PARLIAMENT’S WORK

Hokitika Guardian, 10 January 1922, Page 4

PARLIAMENT’S WORK

. A SUBSTANTIAL PROGRAMME

('“Lyttelton -Times” < Correspondent) j

WELULWWN, -,Jkn 8

Parliament will .meet.again, this week, the:Legisla,tive Council.qniTue.sday and the House, .on ( Wednesday, lAor,finish the business of the session interrupted by » the Cliristmas .gdiofirnments. ;The, fact that another session will begin in June, tfiat, tliis.will.be.followed by a_gcneral election and that farming, members will be anxious to get back to their farms t is expected-to,;bring .business to am earlier conclusion than. .migfit kotherwise he the case,!,but even.so.iit,is,-difficult to Parliament, can, r jse before the ' end. of. thr.ee. weeks -.or A a dWR-U 1 • The • jetrenchififlnt- PEpposals yet to be , disclosed ■to • the. House. in „ the, EWAUPe [Bill (No 8) are likely to be the main bone of contention. Just; exactly -what , these will be has not yet been disclosed , but the Government will probably propose that-Ministers should, lose £2OO or: £3OO a year, mfembers £SO, heads of departments and other high departmental officers 10 per cent, and other-State employees down to those receiving in' the vicinity of £250 a year, £ls. The attitude adopted by those concerned _is bound to be reflected on the .floor ot, Die House. The Public Service Association for instance, has indicated that. ltl will not be prepared to accept a reduction unless it is proved that the cost of liv;n,r has fallen by tlie stipulated 10 per cent, while some of the railway-men may accept relaxing of conditions of work rather than a drop in wages. At present ,ijt seems likely that the new retrenchment proposals may apply only in part, or .not at all, to the bulk of members of the Post and Telegraph Department. . Already this Depai talent has been heavily retrenched, numbers of the men have been retired, and officers who have been promoted are in many cases not in receipt of the full salary of the former occupant of the position, an.d some men rather than be dismissed have accepted lower grado work. ( if the meat pool is to come into being as a result of the conference of producers to be held in Wellington on Tuesday, a short empowering Bill will bo .required. Even if. the Bill contains only one operative clause the whole question will be thrown open for debate, which will probably be longer than the earlier discussion, for members will have been armed with more facts, for and against, during the interval. When the original debate occurred outside interests were taken -somewhat by surprise, but they have no doubt marshalled forces in the interval. When the House rose just before Christmas it extended several expiring laws, chief among them being the rent restrictions and housing legislation, until February 28th, so that the matter might he fully considered when business was resumed. It is Understood that the main provisions of the law 1 as it stands to-day will be continued, but that an alteration will be made in' the section which enables a magistrate to refuse a a order for possession of a house if the tenant can plead undue hardship. The Government’s proposal will probably provide for possession, where the purchaser can guarantee that he will occupy the house for twelve months.

The Minister of Mines and Labour has one or two measures which lie desires, to have completed this session. Hei lias said he hopes to put a new Shops and Offices Act Amendment .through, and amend the Industrial Con , oiliation and Arbitration Act. Some curiosity has been expressed as to what .exietly is contained in his Bill to amend the Coal Mines Act, -which he has said (has been rendered necessary by recent .events. This will probably be found ■to refer to leases of mining areas, with (the idea of preventing speculation. A reciprocal tariff arrangement with Australia may have to be approved by (the House. The Minister stated some ,timo ago that negotiations were proceeding, and that he hoped to have ■something definite to put before the ■House when it resumed.

A small Lands Bill probably to deal (With a certain leasehold town, has been ipromised, and this session’s “Wasliing,up” Bill is expected to be larger than .ever. A number of other Bills, chief among them the Hospitals Act Aniendiineiit, which have passed their first stages have to lie completed. Only oho j might has been spent so far on the Estimates, ,and the balance yet to be .dealt with includes some of the more important departments. The Railways Statement and the Public Works Statemen and estimates, and the usual end of session Appropriation Bill have yet to eolne down.

One or two private Bills have come to the House from the Council, but it is doubtful whether these will, be given a chance this session. Included in these are a Bill providing for the taking of a ten-twelfths majority verdict in all but capital cases, reinstating the double totalisator, making it lawful for secretaries of racing clubs to receive telegraphic instructions for totalisator betting, and allowing publication in newspapers of totalisator dividends. Should a Gaming Bill be brought forward there will, no doubt, lie the usual lengthy debate.