PARLIAMENTARY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10401, 23 August 1911, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

By Telegraph—Pms Association

WELLINGTON, Last Night

THIRD READINGS

in the House of lie proren ta ti ves, tliis l .afternoon, the Mental Defectives Bill and Friendly Soo'eties Amendment Bill were read a third time and passed. PATENTS BILL. The House went into committee on the Patents, Designs, and Trad© Marks Bill. In itilic clauses dealing with the term of patents, it was -a-greed, on thie Minister'is motion, to strike out the .proviso that an. advertisement should lb© in. the Gazette. Notiiiedition will, however, appear in a Special .Patent G'aaette.

Clause 29, relative to revocations, drew from Mr Herries a request that a reciprocal agreement should 'be entered into with the Old Country and Canada with regard to> patentsi. He .submitted that a. foreigner's patent should ,not fee accepted in preference to 0110 from a Britisher. The Hon. J. A. Millar said he would get a clause drafted to deal with the matter. Mr Maissey approved of the principle of the clause, but suggested that there might ,bc. some arrangement between the manufacturer and patentee whereby the public would suffer. • The clause was passed. Tho clause providing that all appeals againist ithe decision of the Registrar .shall 'be heard in Wellington 'Was struck out.

The ißil'l was then (reported. STONE QUARRIES BILL. ! The Stone -Quarries Amendment j Bill was reported froari committee | without amendment. HAURAKI PLAINS BILL. n The Hon D. Buddo moved the second reading of the Ilauraki Plains Amendment Bill. He explained .that the purpose* of the Bill was to increase the money already voted for the drainage of the Piako Swamp by 50 per cent. A sum of £BO,OOO had already been voted for the work, and he thought an extra £40,000 would he .sufficient to complete it. The tenants already an occupation, cf the j lands had entered into a contract it'o pay off the amount spent in drainage operations. Twenty thousand acres of swamp were now in. occupation, sand 6800 '.acres would I>e available for 'settlement by next summer. The large drains; on the area were gradually choking through a .second growth of raupo, and extra money was neoessary to deal with this matter, among others. Mr Maasey said the settlers affected by the provisions of the Bill should be given .a.n opportunity of expressing a,a opinion thereon before th>3 'Bill was earned. / The debate was. arrested at this stage on a point of order being raised by Mr Herries> tJiat .the Bill should be referred to the Lands Committee. The Speaker upheld Mr Herries' contention, and the Bill was referred to the Committee.

SECOND HEADINGS. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, and Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill, were .read a second time, pro forma, and referred to the Labour Bills Committee. The House rooe at 10.40 p.m.