THE WORK OF THE SESSION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 205, 8 December 1910, Page 3

THE WORK OF THE SESSION

NOTABLE LEGISLATION. FrXANTE, LABOR7HrMAN]TAR IAX AND DEFENCE. Parliament has already made up for the proposed shortness of next session by passing an unusually large number of important measure having a close relation to the lives of the people. The summary of measures given below doi-s not exhaust the list, buf aims at briefly de scribing the leading features of the new ■Statute Book. RACING AND LICENSING REFORM.

Public attention was probably centred more upon the Licensing and Gaming Bills than any other measures passed this session. The Gaming Act seeks to make the occupation of the bookmaker absolutely illegal. Betting may be done only with the totalisator on the racecourse. The total number of race rheetings throughout New Zealand is cut down by 50 per" cent., as 'the totalisator permits must not cover more than 250 days' racing. Their allocation is a task for a Commission, which will soon be set up.

For the first 'time in a.ny country prohibition of licenses to sell intoxicants has been adopted as a national issue. The new Licensing Act eliminates the old reduction • issue, leaving voters to exercise their privilege in respect of either national prohibition or local nolicense, the voting papers being separate. The three-fifths majority is retained. When the barmaids now in service leave that occupation, no others will be able to take their places, so that in course of time no female, except the wife or daughter of a licensee, will be allowed behind the bar. Other provisions in the Act are intended to make prohibition more complete where an area has been so created by the voters of the people. STATE DEVELOPMENT OF WATER POWER. The legislation of this session has definitely committed the country to a policy of State-ownership in regard to hydro-electric power. A measure was passed giving the Minister of Public Works complete power to construct and operate plants, and sell the energy. A vote of £500,000 was included in the Public Works Estimates with which to make a start on the Lake Coleridge and Hutt river schemes, NATIONAL PROVIDENT FUND. . From the beginning of 19H, the Nation Provident Fund Act will come into operation, enabling contributors whose wages are less than £2OO per annum to obtain, by making small weekly payments, an annuity varying from 10s to 40s weekly when they reach the age of sixty years. Not only the annuity is to be provided. The State will also pay a benefit during incapacity (owing to illhealth or injury) to every child of the contributor, this allowance being at the rate of 7s 6d per child weekly. If a contributor dies before drawing the pension, leaving a widow and family, a weekly payment of 7s Gd will be made in respect of each child under fourteen years. To lighten the financial burden of maternity a payment of £6 will be made to a'married contributor in. respect of each birth. The.State's contribution.to the National Provident Fund is set down at onefourth of the. total payments by contributors! National Provident Fund contributors and all others who wish to make provision for themselves or their dependants in old age will be greatly encouraged and assisted by the Inalienable Life Annuities Act, which safeguards an annuity from attachment by some other person than the annuitant. It cannot be seized by a creditor, bankruptcy will not affect it, and no mortgage or assignment or any other voluntary or involuntary means of alienation is to be valid.

PENSIONERS BENEFITED. • Old-age pensioners will find fewer restrictions and anomalies in the law as a .result of an amending Act passed this session. In assessing the value of his possessions, £340 worth of house pro- J perty and furniture may .be deducted, and £SO in respect of any other property. This will apply to pensions already in force, and will result in many increases where the pension has so far been limited because the. recipient has been thrifty enough to secure a good home for himself and a small nest-egg in the bank. PRISON REFORM, Introduced in tlie Upper lloiise quite early in the session, the Crimes Amendment Act was recognised by members of both Houses as a most important piece of legislation and went on its way to the Statute Book without check. It practically embodies the Hon. Dr. Findlay's far-reaching scheme of prison reform and makes changes of the most momentous character in the present methods of dealinw with criminals. Perhaps its most important provision is the extension of the indeterminate sentence principle to nearly all offenders who may come before the courts. Supreme Court judges may order prisoners to be detained for a period up to ten years in length, while

magistrates are given power to impose sentences of reformative detention up to three years. The reformative sentence may stand alone or as an addition to the ordinary sentence to which the prisoner's offence may render him or her liable. The Attorney regards the application of the reformative treatment principle to the first offenders who appear in the Magistrates' Courts as a cardinal point in the scheme. Prisoners are given the right of appeal from sentences of reformative treatment. A Prisons Board is set up and entrusted 'with very important duties, chief among which is a periodical review of the sentence of each prisoner in the reformatories, with a view of ascertaining whether he or she is sufficiently reformed to be released. To ensure that every prisoner may have all possible chance of turning over a new leaf he or she will be put to work at some suitable avocation and paid wages, the accumulation of which will suffice to give a fair start in the world upon release. DESTITUTE PERSONS. A complete consolidation .of the law relating to destitute persons has been effected by the passing of the Destitute Persons Act, one of the measures first introduced in the Upper House. Most of the alterations made by the Act relate to the details of judicial procedure, but I some of them are of great importance. One of the main purposes of the Act is to make as hard as possible the way of the wife and child deserter who may seek to relieve himself of responsibility for their maintenance by leaving New Zealand. His departure is now hedged about with various restrictions, while there is also a provision for reciprocity with other countries in regard to the operation of affiliation and maintenance orders. This is designed to reach the deserter wherever he may seek sanctuary. An amended definition of "near relative" enables a much wider circle to be 1 called upon for the maintenance of destitute relatives, with special reference to "\ the effect of adoption and to illegitimate ' relationships. ; THE LABOR ASPECT.

