PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9674, 23 December 1909, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE GOTOC! By Telegraph— Press Association. WELLINGTON, December 22. j In the Legislative Council this af- ' ternoon the amendments made by the House in the New Zealand Society of Accountants Bill were agreed to, and those rt.ade in the Magistrates Court Amendment Bill were disagreed with. The following Bills were read a second time, and ordered to be committed presently:—Wanganui School Sites, Masterton Trust Lands Trust Exchange, Customs Duties, Old Age | Pensons, Race Meetings, Urewera Native Reserve, Workers' Compensation.

The Council in the'evenmg amended the Race Meeting Bill to provide that the Minister of Internal Affairs hhall from time to time publish in the Gazette a list of licensed race clubs. This and all the Bills men tioned at the afternoon sitting were put through the final stages. The Gold Duty Amendment Bill was passed. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. In the House this afternoon, replying to questions, Ministers stated that Lord Kitchener has accepted an invitation to visit New Zealand, and suitable arrangements for the inspec tion of the military forces by himwill be made when the date of his visit is ascertained; that the proposals submitted by the Imperial Government to the overseas Dominion in regard to the formation of an Imperial general staff cannot be laid on the table; that the Rangatatau block, near Waitotara, will probably be opened for selection in Ftbruary, and a road will be proceeded with in a month's time.

In reply to Mr Allen's question asking what action the Government intended to take in regard to Mr Justice Edwards' remarks on the Consolidated Statutes, the Premier states that he communicated with the members of the Consolidation Com mission, and quoted their letter in reply, which admits the truth of Judge Edwards' -statement that the commissionors did introduce changes into the Consolidated Acts without specially calling attention thereto, and that they hai powt.r i;o do so; also that Parliament had a full knowI ledge of the changes and must be deemed to have accepted and tried the action of the commissioners. The reply goes on to refer to specified cases mentioned by Judge Edwards, and the commissioners explaining and defending their actions in regard thereto. The letter is signed by F. Fitchett and W. S. Reid, and points qut that Sir Robert Stout, being absent from the Dominion, is not a party to the memorandum. The following local Bills were passed:—lnangahua County Council Empowering,' Wairewa County/ Gtfey Lynn Domain,' Tawera County, Kiwitea County Validation, Waipiri County, Bluff Harbour Board Empowering, Inglewood Technical School. The following Bills passed through Committee:—Christchurch Drainage, Hutt Valley Tramway. The Napier Harbour Board Loan Bill caused considerable discussion in Committee, and was still under consideration when the House rose at 5.30 o'clock. In the House in the evening, the following local Bills were passed:— Manukau Harbour Board Control and Auckland Harbour Board Empowering, Christchurch District Drainage, Hutt Valley Tramway District, Waitara borough Reserves, Napier Harbour Board Loan. Mr' Arnold asked extended leave for the Tramway Bills Committee to sit. '

Messrs Massey and Taylor (Christchurch) advised the shelving of the Bill till next session. Sir J. G. Ward said that the committee should bring in the Bill, and it proved debateable it could be dropped till next session. Leave was granted to the committee to sit to night. Amendments to the Native Land Act and Lands fi>r Settlement Administration Act in regard to their financial provisions were introduced by Governor's message. Sir J. G. Ward said that under these two measures power was given to raise £500,000 from a sum Borrowed annually under the State Guaranteed Advances Act for the purchase of Native lands, and lands for settlement, respectively. This amount raised was ostensibly for loans to local bodies, and would either have to be doubled or a whole million would be absorbed. In order to get over the difficulty it was proposed to transfer the borrowing sections from these Bills, placing them in the State Guaranteed Advances Act a separate Department being created to carry out the financial operation of the Native Land Act and Lands for Settlement Administration. An alteration had been made fixing the amount definitely at £I,OOO per annum, the amount to be raised for loan to local bodies and purchase of Native land, instead of making it subject to a resolution of the House. The actual amount raised annually would have to be reported to Parliament. After some discussion the Speaker ruled that the amendments would institute an appropriation clause, differe it to what had teen agreed to

by the committee of the whole House, and that three messages from the Governor recommending the appropriation be made under the Constitution Act. Sir Joseph Ward moved the second reading of the Public Service Classification and Superannuation Amendment Bill. He briefly explained the provisions of the Bill which include clauses making grants; of £3,000 and £25,000 respectively, to the police and railway superannuation funds, in order to put the same on a sound financial basis. Clause 8» which fixes the maximum retiringallowance at £3OO per year, would be struck out,, as it would be unfair t» ask a man to pay upon a higher salary than £3OO and only receive that amount as a retiring allowance. Mr Allen, while approving of the provisions of the Bill, generally regretted that clause 8 was to be abandoned altogether. It was desirable to have a maximum pension of £3OO, and this provision should have Deen on the Statute Book long ago. MrT. M. Wilford supported the Kill, but asked that the police should be consulted before further legislation affecting their superannuation fund, was introduced. Mr A. L. Herdman asked if the civil servants affected by the Biil who contributed to the fund weie conrsulted before the Bill was introduced*