PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 October 1919, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. ? i MANY BILLS DEALT WITH. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Railways Authorisation Bill received from the House of Representatives, was read a first and second time. The Speaker, in accordance with the report of the joint committee on Bills, ruled that the Trustee Amendment Bill and the Invercargill Borough Boundaries Extension Bill were private-Bills. . The Coal Mines Amendment Bill, received from the House, was read a second time pro forma and referred to the Mines Committee, while the Electric Power Works Bill was read a first time. The jHawke's Bay River Bill was read a third time and passed. The Mining Amendment Bill was read a second time pro forma and referred to the mining committee. The Greytown Borough Loan Empowering Bill was put through its final stages and passed. , t The Marriage" Amendment Bill was also passed. The Council adjourned at 4.10 p.m. until B,p.m. ■ ; When the Legislative Council met again Sir Francis Bell reported that the second conference with the House had reached an agreement on the amend. ments to the Board of Trade Bill. The Council agreed to withdraw its amendment whkh Based a charge of profiteering on a special line of goods, as it hart assurance that there would be ample power in the regulations, to deal with this matter. The House agreed to the amendment, associating the Council in any resolution to revoke regulations of the Board. The Council approved this agreement. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. SOLDIERS' GRATUITY. ' Replying to the Hon. D. Buddo, Sir James Allen said he thought it unwise to increase the gratuity to the Main Body until it was seen how the Act was working out. He deprecated the clamor for larger gratuities, as It was cal- ] ciliated to undermine the self reliance of the men themselves, who would be disinclined to do anything for themselves if too large sums were given to them. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Replying to Mr. Luke, Mr. Massey said it was not possible to revise the customs tariff this session. He understood Mr Luke referred to dumping, which he had been informed was going on. He asked Mr. Luke to consult him privately on the matter. Replying to Mr. Talbot and' Mr. Witty, who asked questions regarding housing, Mr Massey said the Labor Department has let contracts for about fifty concrete houses in Wellington and ten in Masterton. To assist house building the Government had closed down work on some public buildings in order to free labor for building houses. Replying to Mr. Wilford, the Hon. W. % H. Herries said no further questions regarding pensions could be dealt with this session. There would be a consolidating measure next year, when all outstanding questions would be dealt with. SALARIES IN THE RAILWAYS. The Railway Committee brought down a report on the Railway Bill. Mr. Massey said he proposed to go on with the Bill to-morrow. Sir Joseph Ward said he had no wish to anticipate the debate on the Bill, but he was not going to be one to sit in the House and allow higher salaries in the Railway Department while the salaries in all other branches of the Public Service stood still. He pointed out that the proposed, increases would carry increased superannaution with them which meant many officers who would be retiring in a few years would go out with some £6OO or £7OO a year, while many of the men in the lower grade? could scarcely live on the pay they were receiving. This raised the question even at this stage of the session whether even now some further bonus should not be paid to the Public Service, many of whom were compelled to go ihto debt every week. He was not against sound reason which would justify the enormous jump which had been made in some of the higher salaries.

Mr. Massey, in reply, said the lion. gentleman would have been better, advised if he waited till he hat* seen the Bill as amended by the committee before he denounced it, as very important amendments had been made. The hon. gentleman was evidently not aware that in his absence from New Zealand a board bad been set up of high Government officials to take the questions of salaries into consideration. He (Mr. Massey) had consulted that board and .it was on their recommendations that the salaries in the Bill had been fixed. He proceeded to deal with what the Government had done to keep down the cost of living, claiming that with the exception of coal, New Zealand was in a better position than any other country in the world. The suggestion had been made that a special board should be set up to arrange salaries through- - out the 'Railway Department, and lie approved of that idea, because the present system under which demands for increases were constantly being made was not satisfactory. So far as the Superannuation Fund was concerned an amendment made by the committee had considerably mitigated the objectiDn made by Sir Joseph AVard. He was pvepared to givp the suggested board a fair trial in the matter of regulating salaries and working conditions in the raihvav service He was also preparatl to make their recommendations a Cabinet matter.

Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki) made an appeal for an increase in the pay of the lower paid branches of the railway service, either by way of a straight out increase or bv a bonus, until the Board of Trade could secure a reduction in the cost of living.

Mr Wilford complained of the "idiotic and fatuous" circulars sent out to officials bv the head office. Mr Witty drew attention to the diffleultv many returned men were experiencing in getting back into their old positions in the service. Mr. Veitch stressed the need for cordial relations between the management and the men. That <tnod feeling did not exis,t, and the position was much more sfflftous than, mtaj supposed 1 . The : report'of thte tceimJ. ■'-■'"" 5

BOARD OF TRADE BILL. The- House resumed at 7,30 p.m. (Mr. Massey said he desired to ask-the: . House to agree to another conference ; with the Legislative Council on the r, amendments made by that body in the Board of Trade Bill. He nominated Messrs Witty, Smith (Pahiatua), and the mover as managers. This was agreed to. LAND RAWS. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie moved the second reading 'of the Land Laws Amendment Bill. He explained the Bill provided for setting up a number of Land Purchase 'Boards to assist hi dealing with land for soldiers. There would probably be thirteen boards, with three members on each. ]f it wa3 asked why these boards were being set up his reply was that a sum of £6,599,104 had been spent in settling 0,300 soldiers. It became evident that the inoreased work created by this responsibility was more than ordinary land boards could cope Vith. There was also the question of local knowledge which these new boards possessed in a large degree than the ordinary land boards. Representation ( on these boards would be liberal, but no one engaged in the land agency .business would be eligible as a member. ' Sir Joseph Ward congratulated the Government upon an advance in their .land policy as shown by their Bill. H« endorsed the policy of settlement, more settlement, and still more settlement, 'but he Wanted to know how much Crown land was left with which to carry out this policy, because his impression was what was left of the Crown lands was going to give a very poor selection to those who were settling under the homestead system. He was not altogether with the proposals to stop aggregation, because they did 'not go far enough. The provisions should apply to soldiers' lands which had been purchased during the war and tranfers should be more closely scrutinised by the land boards. We must prevent the aggregation of large estates because New Zealand was destined to become a country of small settlement.

Mr Massey said that if the proposals of the Bill regarding homestead settlement were an improvement ~. on the old law, inasmuch as provision was now made to give settlers financial assistance, this was an experiment certainly, but he had every, hope that if the officers of the Crown are careful, large areas of land now waste would be brought into profitable settlement. He defended the policy of buying land for soldiers,, because being able to pay cash, land had been bought cheaply, and while security remained soldiers could be safelv assisted.

Speaking after the supper adjournment, Mr. Pearce protested against the proposal to pay for aggregated land re. sumed by the Government on the basis of present valuation. One valuation might be six months old and another six Tears old. " The Hon. D. Buddo thought the Bill was a modest effort to encourage settlement, and no doubt the country would be better for it, but an attempt to settle third-class lands in 1000 acre blocks was bound to fail. 'While Mr. Buddo was still speaking the Premier entered the Chamber and announced that Mr. Colvin, the member for Buller, had been killed in a tram accident in the city. He immediately moved the adjournment of the House, which rose at 10.50 p.m.