"Applied humanitarianism" is a term that might be fitly employed in outlining the labor legislation passed during the session. The housing problem is one that has periodically occupied the mind of the Labor members, "and an earnest effort is disclosed in the AVorkers' Dwellings Act to cope with a difficult situation. Under its provisions every worker will be able to purchase- TtiV dwejliiig on a ■ £lO de..jjßOsit.'br on reneyablfl>,lease,a;t a.T^al

] The Stone Quarries Act is distinctly a Immune measure, framed chiefly to.protect life "in quarries. It provides that all iiiiWM'!>'<T- or foremen in charge of blastinn' operations shall hold permits, and restrictions arc placed on the storage and use of explosives an.l other appliances likely to endanger life and limb. The Shops and Offices Amendment is notable for the regulation of the hours of attendants in hotels and restaurants, and night porters, watchmen and others; while lhe Factories Act Amendment places Chinese and other laundries on an equal footing, besides benefiting the worker in various other directions. The Phosphorous Matches Hill is the a Bill that it has taken the House of Commons over twenty years to pass. It will prohibit the use of white or yellow phosphorous in New Zealand, and prevent the horrible disease that takes hold of such a large percentage of match factory employees' in the Old Country. The Shipping and Seamen Bill, although a labor measure, is in a somewhat different category. Its effect indirectly will be to safeguard the conditions of seamen employed in' coastal And intercolonial vessels, as it will strangle the competition of Asiatic labor. It provides that all seamen employed on vessels trading from New Zealand to any port in the Commonwealth or the Cook Islands shall be paid the rates ruling in New Zealand. FINANCIAL "LEGISLATION. j Not only in the domain of social reform and 'humanitarian legislation but in the less attractive but equally important sphere of finance, the session's work has been notable. The pre-audit system is to he abolished in favor of the much, more practicable method of postaudit followed in the commercial world. The Public Debt Extinction Act provides for the annual payment from the Consolidated Fund of an amount which, by 4 per cent, compound interest, will fxtintinguish the debt in seventy-five years. Thus a big sinking fund will be created for the repayment of loans, and will he invested by the Public-Trustee. . LAND SETTLEMENT FINANCE. '•'■' Last year's Land Settlement Finance Act has been amended in several directions found to be necessary by experience in working. The main purpose of the changes is to improve and widen the operation of the scheme. Precautions have been taken to prevent the aggregation of areas, and the maximum value of any holding under the Act has been ' fixed at £2500, with a maximum area of 500 acres. A provision. has been made to facilitate the establishment of funds out of which the expenses incurred in the management, of associations can be paid. DEFENCE. ~

';■ New Zealand's system of internal defence was completely re-modelled by an Act of 1909, but the final touches could only be given to the scheme after Lord Kitchener's advisory visit. This was followed by a measure, passed during, the session. The Council of Defence disappears. In its place comes a Commandant solely responsible for the organisation and training of the forces. From the age of •eighteen. until he is twenty-five, every able-bodied man (with certain exceptions) will be required to be trained in camp yearly for a period of fourteen days. After this, they -will be enrolled in the Reserve Force until the age of thirty, and be required to attend two muster parades yearly.

, TRAMWAYS CONTROL. The Government lias been given very greatly increased ppwers of supervision over all tramway undertakings, some, of the provisions of the Tramways Act being far-reaching an effect. The > main object throughout is to secure, as far as possible, the safety of the travelling public. This is secured by giving the Minister of Public Works power to order the inspection of any tramways, whether in course of construction or open for traffic, or of its rolling stock, plant, and appliances. This is supplemented by power to order alterations or repairs deemed to be necessary. An appeal board has been set up to deal with appeals by tramway employees against fines, disratings, and other punishments. INDECENT PUBLICATIONS. Stringent provisions to prevent the publication and sale of indecent literature are now" on the Statute Book in the Indecent Publications Act, which originated in the Legisaltive Council, and met with general approval in both Houses. "Indecent literature" has been given a farreaching definition, which includes any book, newspaper, picture, photograph, print, writing paper or other thing of anv description whatsoever, or attached to It any indecent word, statement, illustration, representation, or significant sign. Stiff penalties of fine and imprisonment are .to be the dot of any person convicted of selling, delivering, printing, publishing, publicly exhibiting, or otherwise disposing of any document held to be indecent, while there is a special clause with the avowed object of overcoming present difficulties in the way of prosecutions for indecent matter published in newspapers. Responsibility for the publication is thrown upon every man in a newspaper office through whose hands the matter, passes. Absence of guilty knowledge is ho defence unless a man proves that he has taken all reasonable means of ascertaining 'the nature of the publication. By way of safeguard against malicious prosecution it 'is enacted that no prosecution can be commenced without the leave of the Attor-ney-General.

MONDAYISING HOLIDAYS. The movement in favor of observing public holidays upon Mondays has found expression in the Public Holidays Act. Labor Day> Dominion Day and other similar holidays will in future all fall on the first day of the working week. The Empire Day holiday has been dropped for the time being.

HARBOR CONTROL. The principal change made by the passing of the .Harbors Amendment Act is the extension of the franchise upon which members of boards are to be elected. The rolls to be used will be the same as compiled for the elections of members of the local governing bodies. Changes have also been made in the constitution of the various boards. The qualifications for membership have been narrowed somewhat. Other provisions in the Bill deal with various matters of harbor control. TRUSTS AND COMBINES. What is regarded as a. somewhat bold experiment in the endeavor to stamp out trusts and monopolies in New Zealand is entered upon the Commercial Trusts Bill, which contains severe restrictions on any-' thing in the shape of unfair combination of any number of persons. Penalties are provided for illegal refuses to deal, for illegal monopolies, for unreasonably 'high prices, and aiding and abetting I a commercial trust. Hand in hand with the endeavor to suppress monopolies is the Secret Commissions Bill, designed to render illegal the widespread practice of agents in secretly accepting payments and other valuable, considerations from third persons in respect of the business of the principals. The Bill embodies the best features of the English, Victorian and Commonwealth Acts, and cannot be regarded as anything but an effective measure.—Wellington Times.