PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1918, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,, By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Legislative Council met at 10 a.m. The Washing Up Bill passed with a minor amendment. The Rabbit Nuisance Bill, Land Laws Amendment Bill, Auckland Harbor Board, Devonport Borough Bill, and Devonport Domain Board Empowering Kill passed without amendment. The Public Health Act was passed by the Legislative Council with the following amendments: The clause regarding the establishment of colonies of workers' dwellings was abandoned. The operation of the clause to prevent overcrowding was postponed to Ist July, IfllO. The clause providing for houses not to be used as dwelling place unless approved by the district health officer nas struck out. The mandatory provision was struck out of the clause empowering local authorities to make -by--jaws prohibiting the use of lanaa. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. EARLY MORNING WORK. Wellington, Dec- 10. . e . ® ouso ) after discussing . the Hashing- up" Bill for over five hours, agreed to its provisions unamended, except that Mr. Sidey secured for the Otago Progress League similar privileges to those granted to the Canterbury Progress League by clause 48. Considerable opposition was raised to clause. 40, ncreasing the borrowing powers of the Wanganui Harbor Board by £150.000, but after two divisions the clause was agreed to and the Bill was read a third time and passed. Mr. Sidey brought up a report on the Public Health Bill recommending that it be allowed to proceed with the amendments suggested. The Hon. G. W. Russell moved that the House go into committee on the Bill. Mr- Luke said that the Bill was an admission on the part of the Minister that local authorities h#d not all the powers necessary to fight epidemics. They could only look after the streets and outside of buildings; t.liey could not go inside the homes. City councils ought to have full control of the sanitation and public health of their cities. There should be no divided authority. Mr. Ell said that most of the powers taken in the Bill were already embodied in the law of the land. What was valuable in the Bill was the power to keep local authorities up to their duty. The Bill was put through the Committee stage with a slight amendment, read a third time and passed. The Auckland Harbor Board and Devonport Borough Empowering Bill was also put through all stages. The House then went into Committee of Supply to consider the supplementary estimates, which totalled £R'14.12!), unauthorised expenditure £100.478, and sums irrecoverable by the Crown and required to he written off the departmental accounts £5(l(j0. These amounts were passed in half an hour with comparatively little discussion. At fi.l;" the Appropriation Bill was introduced and nut through the Committee stage. On beint* reported from Committee at 625, the House ros'S till noon.

AFTERNOON SITTING. Wellington, Dee. 10. The House resumed at ijoon. Two amendments to the Licensing Bill were introduced by Governor-General's message. The first provides for elasticity respecting fixing the date of the referendum, which will not be later in any case than April 30. The other amendment places hotels in town districts on the same footing as country districts and fixes the compensation at seven-tenths of the capital value. The amendments were agreed to. Sir James Allen made a lengthy statement in which he outlined further financial benefits to soldiers which included tho following:—Fifty scholarships. £10,033; education, etc, at the front, £50,000; officers, outfit alowanee increased to £4O, £70,500; bonus in lieu of separation allowance to men who enlisted prior to December 31, 1917, £440.000: officers' pav. increase ol £232 000; bonus for all ranks of the N.Z.E.F., £1.225.228; renatriation, £2,058.353; £30,000 for setting up men in business and financial assistance (not specified). The House rose at 1.55 till 2 o'clock. AMENDMENTS TO BILLS. When the House resumed at 2 o'clock, notico was received from the Legislative Council that they had passed the Washing Up Bill, with an amendment, having struck out clause 41 empowering the Public Trust Office to give effect to the deed of family arrangement in the. estate of J. C. Jury, deceased. The Speaker of the Council ruled that this clause should have been introduced as a private Bill, and not as part of a public Bill. Mr. Massey said the decision of the Speaker of the Council had created! a very awkward position for the Public Trust Office, and ho moved that the amendment be disagreed with, and that Sir Joseph Ward, Sir J. Findlay, and himself be managers to prepare reasons for disagreeing with the amendment ana conferring with the Council on the point. Later, Mr. Massey stated he had satisfied himself that the objection to the Council's amendment could not toe sustained, and he did not propose to proceed further with it at present. Hon. G. W. Russell reviewed the amendments made in the Public Health Bill. Clause 7, embodying tke house scheme, had been struck out on the ground that it was not comprehensive enough. He had all along regarded this clsuao merely as a sign post indicating the direction in which ISgislation should go, Clause 23 was also struck out, but this ite did not regard as a serious blot in the Bill. Other minor amendments had been 'made which, in liis opinion, improved the measure, and ho moved that the amendments be agreed to. Mr- Hornsby: I hopo you are not giving too much away. Mr. Rus«!!; No, the House can rely 1 on that, Mr. Prowl' moved that all the amendments ;be agreed to except the striking out of clause 7. Ho said that whitt tlieij. country wanted was a lead, This was the one clause with a constructive policy in it, and it was better thaw alt iko threats and penalties against insanitary houses. The Minister to ask for.

