PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 September 1922, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S SITTING. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. JURIES AND MAJORITY VERDICTS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Imprest Supply Bill was put through all stages and passed. The State Advances Amendment Bill was reported by the ‘Statutes Revision Committee without amendment. The discussion on the Hon. J. MacGregors Juries Amendment Bill was resumed, and after many expressions of opinion for and against majority verdicts the Bill was read a second time. The measure was supported by the Leader of the Council (Sir William Fraser), who stated that there was little chance of the Government taking up such contentious legislation this session. The Council adjourned at 3.25 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES A SHIPPING MEASURE. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. •Sir John Luke (Wellington North) brought down the report of the Labor Bills Committee on the> Shipping and Seamen’s Amendment Bill, which the committee suggested should be allowed to proceed with amendments made by them. He explained the amendments, which he said were mainly of a machinery nature. The committee had deleted the first schedule increasing the fees payable by masters, mates and engineers for examination, and the second schedule increasing the fees for the engagement and discharge of crews. Incidentally he paid a compliment to the enterprise of the Union Company in introducing to these waters such an up-to-date ship as their new motor-driven steamer Hauraki.

Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) pointed out that the Bill proposed to raise light duties chargeable on shipping to the extent of £25,000 per annum, which additional charge would of course be passed on to the public by the shipping companies, and which must result in increased fares and freights to those who use ships. This was clearly a taxation proposal and he wished that farmers and others who were asking for cheaper freights should understand that. The report was adopted. HOTEL EMPLOYEES’ HOURS. Sir John Luke brought down the report of the Labor Bills Committee on the Hotel Restaurant Employees’ Six-day-week Bill The committee rciconimended that the Bill be not allowed to proceed, as the committee was of opinion that the Arbitration Court had powek to do all the Bill asked for, and the committee was reluctant to interfere with the functions of the Court.

Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) thanked the committee for the kindly manner in which, for the fourth time, they had done the Bill to death. The Bill, however, would come up again, and he could only hope that as a result of the general election they would next year have a committee more sympathetic with the workers and less dominated by the Licensed Victuallers’ and the Employers’ Federation. A LEGAL MATTER.

The Hon. E. P. Lee moved the second reading of the Judicature Amendment Bill, which provides that any two instead of three members of the same division of the Court of Appeal should have power to deliver a judgment of the Court, or hear applications for leave to appeal to the Privy Council. He explained that often when there were only two judges in Wellington judgments of the Court which were ready were ,held up, because under the present law two judges could not deliver them. In the same way applications for leave to appeal to the Privy Council were often delayed because three judges could not be present to hear them. The present Bill was designed to avoid these delays by reducing the number of judges who have to sit. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Opposition) welcomed the Bill, but he thought the time had arrived when the work done by judges should be reconsidered, as their work was undoubtedly arduous and their hour’s were unquestionably long. We should have more judges of the Supreme Court, and we should have another judge of the Arbitration Court, so that the settlement of disputes might be facilitated and the judge not overworked. In reply Mr. Lee said he would be , sorry to see the right of appeal to the Privy Council taken away, because he was bound to say that in the majority of cases in which the Privy Council reversed the judgments of the Court of Appeal in New Zealand their judgments were in accordance with what the profession generally supposed the law to be, and there was no reason why they should not have confidence in the present system. The Bill was read a second time.

STATE FIRE INSURANCE. The Hon. J. G. Coates moved the second reading of the State Fire Insurance Bill, explaining that outside its machinery’ clauses it made provision for the division of .bonuses amongst policy holders. , Mt. T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) said the Minister -hau not told the House what was the financial position of the State Fire Insurance Office and whether it was such as to warrant the -proposals in this Bill. Mr. Massey said the only reason the Bill was brought down at all was because the head of the department asked for it. , The Minister, in reply, said the reason bonuses were not previously paid to policy-holders was that it was not practicable to do so. If it was done under the old system it would cost more to compute the proportion due to each policv-holder than the amount of the bonuses, hence the modification m the Bill. , , The second reading was agreed to. ELECTRIC POWER BOARDS. The Hon J. G. Coates moved the sec= ond ’ reading of the Electric Power Boards Amendment Bill, which he said was the result of experience, it not being possible to make provisien for every

contingency when the original measure was passed. He had recently had a conference with representatives of power boards and as a result of an exchange of opinions and experiences he would have a number of amendments to propose in the Bill, but he did not propose to ask the House to reduce the number of members of power boards from twelve to nine as proposed in the Bill. The Bill was read a second time. The House rose at 11.40 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.