PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1915, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph.—'Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Hon. Sir F H. D. Bell moved the second reading of th.- Cost of Living Bill.

Hon. J. T. Paul contended that the Bill did not go far enough. The Board could no doubt •■olleet valuable information, but its power tj act was limited. The cost of living was now pressing very hard on workers and it would be months before anything could result the work of tl'c Board, which, in his opinion, should be empowered to fix prices.

Hon. W. Earr.fhaw thought the Bill marked an advance in the effort to deal with this subject, and welcomed it because it suggested lines to go upon which would prove practical and cflieient.

Hon. J. Barr said cne of the chief difficulties in regard to the cost of living was the credit system; people could largely help themselves, were they so inclined.

The Bill passed all stages, and the following Local Bills.passed all stages:— Otago Harbor Board Empowering, [ Springs County Council Reclamation Empowering, Devonport Porough Vesting, Inglewood 80-rorgh Endowment Sale, Tauranga Foreshore Endowment Vesting, Dunedin Dist:ict Drainage and Sewerage Act Amendment, Lyttelton Borough Extension Amendment. '

In tee evening, the report of the Conference of Law Practitioners' Bill recommended that Clause 3, referring to Kings' Counsel, which had been struck out by the Council, be re-inserted was agreed to. The Land Laws Amendment Bill was put through the fina! stages. The following Bills were received from the House of Representatives and passed through all stages:—Public Health Amendment, Hospital and Charitable Institution Amendment, Education Amendment.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WASHING-UP PROCESS, After the telegraphic office closed this morning the House went into committee on the Land Laws Amendment Bill. Clause 18, providing for the acquisition of the fee simple of Crown lands in mining districts, was opposed by the leaseholders, but was retained by 32 to 7.

Clause 20 was withdrawn by the Premier, and the Bill was reported at 4.30, The Cost of Living Bill was read a third time and passed without discussion.

Amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Counties Amendment and Municipal Corporations Bills were agreed to. The Railway Improvements Authorisation Amendment Bill was introduced by Governor's Message and read a first time. Mr. Henries explained that it was entirely a machinery measure.

The Public Health Amendment Bill (No. 2), to remedy a defect in existing legislation and to prevent employees being compelled to tako their meals under insanitary conditions, was read a second time.

Mr. Russell moved the second.reading of the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Amendment Bill. Ho explained it wa3 to arrange an automatic basis for the payment of travelling allowances for members of boards. It was agreed to.

EDUCATION DISTRICTS. Mr. Hanan moved, the second reading of the Education Amendment Bill. He said the Bill was to reduce the number of boards to nine, which would make for greater efficiency and was entirely in the interests of the children. The discussion is proceeding.

Mr. Poland advocated the reduction of the number of boards to five, which was supported by Mr. Parr. Mr. McCallum opposed the Bill, which lie thought unfair. He moved that the Bill be read that day six months. iWhen the House resumed, Mr. Guthrie said he favored seven districts, but, whatever the House decided upon, he thought no one would be treated unjustly. M. J. Craigie said the Bill was a most contentious one, and should have been held over till after the war. He did not consider the abolition of the smaller boards advantageous. Centralisation was an autocracy, and the commission was a farce. He protested against the abolition of the South Canterbury Board. i .Mr. 0. J. Anderson contended that small boards were advantageous to the teachers, and he favored letting things remain as they are. Failing that, he considered they should be abolished altogether, and the schools put under the central office in Wellington. The seven districts suggested by the Commission were too large to give justice to the small settlements, and he would support with great enthusiasm the abpli-1 tion of boards altogether. Mr. G. Witty regretted that the Government had not adhered to the decisiom of the Commission. Under the circumstances the whole thing was a waste of time and money. Mr. J. Payne declared that the system of boards was obsolete; the system was a woeful waste of public money. Centralisation would economise, and he would vote for any motion that would reduce the boards to the lowest possible number.

Mr. \V. Nosworthy said he was going to set aside all parochial interests, lie was going to vote for the report of the Commissioners. Sevon districts; were sufficient..

iMr. C. J. Talbot • congratulated the National Cabinet upon their decision to increase the number of boards to nine, to preserve as much as possible the community of interests.

Mr. J. Anstcy said the iigures published in the Commissioners' report showed the administration of the South Canterbury Board was, within a point or two, as economical as that of Wellington, which went to show that the smaller districts were not wasteful. The districts should be increased to ten.

Mr. IT. J. Okey supported the increase of the districts to nine, and Mr. W. T. Jennings said his vote would depend upon the .Minister's explanation of how the new boundaries affected Taranaki. More absurd boundaries could not tbe conceived than those set out in the Commission's report. •'

Mr. A. 'Walker contended that the decision of the Commission was fair, euitablc, broad and national. Mr. J. A. Hanan said that no one with a sense of responsibility could vote for the amendment, because' the Act of last session necessitated the Bill. Otherwise a state of t' i wo«M ari=e. .Ti.ere wus no hsbk& *i» JLIII,

but it was brought down in accordance with law. The- Solicitor-Gcneril Md given his opinion that it the Bill wat not passed the report of the Commission would take effect automatically,) Tiie position would then be that there would be thirteen hoards without districts, and seven districts without Boards. He left it at that. '. The Bill was read a second time on the voices.

When the Bill was committed, at clause two Mr. McC'allum moved to strike out nine, with a view to inserting ten'districts. The amendment wa«' lost by 30 to 25, and the Bill passed' \. williout amendment.

On tlie motion that the Bill be read. the third time, J'ir. Guthrie said that when the vote took place in the afternoon a great many members were under the impression that if they voted to strike out the word "nine," it necessarily followed that "ton" would foe inserted. Those members wanted the number reduced to seven, and had voted to retain nine to prevent the riumbea being increased to ten. He felt it necea* ; sary that this explanation should bt made. Mr. Payne moved that the Bill ta recommitted, with the object of r«MO sidering clause 2, 4 The motion was defeated by 33 to VjS and the third reading wa3 carried Kid the voices.