PARLIAMENTARY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2046, 25 November 1907, Page 1

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23. Press Association. .WELLINGTON. Nov. 53. RAILWAYS CLASSIFICATION. Tlio Council mot at 11 a.m. Tlio Attorney-General moved tlio second reading of tlio Railway Department Glassification Bill. After a brief discussion tlio motion was agreed to on. I lie voicos and the Bill was put through its committed stages and passed. THE FIRE BRIGADES -BILL.

Tlio Council apiprovdft of the amendments made by tlio House of Representatives in the Fire Brigades Bill. ANIMALS Pil'd’;' T-I-ON BILL.

Amendments mado by tho Ho-uso in tlio Animals Protection Bill woro ■agreed - to. FACTORIES ACT.

The report of a conference on tlio, disagreement 'between, the Council and -the House over the amendments in the Factories Act Amendment Bill was received, and the compromise arrived ut was ratified. BILLS’ PASSED.

Tlio Railways Authorisation Bill, Reserves and Other Lands Disposal, Landless Natives Bill,- Shops and Offices Act Amendment Bill and Water Supply-' Act Amendment 8,. wero put through their final stages. The Council adjourned at 3.30.

Tho final meeting of the Counci took place at 11.20 p.m. '“WASHING-UP BILL.”

Tho. Attorney-General moved the •second reading of tho Maori ‘“Wash-ing-up Bill.” The second reading was carried on tile voices, put- through committee, amLtheßill was put through its final stages without further debate. GENERAL.

Tlio Christchurch District Drainage Act Amendment Bill and tho Wliangaroi Harbor Bill were received from the House and read a first time. On tho ringing of the bell just before midnight the Attorney-General moved that tlio Council adjourn until 11 a.m. on Monday morning. This was carried on the voices. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22. The House resumed at 7.30. RAILWAY CLASSIFICATION. The Premier moved the third reading of the Railways Classification Bill. Mr Hogan criticised the schedule of the Bill, contending that there were too many barriers in the -way of classes and that -in this direction the Bill compared unfavorably with that of tho Post and Telegraph Department which had less classes, lie

went on to deprecate -the existence of two divisions, urging that in a democratic -country there should be

no such class distinction,. He added that before concessions wero granted to the public their first- duty should bo to -grant the lower ranks of the sor-vice a living wage. Mr Poland spoke on similar lines. Tho Premier, in liis reply, deprecated the attempt of Mr Hogan in the direction of what hetermed “-unfair comparison” of .the Railway Service with the Post and Telegraph service. He -went on to say that in .addition to tlio barriers ex-ist-ing in the post and telegraph -brunch in the direction of classes, it was necessary in tho terms of the Bill passed this session for officers to pass an examination 'before -passing in-to a higher class. Ho instanced th 6 case of officers .passing from the seventh t-o the six-tli class. He regretted that certain members bad endeavored by their criticisms to gain personal kudos at th 0 expense of ,a Minister who was doing his best to improve the conditions of .the railway service. (Members who were urging that the impossible should be dono -were .not- the best

-friends of tho-r-ail-way servants and it would -be far more in the (interests of railway employees if members had assisted the measure to -pass. The Bill was read a third time-and passed.

CHRISTCHURCH DRAINAGE. 'Tho Christchurch District Drain/•abo Act Amendment Bill was put through committee, rend a third time and passed. . : WATER SUPPLY ACT. Tlie Water Supply Act Amendment- Bill was read a second time. GAMING AND LOTTERIES. . The -Premier moved -that amendments made by the Council to the Gaming and" Lotteries Bill be agreed with. 'Mr ’Davey regretted it-toat the Council . had "‘struck out the -last clause which would reduce th e numher of race days anniuaily and which Iliad .been inserted by (the House by a majority of 7. He~]iad not looked upon this Bill as a -party measure, and regretted that the clause hud been struck out in the Council, owing to the Attorney-General having stated that the clause was not approved by the • Government. Ho moved an amendment that the Council’s amendments he agreed to with tiie exception of striking out the clause referred to.

The Premier said that personally ho woukl like to see. the number of race days. reduced, but he pointed out the; previous night . that -if a spirit o-f compromise were not observed the Bill- would not have a chance of being placed on the Statute book. iHe urged that as iMr Davey had. affirmed the principles of his proposals in the House, he would ho serving the interests of the country if ho did not press his amendment.

The amendment was rejected L*v 27 to 21.

Mr. Massey regretted ithe clauso had been rejected. This was the first Parliament' in the world that had- granted a legal status to bookmakers. The motion was agreed to on the voices. RAILWAY'S AUTHORISATION BILL. IMr McGowan moved the second reading. of the Railways Authorisation Bill, which, ho explained, was merely for the purpose of extending sidings. The second reading was agreed to. RESERVES. Tho Reserves and Other 'Lands Disposal, and the Public 'Bodies Empowering ißill were read a second time. SHOPS AND OFFICES ACT. The House went into Committee on. the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill. Tho Minister moved -an amendment to extend the Ira M-holiday provision to the employees of hotels, including those employed in privuto

hotels, also a now clause to -provide for a poll of electors to determine tho statutory half-holiday on 'a -petition signed by not less than one tenth of tho electors. The- now clauses were a-groed to by 25 to 18 and -the Bill was reported with -amondments. -GENERAL. After midnight, the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and tho Public Bodies Empowering Bill wero -put through committee- and reported.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23. Tho House jnet a-t 11.30 a.an. Tho Counties Act Amendment Bill was read a first time. • Tho House resumed at 2.30. “WASHING-UP” BILL. .

