PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 September 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THE 6TCAR DISPUTE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The House of Representatives mot at 2.30 p.m. Replying to Mr. Parry, the Hon. E. P. Lee said the Government had requested the Colonial Sugar Company to permit the men to return to work, so that the Arbitration Court might see the actual working conditions of the industry, and thereby facilitate a settlement of the dispute now pending between the company and its employees. Replying to Mr. Witty, Mr. Lee said there was a good deal of sugar in Auckland, but the difficulty was its distribution, The men would not handle the sugar, and consequently it could not be sent to South Island ports. He would endeavor to have the next shipment of raw sugar sent to the South Island, but he could not tell what difficulties were ahead. Replying to Mr. Hamilton (Awarua), Mr. Lee said brewers' supplies of sugar were the last on the lists to be supplied, THE BROKEN HILL STRIKE. Mr. Holland gave notice of his intention to ask the Premier the following questions: (1) Whether he will take steps to facilitate' the work of those labor organisations which are engaged in rendering assistance to the women and children of Broken Hill, whose bread-winners are divorced from their occupation (metal iliining) because they refuse to work under conditions which are proved to mean either an early death or completely wrecked health; (2) whether he will cause reports and statements of medical practitioners of Broken Hill and Government medical officers' reports of.the Mines Department with respect to accidents, together with a statement of dividends, bonuses, and amounts credited to reserves by Broken Hill companies, to be circulated throughout, New Zealand, in order that it may be fully understood what miners and mine-owners are respectively striving for. To this question Mr. Holland has attached the following explanatory note: "The medical reports set forth that 70 per cent, of the miners who have worked for 15 yearis underground at Broken Hill show lung deterioration: that 'a miner cannot work for more than four years in the silver mines there with a fair chance of escaping lead poisoning; and that the infantile death rate of Broken Hill is double that, of New Zealdnd, owing io the transmission of miners' occupational diseases to their offspring. The mining report shows that the average of accidents is enormously higher than in any other Australasian State. The miners are striving for shorter hours, in order that this record of disease and death may be minimised. In a period of less than 2S years dividends and bonuses paid out have exceeded £25,000,000, u'hile the actual cash put into the mines was not, more than £500,000. » BETTER PENSIONS SOUGHT. BOTH CIVIL AND MILITARY. The Hon. Sir William Herries laid on the tablb a report of the Pensions Department. Mr. Wilford made an appeal for increases in old age pensions, and superannuation for civil servants. This plea was supported by Dr. Newman, and Messrs Witty, Isitt, Field, Seddon, Hoc-kly, Fraser, T, W. Rhode*, and Parry, Ministers being specially asked to so amend, the law that a widow with a small cottage should not be penalised by the loss of pension in consequence of having a home in which to live. Replying to Mr. Mitchell, the Hon. Sir.Heaton Rhodes said he was inquiring into the suggested'amendment of the Soldiers' Pensions Act, with a view to increasing the amounts and removing anomalies. Mr. Massey said that a Pensions Bill would be introduced this session, but any increase in pensions amounting to anything like £1,000,000 was quite out of the question. Replying to Mr. Fraser, Sir William I-lerries said that a Pensions Amending Bill would be brought down this session. It was now being drafted, but he could not indicate the exact date when it would be introduced. The remainder of the sitting was occupied by the taxation debate, (reported elsewhere), and the House rose at 12.22 a.m.