PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 July 1922, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S SITTING. house of representatives, REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. In reply to Mr. V. H. Potter (Roskill), Mr. Massey said the matter of the compulsory registration of electors is at present under the consideration of the electoral department, and he hoped to be able to make ar statement on the subject at an early date. Replying to Dr. T. H. Thacker (Chirstchurch East), the Hon. W*. D. Stewart said the fee formerly charged in New Zealand for naturalisation was far below that charged by other countries, and therefore it was recently raised to £lO. If it was working inequitably he would be pleased to look into the matter. Replying to Mr. C. Mackenzie (Auckland East), Mr. Massey said it was for the House to alter the amusement tax, but his present opinion was that it should not be imposed in connection with entertainments which have an educational value. In reply to Mr. T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Opposition), the Hon. D. H. Guthrie said he was making an effort to get the most reliable men possible to act on the boards to report on soldier settlements. These boards will co-operate with Land Boards, who wfll report to the Advisory Board sitting in Wellington, and their report will come on to the Minister.

Replying to Mr. J. R. Hamilton (Awarua). the Hon. C. J. Parr said land agents’ fees collected from all over the Dominion were now to be paid into the Consolidated Fund instead of to hospital boards, as formerly, as there was no logical reason why general fees sucli as these should go to one particular local body. That was the decision of Cabinet.

The Hon. G. J. Anderson made a statement regarding the loan of £3500 made to the owners of the auxiliary scow Coronation, explaining that the loan was made to expedite the housing policy of the Government and that the Government was amply secured. The following Bills were introduced and read a first time: Land Drainage Amendment Bill (Hon. W. D. Stewart) ; Proportional Representation and Country Quota Bill (Mr. J. McCombs) ; Naval Defence Amendment Bill (Sir R. H. Rhodes).

In the absence of Mr. McCombs, Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon; moved the introduction of the Proportional Representation and Country Quota Bill. He said the Bill sought to give the Dominion the benefit of the proportional system without disturbing the country quota, tvith which they did not agree, but the Bill was an attempt to effect one reform and not two. Proportional representation would \eyen up the size of electorates more effectively than the country quota could possibly do. The Bill was introducecUand read a first time. < The Justices of the Peace Amendment Bill, providing for the removal of disqualification against women being appointed justices of the peace (Mr. Wils’ford), was read a second time. WORKERS’ COMPENSATION. Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) moved the second reading of the Workers Compensation Amendment Bill, consolidating the existing law and amending it in the direction of liberalising the provisions of the law. Clause 67 seeks to abolish the rule known as “common employment.” He said this Bill was necessary, because this Parliament had given the workers practically nothing, and even if these concessions were granted the workers would not be satisfied until every injured worker received full pay while suffering from his injury. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Opposition) said the clause abolishing common employment must have modifications. There were other clauses, however, which no one would oppose, and he advised that the Bill be referred to the Labor Bills Committee, with a view to embodying its clauses in the Government Bill. Mr. H. Poland (Ohinemuri) said that without content amongst workers there could never be efficiency, and there would never be content while workers were treated as they are treated. In a case of an accident an injured man should receive not only full wages, but medical and surgical treatment to make him fit for work as soon as possible. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Labor Bills Committee. OTHER BILLS. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) moved pro forma the second reading of the Hotel and Restaurant and Private Hotel and Boarding-houses Employees Six-Days-a-Week Bill, which was agreea to, and the Bill was referred to the Labor Bills Committee. The Speaker ruled that the Stone Quarries Amendment Bill, introduced by Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) was an appropriation Bill, and could not be moved by a private member. Mr. Parry asked the Minister to take the Bill up, urging that if its provisions had been law the recent accident at Mangahao could not have happened. The Minister for Labor said there would in all probability be a Government: Stone Quarries Bill this session, Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) moved the second reading of the Proportional Representation and Effective Voting Bill. He said the real object of an election was to secure representatives of the people, and therefore it was necessary to elect them on some system which would, be equitable to the people. “First past the post” was not equitable, and the Government had not carried out its promise to replace it by some other system. Mr. Wilford said the Opposition stood for proportional representation, with the maintenance of the country quota., but they did not agree with the I schedule of Mr. McCombs’ Bill. The Bill was read a second time. Mr. Fraser moved the second reading of the Unemployed Workers Bill, the principle of which is that every unemployed worker shall have the right to register at any Government bureau, and that every worker in the Dominion shall have the right to work and receive a minimum living wage for his or her services. The solution put for- I TUd by ths Labor Party ffaa that Uw J

labor market should be thoroughly organised and that everyone should have the right to work. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Labor Bills Committee. The House rose at 11 o’clock until 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.