I.C. & A.A. BILL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 5 December 1927, Page 8

I.C. & A.A. BILL

PASSED BY THE HOUSE BUT INOPERATIVE UNTIL SEPT NEXT. * PREMIER EXPLAINS POSITION. Wellington, Dec. 3. The Prime Minister made a statement in the House of Representatives to-night on the subject of the I.C. and A.A. Bill, on which progress was reported in commitee on 'Thursday night. Mr Coates said it would be remembered that when the bill was in committee members took up some time m discussing the advisabilityof fielding a conference of parties of all shades of opinion. The time then camo when he had to intervene and he made a suggestion that the bill should be allowed to pass ; that a conference should be held during the recess. Later progress was reported on the bill in order that further private discussions might proceed. These discussions had taken place on his side of the House and the Labour party had been consulted. As a result of these conferences the Government was now prepared to modify the bill insofar as it concerned the clauses dealing with industries closely allied to farming, payment by results and several similar clauses until September 1 next, by which time Parliament would be in a position to review the whole situation arising out of the conference proposed to that end. The Government bad a series of amendments drafted as follows:— , Clauses 2 to 10: To omit these' clauses. Clause 11: To omit this clause and substitute the following: (1) Notwith-

standing anything to the contrary In the principal Act, no award relating to any agricultural, pastoral or dairying operations or to any other work effected on a farm, or to the manufacture or production of butter, cheese, or other products of milk, or to pen sons engaged (whether as employers or workers) on a farm or in such manufacture or production shall, after the passing of this Act, be msde at any time before the first day of September, 1928; (2) nothing in the last preceding subscription shall operate in any manner to terminate any award in force on the passing of this Act, and every such award shall continue in force as if this section had not been passed, save that no such award shall be ill any manner amended or extended before the said first day of September. 1928. Clauses 12 to 21: To omit these clauses.

WORK BEFORE CONFERENCE. Mr Coates stressed the importsjee and magnitude of the work before members and the conference. The Government would sketch out a course which it believed should be follewed in order to get at the root of the problem, but he felt that if they buckled to in the right spirit there would he no reason why it should not be crowned by success. Some members might be disappointed with the course adopted, but for that the Government took full responsibility. Mr H. E. Holland said hfS'side of the House had favoured a conference j and bad made definite suggestions te the Government in that direction. Details of their proposals ‘Had not all been adopted, but out of their suggestions had come the proposal which the Prime Minister had just laid before the House. They had not seen the text of the proposed amendment and that woul <1 have to be examined carefully before it could bo accepted, but generally he approved of the steps which were being taken, and he felt sure there was enough com-mon-sense amongst those concerned to ensure a satisfactory settlement of the whole problem. The House then resumed in committee on the bill, which was reported with amendments as above which were moved by the Minister. Mr W. D. I.ysnar (Gisborne), on the third reading, protested against the abandonment of the bill in the way proposed. The farmers wanted to cut off arbitration and their demand was either right or it was wrong. If it was wrong there should be no bill. If it was right the bill should be passed. It was a pity the Minister had given way on his bilL If it bad been brought down earlier in the session it would have become law, and could have become law if the Government had only stuck to it. The Hon. G. J. Anderson, in reply, said he regretted that his bill was not going through but under the circumstances he felt that the best thing had been done. He was confident that as a result of the conference farmers would be in a better position than they were now, because the whole situation would then be surveyed from every point of view, and they would be acting in a spirit of conciliation, which ho had advocated when introducing the measure. The bill was read the third rime and passed.