deavor to save the clause. He' called for a division, on which the amendment was lost by 2!) to "21. Mr. Russell said lie only accepted the Council's amendments because be could not afford to imperil the rest of the Bill by raising a conflict with the Council at that stage of the session. When the Town Planning Bill is being 'considered the whole question of housing would be most, carefully considered. Sir Joseph Ward moved to re-commit the Appropriation Bill, with a view to striking out clause 4!l, amending section 7fl of the Education Act, relating to the salaries of teachers, as be had been advised it should not be included in the Appropriation Bill and was certain to raise difficulties in another place, so that he could not go on with it. Hon. J. A. Hanan raised a protest against the elimination of the clause. If the Upper House was going to dominate that House, then he was going to express his mind about it. There was no legal constitutional objection to this clause that did not apply to any other clause in the Bill. Sir Joseph Ward said lie allowed the clause to go into the Bill under the impression that it came from the Attor-ney-General, and had his approval, as other educational clauses had done. He now found this was not the case, and he had been advised that the clause should not go into tile Bill. It was his, duty not to imperil the Bill by inserting it, and the Minister of Education must recognise the position, The clause should go into an amendment of the Education Act. Mr. McCallum said the clause had never been submitted to the Council of Education, and he thought it should be postponed until that body could be consulted. Mr. Parr said the clause was a necessary one, but it had been necessary for a long time. Tile Minister had many opportunities of bringing it in, and he could not understand him leaving it to be included in the Appropriation Bill, where ho agreed with Sir Joseph Ward it should not go. The clause was struck out. TELEGRAPHIC RESTRICTIONS. Sir Joseph Ward stated he had that day given instructions for the removal of the restrictions on inland telegraphic codes. He hoped in a, few days to have similar restrictions removed from overseas cables. APPROPRIATION BILL. Speaking on the third reading of the Appropriation Bill, Mr. Holland asked for an assurance from the Government that Lieut. Crompton, who was concerned in unmilitary conduct at Samoa, and was later concerned in charges of cruelty against conscientious objectors at Wanganui, should not in future be given charge of men. Indeed, he would go further, and asked that he be placed on trial for his conduct in connection with the charges investigated at Wanganui by Mr. Hewitt, S.M. Mr. Jennings said he hoped, when in England, that Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward would endeavor to get a more suitable training ship than the Amokura for New Zealand. He thanked the Government for assistance given to to friendly societies. Mr. Lee said he hoped the Minister for Railways would, soon after Christmas, look into the grievances of the railway men, which grievances he thought were just, and he could not help saying so. He pleaded for a broad and sympathetic repatriation policy when our men came back.' Mr. Isitt said he hoped that, for the credit of the Dominion, the men concerned in the Wanganui scandal should not be allowed to go unpunished. • Mr. Wright protested against the amount of business done in Parliament by Governor's message. He criticised the proposal in the Appropriat.-on xJill for voting supplies till December next, instead of June. Voting supplies was almost the only check the House had on Ministers, and unless, they conserved this check they would soon become the fifth wheel in the coach. The third reading was passed at 5.40 and the House rose till 7.30. When the House resumed at 8.35, a message', was received, from the Legislative Council that the Council had passed the Appropriation Bill.