PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 99, 17 October 1911, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ( MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, Ml. I By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. f The House of Representatives met at 1 7.30 p.m. I RAILWAY MEN'S PETITION. 1 The Hon. J. A. .Millar, replying to a ] question by Mr. Iline, said lie under- ( stood that the Government had been 1 said to have changed its mind with re- i gard to the hearing of the petition of ( the second division of railwaymen. The ( Government hud not changed its mind in i the matter. In fact the committee was , ready now to go oil with the second , division and continue until' sufficient evidence hud been heard. The cause of the delay in the hearing of the lirst division petition was that every latitude had been allowed, and witnesses had been brought by employees to give evidence on every point. The Department had to bring witnesses in a similar manner, and it would do so throughout. It rested with tlie railwaymen whether the matter was finished this session or not. If the men sent witnesses on all points, the Department would have to do the same, and there would necessarily be delay, g Replying to Mr. Wilford. Mr. Millar, said the Railway Bill would be brought down in a couple of days. The Native Land Claims Bill was read a first time. TAUPO RAILWAY QUESTION. Mr. Davey, chairman of the committee enquiring into the Taupo-Totara Co.'s petition, read a statement made in the ißotorua paper by Mr. Raw, :> member of the Kotorua Chamber of Commerce, in which it was stated that Rotorua had no friends in Parliament; that during the taking of evidence Mr. Dalziell was allowed to interject by way of commentary on the statements of witnesses; also that Mr. McDonald had sounded the members of the House and called a meeting in relation to the enquiry, and then set up a .commission. Mr. Raw further stated that the report was a foregone conclusion, Mr. Davey said the statement that Mr. McDonald called a meeting of the House to discuss the petition and then set up a committee was absolutely false. Practically the whole statement was incorrect. Mr. Mac Donald said he had asked a few members if they were willing to act on the committee if nominated, nothing further. The Hon. T. Mackenzie said the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce was politically biased, and failed to recognise what had been done. N.EARING THE END. The Speaker announced that he had decided to allow Bills to be put through all stages at one sitting. AMENDING THE OLD AGE PENSIONS ACT. The Prime Minister moved the second reading c*f the Old Age Pensions Amendment Bill, the principal clause of which provides that where any person who being a male has reached the age of 60, or being a female 55 years, and has dependent on him or her two or mon. , children, shall be entitled to a pension, the amount of the pension to be as prescribed by the principal Aet, with the addition of such sum not exceeding £l.l per annum as the magistrate in his' : discretion having regard to the circumstances of the case may determine. He stated that tlie scheme would cost some £ 10.0(H) a year. Extra rates on present pensions where there were dependents would he increased by 50 per cent, and the maximum pension would be £sl . per year. Mr. Fisher asked that Imperial pensions should be exempt under the Act. Mr. Wilford suggested that railway , superannuation ihould apply in a similar [ manner. Air. Hogan thought the scheme should ' be extended to the indigent at 00, the blind, maimed, crippled, and deformed. Sir Joseph Ward, in reply, said the question of applying the system to railway men who were superannuated was all a matter of money. Last year the scheme had cost £380,000. This year the expenditure would be over £400,000, plus £55,000 for pensions to widows. . The Bill was an enormous advance in the legislation dealing with pensions.