Tho -Maori B-aiul Claims Adjustment and Lands Washing-up Bill was taken in committee. Discussion (took p-luco at considerable length. Mr Carroll moved a clause to validate certain owners 'of W-ainnurama No. 3 A.M., -Hawke’s Bay district, to Gertrude Helen Mein ecu Hagen. till' A. L. D. Fraser asked why special legislation was proposed, seeing that -a -previous clause would practically cover this case. Mr W-ilford said this should beheld over. Ho understood Mass Moinertz. Hagen lvad unsuccessfully,-.-contested notions connected with the leases in' Court. He moved -an" amendment that only -after tlio -passing of a resolution of Parliament could the Governor validate leases by -Order-in-Counc.il. Mr Carroll said this was -a case which required special legislation, and the House would he doing the correct thing if it -agreed to tlio clause. . Discussion oil the clause continued the whole afternoon until 5 -p.m., when the amendment was rejected by 45 -to 3. Tho clause was inserted and the Bill reported with -amendments.

-On tho motion that tile Bill -bo read a third time, Mr A. L. D. Fraser charged -the Government with duplicity -in introducing tho clause validating leases grunted to Miiss Moinertz Hagen. He contended that in. this case influence had been -used in the lobbies to obtain the desired end.

Tlio .combatted the statement that -the Government was -guilty of duplicity. -He added tli-a-t every phase had been thoroughly gone into and the Government had arrived at its decision, which was a perfectly fair and just one, without laving (been in any way influenced by any persons. He was not in favor of special legislation generally but in this case there was no other way to deal with the matter. Tlio House adjourned at C o’clock The House resumed at 7.30. SHOPS AND OFFICES ACT. Amendments made by the Council to tlio Shops and Offices Act Amendment Bill and Christchurch -Drainage Bill were agreed to.

CLASSIFICATION. An amendment to the Public Service. Classification Bill, brought down by Governor’s message, fixing tlio salary of clerk and assistant clerk to tlio Council at the same rate as clerk and -assistant to the House, was agreed to. MAORI LAND LAWS.

The Maori Land Claims Adjustment and Laws Amendment Bill was read a third time by 43 to 4, and passed. COUNTIES ACT.

The Counties Act Amendment Bill, which makes the cost of file upkeep of main -roads chargeable to counties as a whole' and costs of other roads

in ridings which arc not main roads chargeable to ridings, was read a second time.

The Premier explained that the proposals of the Bill wero “permissable.”

The Bill was put through committee, read a third time, and passed. SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES.

The Supplnientary Estimates wero brought- down by Governor’s message. Tho total amount provided for was £94,7.59, as follows: Legislative departments £4,442, department of finance £4,097, post and telegraph department £20,496, .industries and tourist department £22,154 ; old ago pensions £1690, working railways department £4,692, public buildings and domains department £10,430, printing and ' ’stationery department £4,429, stamps and deeds department £1,149, Native department £3,220, justice department £4,340, police department £1,349, - mines department £3,216, department of internal affairs £43,500, Crown law £235, defence department £39,657, Customs department £2,894, marine department £6,718, department of labor £6,324, lands and survey department £24,751, department of agriculture £7,751, valuation department £1,225, education department £4,603, public health £1,132, mental hospitals and charitable departments £3,083, State forosts £639, State coal mines £8,032, scenory. preservation £225,. land for settlements £10,365, Maori land settlement £SO, public trust £10,405, Government life £4,022, Government accident insurance £2O, State firo insurance £6BO, Government advances to settlers £I,OOO, public works department £2,886, railways £16,000, public buildings £17,550, lighthouses and harbor works £6OO, tourist and health resorts £B,Oll, roads and bridges £39,212, development of goldfields £SOO, contingent defence £lO,000. .

Somo discussion took place over tho items “gratuities to widows of late members of the House of ltepresenta-

fives—Mesdamcs O’Meara, Morrison, Smith, and Vile, £3OO each.” The Premier explained that as petitions were presented at various times for grants to widows of members it had been decided that an amount equal to one year’s honorarium should be granted. In reply to a question from Mr. Massey the Premier stated that the amounts granted tlie Chief Justice and Mr. Ngata as members of the Native Land Commission were for special work they were carrying out. Tho whole of tho Estimates jmssed without alteration. GENERAL.

Tlio Christchurch District Drainago Bill was read a- third time and passed. W h; U igarei Harbor Bill was read a second time, put through committee -read p third time and passed. ’ FELICITATIONS. At 11.50 the Premier announced that they could not- get back amendments from the Council in time to finish tho bhsiness, and he moved thatthe House sit on Monday at 11. As many members would be going away on Sunday he desired to take tlie opportunity to thank Mr. Massey and members for their courtesy during the

session. He was sorry to loso them, u,l though very glad that they would bo fable to get to tlioir homes again after an arduous session’s work. Ho hoped to soo them all looking well and happy on their return next’ session, and in conclusion he said they had his best wishes for. their welfare. Mr. Massey, on behalf of his side, thanked tlio Premier for his kind expressions, which wero appreciated and reciprocated. The House adjourned at midnight till 11 a.m. on Monday .