THE SESSION'S WORK

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 113, 2 November 1911, Page 3

THE SESSION'S WORK

HUMANITARIAN LEGISLATION PROM I.VENT. IMPORTANT LABOR MEASURES. A brief session preceding an election not supposed to produce -a heavyweight statute book, but the forty-six public Acts passed during the last few months will have a material influence on the people's social and industrial conditions. It will be seen from the summary below that the humanitarian side has received great attention, and that classes of the community most deserving of special consideration have received it nt the hands of the Liberal Government (says the Wellington Times).

PENSIONS TO WIDOW*. BENEFITS FOR ORPHANED CHILDREN. GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS TN THE. SCHEME. Ilic scope of New Zealand's pension fcvstem was greatly extended by two of this session's Acts." Widows with one or more children under sixteen are now entitled. under the Widows' Pensions Act. to secure a pension regardless of their own age. This tremendous advance in social and humanitarian legislation is expected to cost the State £So .000 per an-, num. and it will provide the following benefits:—

Pension per annum. Widow with one child £l2 Widow with two children £lB Widow with three children £24 Widow with more than three children £3O The main pension scheme was further improved by a more liberal interpretation of the term "income," enabling pensioners who are at present penalised in reduced pension if they draw small sums from annuities or investments to get the full pension if their actual income does not exceed ,£34 per annum. Special con- 1 federation is to be given henceforth to parents who have two or more of their children dependent on them when they reach an age at which their daily struggle should be made easier. Instead of] waiting until the age of sixty-five fori the pension, a man may obtain it under these circumstances five years earlier; the woman at fifty-live years. When granting these pensions the magistrate will have power to exceed the ordinary pension to the extent of £l3 per annum] if, in his opinion, the circumstances war- ] rant it. These concessions will cost] about £ 10,000 per annum. Maoris num-1 bcring about 7CO .will, it is expectieid, benefit to the extent of £IO,OOO per annum through the widened scope of the pension scheme. |

WORKERS' COMPENSATION". DOMESTICS INCLUDED. TIIE SYSTEM EXTENDED. liy an amendment of the Workers' Compensation Act, all classes of workers, manual or clerical, earning less than £2tio per annum, and all manual workers irrespective of earnings, obtain the benefits of compensation for accident. Domestics are included if they are engaged for a longer period than fcevem days. The law is made clearer and fcnorc liberal in regard to assessment of compensation on account of dependents (children will count whether illegitimate or legitimate), and the facilities for reciprocal arrangements with other countries in the British Empire to recognise the claims of their subjects under the compensation law have been greatly improved. An employer is made liable for medical, or surgical attendance incurred immediately after an accident. MILITARY VETERAN'S RECOGNISED. After many years of petitioning, the claims of New Zealand's military veterans were finally disposed of this* session by the Military Pensions Act. which enables any person who served in the Maori war to obtain a military pension in lieu of the old age pen-ion. Special claims were dealt with separately 011 receipt of a report recommending monetary grants in sixteen cases. Tt was shown that 7tii)2 persons have at various times been compensated for military service bv way of land grants and money grants totalling £70,707.

LUNACY LAW MODEKXISEfi. MOKE HUMANE CONCEPT rOX The lust vestige of a harsh and inadequate law regarding lunatics disappeared this session, when Parliament adopted the Mental Defectives Aet, based upon modern humanitarian ideas on the subject. A wider classification of mental defectives—the term "lunatic" is abandoned as being' too narrow—is contiiincd in the Act, Six grades are defined. The first includes persons incapable of managing themselves or their affairs. Xext come persons mentally infirm through old age, idiots (those deficient: in mind from birth), imbeciles (capable of guarding themselves against common dangers, but incapable of earning their own living), feeble-minded (those who cannot manage their owim affairs with prudence, but may under favorable circumstances earn their living), and epileptics. ! It is possible under the new Act for a person who knows that he is' liable to recurring attacks of insanity to secure temporary attention in a State institution. The procedure for detention of the insane has been simplified without removing anv safeguards against wrongful detention, and an important new provision under this head makes it obligator;,- mi the superintendents of mental liO'pit:ils to annually review the cases under tli'ir control, certifying whether fimii'T -tent ion is necessary.

