to the Bills of Exchange Act reported that it had been decided to amend the Bill by providing that no document shall bp destroyed prior to three months after the passing of the Act or at any time after demand has been made for the delivery of a document. The report was agreed to. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT BILL. An amendment to the National Endowment Bill was brought down by Governor’s message, eliminating from the schedule an area of about 200 acres in Hawke’s Bay district, which is at present occupied by Natives.— Agreed to. NATIVE LAND BILL.-

An amendment to the Native Land Settlement Bill was brought down by Governor’s message, providing that tho power of restriction of alienation vested in the Governor should not be restricted in any degree whatever. Mr. Carroll stated that the amend-

ment was designed to give the Native Lands Commission an entirely free hand in its investigations -ill respect to any block of land..

Tho amendment was agreed to/ 'SUPERANNUATION BILL. Amendments made by tlio' Council to tho Public Service Superannuation Bill were agreed to. Tho Premier intimated that ho proposed to look into tho question of teachers’ superannuation during tho recess with a view of introducing legislation next- session; but lio thought teachers would have to bo kept separate from tlio public service superannuation scheme. EDUCATION ENDOWMENT.

On the motion of Mr. McNab, certain areas of land were permanently set apart as an endowment for primary education in Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington, and Nelson land districts. RAILWAY CLASSIFICATION.

Tlio House went into committee on the Railway Classification Bill. • In reply to Mr. Hogan, the Premier said members of the service would receive their increments as prvided by the Bill -on April Tst, X9OS. A number of clauses of the Bill passed unaltered.

The Premier explained that- in the eighth grade of subdivision 2 of the first division .the minimum had been raised 'from- £235 to £240 per annum, and tlie.*f6vyimum from £250 to £255. The teirtirWra'de bad also been amended bv substituting eight increments of £lO, four of £ls, and two of £lO. Tims a cadet could reach £2OO per annum in 12 years. He went on to 1 sav that the additional amount involved by the alteration in increments was £13,600.' Guards bad been, separated from signalmen, shunters, and storemen -as in the original, schedule. The number of first-class guards had been increased to 50 per cent, and the rates of pay in class 1 were 9s 6d to 11s per day, the increments being one of Is and one of 6d per day. Similar rates applied to firstclass signalmen, storemen, and shunters, tho maximum number of ’firstclass not t-o exceed one-third of the total number of both grades. He added that- the total alterations made.

including allowances in last year’s estimates (about £60,000), involved an amount between £135,000 and £140,000. . Replying to questions, tlio Brenner stated that tlio Officers’ Institute had taken exception to tlie Bill on incomnleto information. If members of tlio servico could telegraph their unoonsidored representations all over the country there would bo a tremendous re-action somo day.

Mr. Massey said some juniors in Wellington had wired to colleagues all over tho country urging that they should wiro members of the House that they were satisfied with the schedule of tho Bill, and ho contended that members of the servico had a perfect right to make representations to members of the House. Tho Premier said ho recognised that, members of tlie servico had the right to place their cases before members of tlio House, but he maintained that incorrect information had been sent out from Wellington, and ho objected to this procedure. Ho exonerated heads of Departments from participating in this agitation. lie went oil to say that wliat had made him hesitate with the Bill was the organised dissatisfaction tliat had been exhibited. Ho had meditated, not on dropping the idea of increasing the wages of tho railway service, but on asking tlio House to place tho whole railway service under tlie Arbitration Court. Mr. Boss contended that officers wlio iliad telegraphed to the House were conversant with tho proposals of the Bill, as it had been telegraphed all over tho country and published in tlio newspapers. Tlie officers had every riglit to place their grievances before members. Tlio House adjourned at 0.30. On resuming at 7.30, tlie Bill was reported with amendments to the schedule brought down by Governor s message the previous night.