PARLIAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 13 October 1932, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

BILL TABLED ARBITRATION AMENDMENT. (Per Press Association — Copyright.) WELLINGTON, October 13. Th e debate jjjsa. -the second reading of the Religious Instruction in Schools Enabling Bill Was commented in the Legislative Council. In the House of ..Representatives, Mr McCombs in ' introduc J ng the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill said the measur 6 . proposed to ffepea.l the legislation passed last session, taking away from workers the fight to appeal to an impartial tribunal . «,in connection with industrial disputes. Although the amending act had been in operation for only a few months, industrial chaos was beginning to manifest itself. From one end of the country to the other, disputes had arisen and they had not been settled. Mr Forbes said th e .whole object of lasj. session’s amendment had been to provide for greater. freedom of employment. '■ After several Labour members had spoken in .support- of the measure Mr Hamilton 'said a number of agreements had beei\ reached since the passing of last year’s amendment and. it was,, likely in those cases in which agreement had wot yet been reached that it would ultimately be arrived at. The Bill was “talked out,’’ discussion (being interrupted by the adjournment of the House at 5.30. _ Local Authorities Sinking Funds Bill w&s introduced by Governor-General s message, when the House fesumed at 7.30. Mr Forbes said the Bill was brought down ’to protect the Public Trustee in relation to funds invested by him for local' holies, owing to previous legislation brought down by the Government preventing th 6 liquidation of these securities. The Bill proposed that no alteration in the investments should be made until • 1935. The Bill was read a first time. The Workers’ Compensation Amendment Bill (Mr H. E. Holland) wa s read a second time pro forma and referred to the Labour Bills’ Committee. The financial debate yas continued. Ml- O’Brien, dealing with the economic position, said that the programme had been prepared because the same programme was in bperatioh in every country in which there was a coalition Government.. There , had never been any equality of sacrifice, nor was there any-"'likelihood of any economy. Dealing with the Miners’ Widows’ Pensions, he said that a promise had been made that before/ the pensions opportunity of discussing the matter. A gdod deai of the Commission’s report was inspired by. the Health Department. If over a bon,ia of the description proposed governed the how pituls, it would sound the death knell of the efficiency of the hospitals, which were at presept a wonderful institution. The 'Commission had further suggested that outdoor relief should be thrown one local bodies Mr O’Brien criticised; at lengt' , the proposal to reduce the Plunket subsidy, and the proposals to abolish Education Boards. He contended that the Commission knew little about what they had reported upon. He also criticised numerous other recommendations and said the withdrawal of the subsidy for herd testing would be particularly unfortunate. Herd testing had been of great! benefit to agriculture, and had tremendously increased the butterfat production throughout the Dominion. The House rose at 11A5 p. m -