PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10713, 6 September 1912, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

(By Telegraph — Press Association.}

WELLINGTON, Last Nighfc. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. THIRD READING. The Deputy-GoVernors Powers auc£ New Zealand University Amendment. Bills were read a third time and passed. A CHILD OF HIS OWN. The Hon H. D. Bell moved the second reading of the Aged and Infirm. Persons Protection Bill. This measure, ho said, was a child of his own. It was or.o of the matters ho had advocated for some time. Its object was, he explained, to protect the- estates of mental defectives from persons who pretended, to hold power to act. Provision" was made to appoint the Pnhlio Trustee as manager of such estates;' but where other managers were appointed they would be required to report, als required, to the Public Trustee.. Tho Council would have an opportunity of considering whether it was desirable that habitual drunkards and persons who had acquired tiabifctr which affected their capacity should H>«. included in the provisions of the Bill. An application for a prohibition order must be made by petition— not by a. busy-body, but a member of the family,'or tho Public Trustee. The Bill met with general supportfrom tho Hons Samuel, Jones, Kelly, Jenkinson, and.other;;, - ■ ' l!b§ R911..5;-D.'.Bd] said ho woulo* .niake provision for the inclusion, of Natives within the scope of the Bill. The Bill was read a second time,, attd referred to the Statutes Revision Comn;?'ttee. ■...,•

. The Council then adjourned unfit" Wednesday week.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

.CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

The House met at 2.30 p.m. The Hon J. Allen read two letters from tlie Audit Department and tb» Secretary of the Treasury, which he* said had been forwarded to him. The* unsolicited writers were the Secretary of ihe Treasury (Mr.J. W. Poynto;n> and. the Auditor-General (Mr R. J. Collins). They submitted that statements made by the Civil Service Commission in connection with tho allegation of friction between the civil andl military authorities were entirelywrong. Mr Allen pointed out that i<o> evidence was availablo to justify what the Commissioners had said. Mr R. McKenzie said if evidence was,not available, the report was of very little value. Sir Joseph Ward said the Commission's report bore out what he had always'contended, that promotions in the Public Service were made front, within, and not from without, as had been alleged. . " , STATEMENT OF FINANCES. , Tho Hon J. Allen laid on the tabl&the following statement of finances: —' Statement of receipts of the Consolidated Fund for the fivo months ended August 31st 1912. —Ordinary revenno amounted to £3,729,583 3s 3d; territorial revenue, £82.870 , ss; national" endowment revenue, £59,413 19s "s; other receipts, £92 4s; total, £3,871,959 lis lOd. Added to the balance on. April Ist, 1912, the total was £4,579,235 3s 6d. The expenditure amounted to ■' £1,603,373 16s 9d, and the annuaF appropriations to £2,241,575 lis 4d» making a total expenditure of £3,84£,949 8s Id, and leaving a balance of £834,285 15s sd. The receipts for the. month of August totalled £753,394 12s lid, and the expenditure £898,13* 6s 3d, ,

A. DRAINAGE BILL. The Dunedin District Drainage Bilt passed through corhmitteo without amendment. ''.-'••

■MOK.A.U BILL

'The'Mokau'Bill was .further consicc red., in committee.Mr H. S. Ell moved an amendment, providing for one vote only for everv elector, instead of one vote tier £looo v ■two votes for £2OOO. and three votes for over £2OOO capital 1 valve of property, as provided in the Bill. After a lengthy discussion, the House divided on the amendment, which was defeated by 35 votes to 20.

The Bill then passed through its committee- stages, and was read a third' time and missed. THIRD READING.

The Dunedin District Drainage and Sewerage Amendment Bill was read a third time and passed. A WELLINGTON BILL.

The Wellington and Karori Sanitation and Water Supply Bill (Hon A. L. Herdman) was read a second time.

OTHER BILLS

The Gold Duty Amendment Bill, Wanganui Bridge Amendment Bill, and.Wailiou and Ohineniuri RiversImprovement Amendment Bill were read a second time.

STATE FIRE INSURANCE BILL. The Hon F. M. B. Fisher moved the second reading of the State Fire Insurance Amendment Bill, which, ht» explained, provided for the building up of a reserve fund out of the profits of the business.

Mr G. W. Russell asked the Minister to inform the House what the* exact relation was between the Stat© Fire Insurance Office and other companies operating in a similar direction.

Mr Harris urged that the Government should continue the policy that mortgagors under the State Guaranteed Advances Act should insure with the State Fire Office. MrPearco contended that mortgagors should have a free hand. If they bad-that, they could insure with the Farmers' Union Insurance Company, which insured at lower rates than the State Office.

Mr W. H. D. Bell thought the object of the Department was to keep, the rates down to a reasonable rate. Any mortgagor should have the right to insure in any office he chose ; otherwise they would create monopoly whiefc would drive private companies out of the market.

Mr Hindmarsh thought ifc only rigbfc that borrowers from the State .should insure with the State.

Mr Buchanan held that mortgagors should be allowed to insure where titer pleased. The rate offered by the Farmers' Union Insurance. Company waslower than that of any other company. The Hon Mr Fisher, in reply, saitl the State Fire Insurance Department had not made an arrangement with any private company. The State Department would not be run at a 105.%. nor would it Jake- any hazardous risks. If forced to do so, it would fight. They would not allow private companies to squeeze them when they wnntod to. ■The object of' establishing the State :Firc Insurance.Department was to regulate the insurance rate. There wero rumours, he said, that there was to be a drastic alteration in the- policy of the Department.' Those nxßt>oubs had ended in smoke. The Hill was read a second time, aiwfc ftoe House rose at 11.5 p.m.