PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81857, 4 October 1906, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) The Council met at 2.30. Tho Government Va uation of hand Act was commiiicd, and reported with an amendment providing that assessors appointed bv the ioeai authority s lla ll not be officials of. such body.

Tae Hon. Mr Jcnkinsun moved the second reading of ihe Immigration Rus.riciion Act Ainendnient Bill, biought down from the House. The Attorney-General approved 'he Bill in tho main, though iheic were some Committee amendments des'iable. The second reading was agreed 1 to.

The Habitual Criminals and Of- ' fenders Bill was read a third time and passed, and the Council rose at 3-30. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. TDK SNEDDON CASE. The report of the Petitions Committee was brought up by the Chairman. It was .0 the etlect that the ciaim of j\lr Sneddon be referred to the Government for consideration. It was a claim for over ime. The Utilise discussed it at some length. The Minister met all the points for ■he claim with a denial. Mr Sneddon, who was admitted by all lo be ;ut excellent, workman, became foreman at the Makohinc works. lie was supplied with all necessary expert assistance, there was no need for the ony hours and the numerous shifts, and the claim had ncn been made tiii years afterwards. A hard-working, practical fitter, he had been paid £$ a week, for which he had left a position of £ 5 in the employ of Messrs Anderson, of Christclmrch. The Minister, after the recital of these facts, did not see tbat the claim could oe well grounded. Mr Buddo, the Chairman of the Committee, poin ed out that the custom of engineering iiims was to pay a bonus on the completion of anv tyorks 0 f urgency, and that Mr Sneddon, who had been created accordingly by the Mes S r„ Anderson, was under the impression thai ho would receive the same treatment from the Government. At the same time, he did not support any claim for overlime.

After further discussion, the report was referred back to the Committee for reconsideration. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.

The chief answers were that the question of S aie farms will be comprehensively dealt with during the recess, but there is no scheme of State workshops contemplated by the Government. The sudden removal of all restrictions on the importation of grapes from Australia would prove absolute■y ruinous to many se.tleis. It would probably be found advisable, if the prohibition were revoked, to impose a fairly heavy import duty, and reduce it year by year. The matter wou ! d icceivo consideration when the Customs tariff is under review.

In re the Shops and Oflices Act, the Government have no knowledge that it has been found impossible for trades in combined distrie s to take advantage of section 21 of the Act. Ail that is required after a requisition has been drawn up and signed by shopkeepers (either in one or more tiades or for all shops), is for each local body to eerily that thev represent a majority in its district.' The effect is that the, shops in one of he districts cannot be compelled to close at the instance of another district. Another effect is that the shops under one local auhorily cannot be compelled to close at the instance of simps under another local authority, so that what may be icgarded as inconvenient is in reality a safeguard against one (lis rict being compelled to close by shopkeepers of another. With regard to giving university professors ihe benefit of the Educational Superannuation Scheme, the Minister is unfavourable, because (1) the professors wis]) to get the benefits without retiring at 65; (2) the professors do not desire inclusion; (3) it is hardly necessary 10 help men who are in a position to help themselves. The New Zealand Exhibition Commissioner s applied for permission to dispose of paintings by raffle, and a license was gran ed in accordance with the law as provided by section iX of "The Gaming and Lotteries Act. ISSI."

Arrangements have been made <o cany out a series of experiments in spraying potatoes during the incoming season. The Government thinks that the right of the Advances Department a* mortgagee to select the tiro insurance company in which the mortgaged bui'dings are to b« insured should be exorcised in favour of the State, Fire Insurance Department. The Government lias no knowledge of any refusal of any bank in New Zealand to pay in gold, and only knows that the. banking reserves are large enough to enable them to carry on the whole of their business on a sound and saiisfactory way. The. Amalgamated Society of Kailway Servants offered to give, the sum el /100 a« a contribution to the Railway Superannuation Fund, on condition that broken time should be considered in respect to those mem hers of the Sucioly who were on the society official strike pay sheet in/ iSyo. and who are now contributors to the Railway Superannuation Fund, and in reply the Society was informed thai the admission of the principle of counting broken service would overload the fund in such tin extent as lo jeopardise its' stability, but apart from thai aspect of this question, the sum of i,"ioo which was offered as an inducement it, tlepait from the principal t f continuous service was quite inadequate to recoup the fund for the additional liability, and the offer could no be entertained. In connection with this matter, 1 would again emphasise what has been repeatedly staved, namely, that the stability of the fund being of paramount importance, and every contributor thereto having joined the fund under a eoniracl which he fully understood a. the time of joining, no alteration whatever could be made without the concurrence of every contributor to the fund. It is neither equitable nor just to make, any arrangement t" disturb the financial equilibrium of the fund, which musi ultimately result in an increase of contributions or a diminution of bent-fits already provided for, wi hout the concurrence of the seven ihousand odd contributors u> the fund. .STATE FOOD SI'JTUES. A motion was moved bv Mr Barclav. ■■That the time has ai rived for the Slate t i al;e over till 'indu-iriei cone, nu'd with the supply of the necessaries of lile Ki iln- pfopV.' " The Mr W'ilford, with the result that the. question was put wi'lcut discussion and lost by j 4 to .4, LAND RETURN.

The interrupted debate on Mr liaume's 1110.tun foi a return uf lho names of landho'd'-'rs of ,£50,01)1) and mote tinimptoved value wan discussed, and the moth n was agreed ;o on the voices. FARRIKRS HILL. The Farriers Kill was reported and read a ihird time. DIVOkCK ACT AMFNDMKNT. The Divorce Act Amendment ISJiI -eoi.nd reading was muy.'d by Mr Major 01 ihc absence of Mr Lauicnson. Mr Lauren.-oit. on 1 s'lniijini;, supported hi- Hill, and the I kits,, divided : Aye- ;o, n-cs „,. The 1 i<> Lit-.- adj. ut nod at 5.30. The 1 Idus.- resumed at 7.311, and the evening was occupied with .he I'r-ntiei's cxp'ana.i' 11 icgarding the .Midland Railwiiy coinp'-iriiti 11 payments, and the debate on the Reciprocity Trea.y (reported in another part of this paper). The I louse adjourned at 11.15 P-ni.