Where ini'iitally defective persons have property of value, the Public Trustee (or a private committee if apprtiiiited with tin' concurrence of tile Supreme Court) mi'li rtikes administration of his atl'air-. Anotlier important feature of the measure is explained thus by the lion. (!xi. Fowlds, who originated it: "Society is living protected and the propajja''..n of the unfit is receiving a check. II is well known Unit women of feeble mind {jive birth to illegitimate children that their fall i- attributable to th'ir .rental defect, nnd that tlie.se chihlren are largely defectives. Such women will, under this Hill, receive the I protection they need."

'I",IK LAP.OR ASI'F.CT. \' AWARD? POSSIBLE. : <"TKXSIOX OF COMPESSAMKXKI'ITS. tmiiM umt labor legislation was adopted. Tie' industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act .sives power to easily secure Dominion awards, the cum-| brous. old procedure beiny replaced by a method enabling the result to be obtained at one hearing if the court is satisfied that proper opportunities have

J been given to both sides to present their f J case. j 5 Agreements before the Conciliation > i Council can now .be turned into awards) amendment by the Arbitration • <Court, unless tlis latter considers them ( to be against the public good, or in ex- / •' cess of the powers under the Act. Ap- 1 peals against magistrates' decisions in breaches of award can be taken in the Arbitration Court if the amount involved exceeds £5. Quarterly sittings of the Arbitration Court must he held in the four centres.

FOR STATE EMPLOYEES. CLASSIFICATION AND INCREASED WAGES. State employees have been the subject of important legislation. An amendment of the Government Railways Act provides for second division employees of the railway service increases of pay aggregating over £70,000. The Public Services Classification and .Superannuation Act Amendment enables civil servants to transfer from one branch to another without loss of privileges. During the session, the complete scheme of classification for the Public Service was presented to Parliament, and will be followed by a nominal roll showing the position of all employees under the scheme. They will have an opportunity of appealing to the Classification Board, and as soon as these appeals are completed tlie classification list will be gazetted. FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' SAFEGUARDS. The 68,000 members of friendly societies in New Zealand are further safeguarded by the amendment of the Friendly Societies Act, which provides that new societies cannot he registered unless tliey satisfy the Registrar that their proposed scale of contributions is adequate to meet their promised benefits. Friendly societies funds invested on mortgage must not exceed three-fifths of the value of the land and half the value of the buildings.

RATING SYSTEM. Where the rating system is upon the basis of unimproved value local authorities have had a considerable amount of difficulty and extra bookkeeping because the general rate only can be levied in that way. The Rating Amendment Act provides that all rates water, sewage, lighting, hospital and charitable aid —shall be charged upon the unimproved value system if this is approved by a poll of ratepayers.

GENERAL. IMPORTANT ACTS PASSED. Clifts up to £IOOO within twelve months of a donor's death are to be exempt from duty. This concession was limited to foOO until the passing of the Death Duties Amendment of this session.

The Elingamite enquiry, is to be reopened, as there is new evidence on the subject of an error in the charted location of Three Kings, where the vessel was wrecked, and this may given Caplain Attwood an opportunity of clearing himself from blame.

To ensure the clearing up of the elections in ample time before the Christmas holidays the Second Ballot Act was amended so that all second ballot elec- j tions will take, place seven days later than the general election. The Mining Amendment Act demonstrated that the mineral oil industry is becoming a real factor in Xew Zealand's many-sided industrial activities. It gives the State power to make regulations for safe storage of mineral oil and natural gas. Another pisce of legislation provides for compulsory taking of land for storage and for pipe lines to refineries or places of shipment. Improved provision for the payment of the expenses of seamen left ashore sick or injured is one of the principal fea-. tures of an amendment of the Shipping and Seamen Act. As some of New Zealand's technical schools give a course of education in practical engineering almost equal to the universities both classes of educational institution are placed on an equality in regard to their pupils' exemption from examination for the third-class engineers' certificate. The Tramways Amendment Act, until it reached the committee stage, was a useful unexciting amending measure designed .mainly to secure the licensing of tramcars by a central authority and ■the control of motormen's licenses. But in committee arose a storm over what became known as "the Davev clause." Tt underwent drastic alteration before getting on to the Statute Book, and it now provides, in its restricted form, that all new tramwav carriages put into commission after January 1 "shall be sonstrueted with an aisle or passageway throughout the portion set apart for passengers." Existing cars, or those which will run before January 1, are not affected by the new law.