PARLIAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1930, Page 3

PARLIAMENT

(By Telegraph—Press Association)

THE COUNCIL. WELLINGTON, Oct. 15. In the Legislative Council yesterday, Native Land Amendment and Native Land Claims Adjustment Bill, Reserves and other* Lands Disposal Bill, Apprentices Amendment Bill, Statutory Land Charges Registration Amendment Bill and Stock Amendment Bill were received fioin the House, read a second time pro forma and referred to various committees. The Council rose at 2.40 p.m.

THE' HOUSE. In the House of Representatives, the final class of tne Estimates, (Transport Department and Department of Scientific Industrial Research) were passed. Slaughtering and Inspection Amendment Bill (Mr Murdoch) was introduced and read a first time. The Native Trustee Bill was reported from the Native Affairs Committee without amendment. Arms Amendment Bill, Canterbury Agricultural College Bill and Land Values Amendment Bill were put through the remaining stages and passed. The House rose at 4 a.m. BONUS TO MEMBERS. Six members of Parliament either refused or returned the special allowance of £IOO voted in the Finance Act at the end of last season. This information is given in a return tabled in the House of Representatives to-day, en the motion of Mr W. J. Jordan (Lab., Manuk an). The members who did not accent the allowance were Sir George Hunter aifd Mr T. D. Bennett: Those who returned the allowance were the Rt. Hon J. G. Coates, Mr R. A. Wright, Mr K. S. Williams, and Mr W. J. Poison. In the case of Air Burnett, Air AVright, and Air Williams, only £75 was paid out: Air Burnett repaid to the Treasury £66 13s 4d of the amount on December 9th., and £8 6s 8d on December 23rd. Mr AVright made similar repayments on December ]Bth. and January 7th., and All 1 AVilliams on December 21st. and January 9th.' Air Poison repaid £4OO on Febuary 24th; Sir George Punter on Ala roll 31st; and Air Coates on August 14th. ARMS ACT. Two interesting changes are proposed in the Arms Amendment Bill introduced in the House of Representatives by Governor-General’s message to-day. The first proposes to make it. no longer necessary to secure a permit for blasting operations. The special provisions enacted in 1921, relative to explosives for blasting purposes, will consequently be repealed. The Act of 1920 made the possession of unregistered firearms unlawful, but the Amending Bill proposes that that provision should not apply to shotguns used for sporting purposes.

The Bill, which was read a first time, contains several other minor prooosals, including power to seize without warrant firearms in the possession of intoxicated or mentally defective persons.