PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 October 1917, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

By Telegraph.—'Press Assoc&tion. , AVpllinjrton, LasfcvX'ight, Hie Council met at 2.30/ The local Bills pnssci by the House yesterday were rend a first time. The Council further considered, in committee, the Shops and Offices Amendment Hill, proposing to restrict the hours of employment of women and girls in hotels and restaurants to 10.30 p.m., except where sleeping accommodation was provided. Councillors objected to thc-intro- 1 auction of the "living in" provision*, and struck out the clause restricting the. hours. Progress was then reported.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The. House met at 2.30.

SIX O'CLOCK CLOSING,

Tlie Prime Minister reported on tho result of the conference with the Legislative Council on the amendments to the Sale of Liquor Restriction Bill/and move<l that the arrangement under which liquor might be supplied .with meals between the hours of b!x and eight be agreed to.

Mr. Isitt said the Temperance section of tins House were afraid that vnless I*ie term "meals" was clearly defined it would lead to the introduction of the sawdust sandwich," as was the case in the United States. He asked that a nieal he defined as a dinner costing not less than Is fid.

Mr. Malcolm said the last position was Korae than the first. They now lost the substance while thay kept the shadow of six o'clock closing. Mr, Harris spoke in a similar strain. Mr. Massey, in reply, said he thought tiiere was no need for fear or alarm. In his opinion the concession would ' not lend to abuse, but would remove a great deal of friction which would otherwise arise. WAR LEGISLATION. Hon, A. L. Herdman moved the second reading nf the War legislation Bill and explained the clauses. Mr, Witty said the Dill was extremely drastic, and if it had come down earlier in the session it would not hava got through in a fortnight. The clauses relating to aliens and contracts he approved of, but expressed a fer.r that the retention of elderly imblic servants in the service would interfere with the promotion of some of tile younger men. Mr. Ell said the Bill was one that Would give considerable satisfaction to many people in the Dominion.

Mr. R. \V. Smith (Waimarino) warmly approved of the clauses granting relief to contractors responsible for bush contracts.

Mr. Ilindmarsh contended that the rent clauses would not foe effective unless the valuation dated from 1014, If this were not provided for, the valuation would he based on present prices, with the result that rents would invariably be increased, 'He thought the passport system was being worked in a most arbitrary manner, and advocated some ( appeal from the decision of the department.

Mr. Wilford urged that if a public servant was retained in the service after the retiring age lie should either be relieved from further contributions to tho superannuation fund or, if not, should receive a larger retiring allowance. Mr. Young welcomed clauses which made for national organisation. Dr. Xewmaji asked for more drastic naturalisation laws to meet the cases of uaturali&ed Germans.

Mr. Payne said it was only a sloppy sentimentalist who would not go the length of depriving every German of the land he holds in the Dominion or of taking part in elections. We ought to impose the Mosaic law of "an eye for (in eye and a tooth for a tooth" upon people who liad so far departed from the laws of civilisation as the Germans.

The discussion was proceeding at the 5.30 adjournment.

After the adjournment, the debate was continued 'by Messrs McCombs, Brown, WcM>, Walker, and Veitch.

Mr. Herdman, in reply, answered the reference by Mr. Veitch'.to the cost of living by saying that this had been a fruitful field for politicians, but no one seemed to get any nearer to a settlement. Discussing the criticism offered on the Bill, he said few people realised the difficulty of carrying on the business of the State during war time, and that Was the reason why they were taking power to retain the services of some ot the older public servants. There would be no due interference with promotion, nor of the question of giving women equal pay for equal work. Regarding the war regulations, lip defended the action of the Government by making a comparison with the British regulations which, he declared were infinitely more severe than anything attempted in New Zealand.

On the House resuming after the supper adjournment, the second reading was carried on the voices.

The House went into committee on the Bill. Oil the short title, Mr. Veitcti asked what the position of a public servant would be under clause 2(1, if. after his services had been eompulsorily retained, he committed a breach of departmental regulations, and was dismissed. Would he receive the pension to which he had already become entitled, or would he lose it? The Minister said he had taken care that the rights of every servant so retained would be fully preserved to him. At clause 11. Dr. Newman complained of the definition of "alien enemy." He said the sons of naturalised Germans were being called up in the ballot, but were obtaining exemption because of German sympathies, yet they were receiving all the privileges of British subjects. This, he thought, was unfair. Clause 23, providing for the retention of police officers in the eervics after thev reached the retiring age, was challenged by the Labor party, but on a division the clause was agreed to by 40 to 0. At clause 26, the Minister moved an addition to the clause, providing that no public servant eompulsorily retained in the service should be required to contribute to the superannuation fund, although he should not receive his pension till he left the service.

Messrs. McCombs, Webb and Walker contended that a public servant should be paid his salary in addition to superannuation. On a division the division was carred by 47 to 0.

At clause 31, validating War Regulations, Mr. McCombs moved to except regulation published on December 4, 1016, relating to "seditious tendency." The amendment was rejected by 44 to 5

Mr. Hindmarsh moved to repeail section 4 of the War Regulations, published on December 4 1916.

The Chairman of Committees ruled this could not bo done in this Bill, us the War Regulations Act could not be amended in the War Legislation Bill. Mr. Hinduiar.sh moved to report progress, in order to j,ake the ruling of th» Speaker, contending that if' tHe Houso could validate the regulations, the House could amend those regulations. Mr. Herdman contended that the Walk Regulations were not made by Partial m&nt, and the amendment virtually pro-? posed to usurp the power of the Gover-I nor-in-Council. .1 The Speaker ruled the House <ould va-J lidnfe lli« .regulations or refuse to dot so, but could not di*cus« them 'in detail or amend them, as they were not before; the House, except for the; purposes of' validation, " Mr. Hindmarsh then proposed to insert a provision in the Bill t|iat a person charged with sedition should bej tried "by :t judge of the Supreme Court, not by a magistrate, who was often not in a position to resist the pressure of publio opinion. , ~ The amendment was An amendment, moved" Tiv Mr. Mb* Combs,, that women employed under the Bill should receive the same rate of pay as men, was rejected by 30 to 12. The Minister moved a new clause, providing that local bodies may, without taking a poll of ratepayers, borrotr money for employing: discharged soldiers, and a further clause extending the tine within which local authorities may borrow money in exercise of the authority conferred by the ratepayers at the poll. The Premier moved a new clause dealing with the rent question, providing that valuation of property shall be aa valuation at the commencement of the war.

This was agreed to, the bill was re* ported with amendments, read a third time and passed. The House rose at 1.15 a.m.