PARLIAMENTARY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10124, 21 October 1910, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCSL. PORTLAND CEMENT BILL. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Last Night. In the Legislative Council this afternoon, the New Zealand Portland Cement Company Reclamation and Empowering Bill passed "lis final stages. NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS. A motion by the lion. T. Iv. Macdonald that the Government should invite competitive designs from architects in the Dominion for the new Parliament Buildings, and. that plans be submitted to the Speaker and members of both Houses, was agreed to. J AMENDMENTS. The Judicature Amendment Bill was read a third time and pased. DEFENCE BILL. . The Council, wont into committee 011 the Defence Amendment Bill. The original clauses were put through practically without discussion. The Attorney-General moved anew clause providing for a process for the recovery of, fines imposed by an officer commanding a unit, or corps, for breaches of regulations.—This was agreed to. The Bill was reported as amended. NATIVE TOWNSHIPS BILL. The Native Townships Bill was committed, put through committee unamended, read a third time, and missed.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. A TONTINE POLICY. The Public Accounts Committee again reported on ihe petition of W. T. Larsen and his v. it'e (praying for relief in connection with a tontine policy held by tliem in the Colonial Mutual .Insurance Company), to the effect that there being no further evidence before it since the petition was previously considered, it had no recommendation to make. Mr. Hogan moved that the matter be referred back to the committee for reconsideration. Mr. Colvin read a letter from a constituent, giving •details of a tontine policy held by • his recentlydeceased father in this company. The insured relatives had received £lll less than the insured had. paid in respect of the policy. Mr. Colvin said if the facts were as stated it was time that operations of this sort were put a stop to. Considerable discussion ensued, during which Mr. T. E. Taylor advised the setting up of an Insurance Board, with power to examine all insurance tables and reject those which were unsound. Mr. Russell, Chairman of the Committee, said there was such a widespread feeling of discontent in regard to these policies that further enquiry was necessary. The proper course would be for the Government to appoint a Royal Commission, including several members and magistrates, to investigate the matter during the recess. Legislation was necessary and desirable in connection with these policies, so that people could be assured that they would get what they paid for. The amendment was ultimately j agreed to on the voices. } BEETROOT SUGAR. The adjoxirned debate on the report' of the Agricultural Committee 011 the Beetroot Sugar Bill was resumed. Mr. Buchanan said that after consideration of the experiments made in Queensland and elsewhere, he had concluded that the industry could not be profitably carried 011 in New Zealand. The money could be much more profitably expended in other directions. Mr. Witty said it would be premature for the Government to embark 011 such an industry on the evidence given before the committee. The Hon. T. Mackenzie referred to the experiments in sugar beet growing at the State farms. The percentage of sugar obtained from the roots ranged from 14 to 16.46 per cent . Mr. Hall said the evidence before the committee was such that it would have been foolish to recom- ! mend the Government to spend money in etsablishing the beet-sugar industry. Mr. Poole's amendment (that the evidence be printed) was then car-, ried on the voices. COMMERCIAL TRUSTS BILL. Sir Joseph Ward moved the committal of the Commercial Trusts Bill, which, he explained, made it an offence for any person to attempt to compel a trader to deal exclusively with hjm. A penalty of £SOO would be imposed for breaches of the Act. The bill applies to agricultural implements, coal, meat, flour, oatmeal, petroleum and like products, sugar, and tobacco, and makes it illegal foxtrusts controlling the price, supply, or demand for these articles. Mr. Buchanan considered it a mistake not to include shipping rings in the schedule of the Bill, so as to prevent interference with freetrade in shipping matters. Mr. Okey was of opinion that care should be taken in passing such legislation not to prevent the introduc-' tion of the capital necessai-y to develop new industries. Mr. Poole said tlio Bill was an honest attempt to deal with the mischievous machinations of commercial combines. The Bill ought to be extended to a large nximber of industries other than those included in the schedule. Mr. Eraser, white considering the Bill necessary, thought it would be difficult to apply its provisions, so far as they aimed at restricting the profits on commodities. Messrs. Hogg and Buxton (the latter representing the Vacuum Oil Company) supported the Bill. Mr. Russell said it would bo better if a Board was set up to regulate price's, instead of proseexxting traders who charged excessive prices. Ho went on to refer to newspaper monopolies, which he said would call for the attention of the Government before long. Mr. Allen dwelt on the difficulties connected with the operation of legislation created by the Bill. A number of associations existed to cheapen the cost of porduction, and the Bill might affect them adversely,, as such combinations were deemed trusts under clause 2. The schedule was incomplete. Mr. Taylor said the State should enquire into, the newspaper monopoly in Christehureh, where newspapers were earning huge profits and charging excessive . rates for advortiisnt;. Some check was necessary on the hanks, but. the only way to achieve this was tonincrease State competition. The brewers' ought to come under the Bill, and wherever it was possible for the State to act as a check to the extortions of private

enterprise it was the duty of the | State to enter into competition tliere- [ with. N | After further discussion, Sir Joseph Ward, replying, said' the debate showed how difficult it was to deal ; with questions affecting the prices of food. He was not prepared to make the schedule general in its application, as it would interfere with legitimate trading, though it might bo advisable to add a few more articles to the schedule. The motion to go into Committee presently was agreed to. SECRET COMMISSIONS BILL. Sir Joseph Ward moved the. second reading of the Secret Commissions Bill, which renders it illegal .for agents to receive bribes or any, other consideration from a third person in respect of services rendered on behalf of their principals. The second reading was carried. POST 1 AND TELEGRAPH BILL. The Post and Telegraph Amendment Bill was read a second time on the motion of Sir Joseph Ward. The object of the Bill is to place the Department under one head (iSecretarv). LAND AND INCOME TAX BILL. The second reading of the Land Tax and Income Tax Bill was moved by Sir Joseph' Ward, who explained its provisions. (Left Sitting.)