PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 23 October 1907, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Per Press Association. , Wellington, Last Night. E In the Council, which met at 4 p.m., 1' the Animals Protection Bill was further . l ' considered in co)nniitt;e, mid progress ' wns reported. 1 The Land Laws Amendment Bill from < the House was read a first time, and the 1 second reading was set down for 'l'ues- * day next. ' The Council rose at 4.55. 1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 1 In the House, wliieh met at 2.30, leave of absence for the remainder of session was granted to Mr llhodes, and one week's leave of absence was granted Mr Allison, bath oil account of illhealth. j MEIKLE ACQUITTAL BILL. The Premier moved the Bccond reading of the Meilde Ac.]uitt:tl Bill. Mr Remington proposed an. amendment that the Bill be read this day six months, which was negatived by ij to | 10, and the second reading was agreed to by 42 to 12. The House adjourned at 5.40. NATIONAL EN DOWMUNTS. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m., and the Premier moved the second reading of the National Endowment Bill. The debate is proceeding.

BUILDERS' CONFERENCE.

Per Press Association. iSapier, Last Sight. At the builders' conference this evening the following office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr. W. A. Bennett, Wellington, reelected; vice-president, Mr. A. Bain, Invercargill; corresponding secretary, Mr. W. I>. Thompson, Wellington; executive officers, Messrs. Donald McLean and J. llussell, Wellington. The next conference will be held at Invercargill. The annual report stated that efforts had been made to secure .the adoption by local bodies of the Association's general conditions of contract, and in the Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Dunedin, and Southland districts these efforts had been successful. It still remainetl for other centres to further urge their local bodies to adopt these conditions. An effort had also been made to obtain the adoption By the Public Works Department of the general conditions in connection with (joveminfnt contracts, "but owing to illness of the Minister for Public Works no definite reply had been received. The Association had also approached the Government with regard to the conservation of native timber, and this was now receiving consideration. Various other matters were dealt with in the report. The president, in his address, expressed regret that in some centres the federation appeared to be losing ground. Referring to the trouble that arose in the butchering trade during the year, the president said it had been asserted over and over again at their annual meetings that only one side was bound by the Arbitration Court awards, that the workman could not be compelled to work against his will, and that the Court had no standing if the breaker of the law had nothing wherewith to pay tliu fines it might inflict. It was certainly repugnant to many employers, as well as to the employees, that a man who had sought to better his position and broken the law in doing so should be put in prison if he had no means to meet the costs. He (the speaker), p.t any rate, thought that the unions should be made to bear not only the blame, but also the costs, for it was utter nonsense to say that a strike could take place without their knowledge or connivance. He believed that it was quite within any union's power to stop a strike if they thought fit. 'U believe," said the president, ''that under the existing law any man more eompete.it than the ordinary run of his fellows can always command a higher wage. It is simply for him to prove his ability to his employer, and he can always get an equivalent for his work, and employers claim the right to discriminate in this matter as regards the incompetent worker. All employers are looking for experts in their various trades. In connection with the proposed further amendments to the Conciliation and Arbitration Acts, executive took the advice of the Association, as they believed it was generally felt that the Minister for Labor had made an honest attempt to remedy some of the defects that had shown themselves in the administration, and fliey were ready to assist him to gwe the Act., as it might emerge from the House, a fair and ?m----partial trial. . The clause respecting a payment to the lower tenderers for eontracts had worked well, and the ActingMinister for Public Works, the Hon. Mr. Mcfiownn, stated, in reply to representations, that he rather favored the payment of some remuneration ' to tlie lowest tenderer for works when no tender was accepted, and thought something eouhl be done in the way of payment of interest to tenderers 'when deposits were retained for any length of time. ' °

I lie following resolutions were adopted:— That the Government be urged' to take immediate steps to conserve as far as possible the building timbers of the Dominion for the use of the people of the Dominion, and to extend the present system of State forestry so as to ensure a continuous supply of timber for fntire for climatic and scenic bene-', Ills. _lho mover said that tins was becoming a serious question, and quoted figures to show that the timber forests might be expected to be worked out in some eighty years; Mr. Thompson mo\ed, and Mr. Meuli seconded, "That when disputes are before Conciliation Boards, or the Arbitration Court it is advisable for employers in town and country to confer in order that uniform proposals may be submitted." Mr. Ward moved, and Mr. Bennett seconded' "That representations be ma ( Je to tho Conciliation Hoards and Arbitration Oourt wherever they are sitting that in all the decisions given by the courts the hours of labor appertaining to the building trade be made uniform in all branches " The conference then went into committee.