PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 14, 17 September 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

legislative council.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER If.j

' r [Per Press j'Asst >ci atxpn.] r ; 1 \yeUwg + Qn,‘ September 16 i The Council’ met at 2.30/ . *' l

The IMrpetual Trustees Estate "an: Agency Company Act Amendniont Bil was read a third time and passed. The Dunedin District Drainage beverage Act Amendment Bill passet through committee and was reporici [without amendment, but was £ ter 'vi-ardh .recommitted- to consider a; ajncndment to clause 6, mov r ed by .Vi Jenkinson, which aimed at-prev-eh’fic, the Board investing the sinking finn in purchase of debentures issued" b, the Board, whether in connection Wit’ a lo in in respect of which such money: ,aro held by the Commissioners or noi The amendment was carried on th casting vote of the chairman. Tli Bill'was again reported and read r third time.'

The Borough of Mornington Tran ways Act Amendment Bill, Land Trans for Amendment Bill and Land Drain ago Amendment Bill was read a sec ond time.

The Public Trust Office Amendmcr, BUI was referred to the Statute R( vision Committee and the Council an journed at 3.55,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The stonewall. Wellington, September 16. In the House after luncheon the dr bate was continued. At 2.50 Mr Massey stated that th reports were n6w available for men hers. He hoped the waste of tin) would now cease.

Sir J. Ward suggested that the, should import progress in order to a! low members to peruse the report and then go back into committee. Hi side of the House would not offer an obstruction to again going into con mittee.

Mr Massey said that the report were laid on the table of the Count?’, at 2.30 that day. He also wanted t make a statement to the House.

Sir Joseph Ward said that it wa the first time in the history of Par Hainent that such a procedure as stat cd by the Prime Minister had beer carried out. The reports should no go before the Council, hut before thi representatives of the people. Mr Massey repeated that tho re po'-ts had been circulated, and wort available for members. He statec' that in 1011, when the Ward Govern ment was on the Treasury benches the rep irts were not laid before tm House until after tho Estimates ha, been disposed of. He would offei to ask the Speaker to resume tho chaii in order that the reports could be lab' before the House if he had the assurance of the Opposition that the reports would not be discussed on presentation. Sir Joseph Ward wanted to know when they would have an opportunity of discussing the reports. Ho had a most important statement to make on one of the repoits, but could not get an opportunity of doing so because the chairman would pull him up. It seemed as if an attempt was being made to gag members.

Mr Massey said that what he had

done had been done dozens of times. Sir J. Ward said that h> had received opinions from two of the ablest lawyers in the country, which ho desired to placu before the House. They were from Mr Skeiretr and Sir J. Findlay. If the Prime Minister, afterhearing ihose opinions, would not report progress he would bo taking more responsibility on his shoulders than he (Sir J. Ward) would care to take. Continuing, he stated that the Estimates as they were passing them were illegal. The Public Service Commissioner had fixed salaries, and ' boy could not be altered except by Act of Parliament. He then quoted the opinions mentioned, winch set out tne terms of the Public Service Act as passed last session. The Estimates were absolutely illegal, because they had not been brought before Pariia-, moat in proper form, not having boon prepared by the Commissioners as laid down in the Act. He contended that Parliament had no right to increase or decrease salaries except by Act of Parliament. As the law needed altering it was not proper to drive on but to report progress, and set matters right. Mr Massey said the opinions were those of very eminent lawyers, and lie had. not taken an opinion himself, but the opinions he had heard differed from those Sir J. Ward quoted. Lawyers differed and judges differed. The Estimates they were discussing were submitted to Parliament by the representatives of the people for the time being. The position was exactly the same now as prior to the coming into operation of the Public Service Act. If those legal gentlemen submitted that Parliament could not reduce the Estimates 1 as brought down, he submitted, that, with all due deference, they were wrong, and he quoted from the Constitution Act in support of his argument. It was not possible for the Public Service Commissionors to submit Estimates to Parliament. 'Hie Estimates could not be brought into effect until the Appropriation Act came into law. If there was anything wrong it could be sec right in that Act. He would take Ihe opinion of the Solicitor-General on the point, but could not agree to report progress. The House resumed at 7.30.

At 7,4.5 the veto for Tokanui passed, and Mr Russell moved a reduction of the vote for the Resident Medical Superintndent at Porirua by £5. At a few minutes past 11 o’clock Mr Ngat'a moved to report progress, urging that members ihad been sitting \oo long and;to'continue the discussion of the Estimates under present circumstances was a weariness; of the fliesh. The division resulted; in the ihotion being defeated by 34 to 15. i i Mr Hu Atmore moved) a'reduction

by,'£s of the salary of. the Resident Medical SuperintdnddAt of the iNelson Mental Hospital, oil ithe ground that’

the salary of £4OO was inadequate. Ho winted out that it was £2OO less than Mr Royd Gqrlick. was receiving. Com oaring the responsibilities of the two men, the salary paid to Hr. Mackay

va« ridiculous. Compared with .that paid to other superintendents i,f,was unfair.,, , j f.m - xi;

At two o’clock the, debate on Mr Atmore’s motion was being contimi?d, and the House was left sitting.

A SHORT RESPITE. Wellington, 8.0 a.m,., September 17. After the Telegraph Office closer at i o’clock, a tlivision on Mr Atiuore’s -notion was taken, the figures being: Ayes 11, Noes 32. Mr Seddon immediately moved to •educe the salary (£650) of the Resilent Medical Superintendent at Christchurch, as an indication that the saliry should be increased. The motion vas discussed until 3 o’clock, special •eference being made to officers’ responsibility in looking after Lionel forty, and to the splendid farming operations carried on at the hospital, 'ho vote and the clause were then passed on the voices, when, at the ■nggestion of the Premier, Mr Mal>olm left the chair until 10 a.m,, when he debate resumes