PARLIAMENT

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2971, 30 July 1891, Page 3

PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,

TUESD.W. Tin: Council met at hnlf-past two. Mr Stephens moved that in the opinion of this Council n judicial .separation decree m;iy be crnnto 1 by niiieixtrntcs in cases in which nn aggravated assault upon awife has been proved, mid that the Government ho n'(|ursti'd to liitro'Jncß ;> liill this session U'iviiif,' cifoct to tho motiun. A Inn. debute nnsned, in thfl course of which Mr liuckloy said tlio Government hid no intention to intioduce such a measure thin se.-sioii. IVrsonally, he wa.-, opposed to such r> lull as being calculated to weaken th<! irvuMMfrn tips. Thu motion wax carried by 19 to 9. Thel'olico.OtrHnon A-t Amendment Bill iv;i.h further considered in committee. Mr Fulton uroiiosud a now clauso, mnkin_it peivd for any one keeping or leasing a honsn for iiiminnd purposes. After some! debate progress w;is reporto'l on the Hill, and leave givon to sit, iig:,in. The Council rosaat fiilf-past four. WEDNESDAY. The Council mot nt 2.30. Hon. Mr Buckley, iu reply to Mr Stovuns, said it whs not thn intention of the Gni'oriitiii-nt. to exempt :11m .itins or pensioin from tnx:ition under the income tax propnsnln. Thi! Triidtnos Ainendmniit Hill was cmsideied iu omimittoe and ivported with slight iiinendments, but Mr Jiuckley gave notice to move for ;i re-couiiiiittid of the measuro t.o re eonsider eoitain cliiuse.s. TIOUSI' , . OF ItKI'IIE.SENTATIVES. TUESDAY. The lfotisompt at lnlf-pi-4 !.wo p.m. The New Zealand Hank Bill was read a thud time and pushed. On the motion f:;r the committal of tho Slum Hours Kill. Mr Thom;jsim (Marsden) gave notica to move' " That tho Bill should not apply to town districts." Mr Diithif! said the result of this Bill would Unit shopkiwpers would be obliged to r.duci! the wages if tho employi , - , , to recoup thn loss they would s-nlfer through the i!|ior;ition of tlio measure. He felt .so strongly that the Bill would be injurious, that he should move it bo committed tliut day siv months. Mr Buckl.'ind seconded the amendment, which was lost by fi.S to-I. The Hondo went into committco on tho Truck Bill. The blank in the first clause was filled up by inserting the words " that the Act shall come into operation on Ist of November, 1891." Clause 7 : Employer not to have action for goods supplied to workman. Mr Moore moved, "That this clauso be struck out," In the course nf the long discussion which followed, the Minister in charge of the Bill, Mr Reeves, snid the clause had been in force in England for the lust GO years. It only took away from the storekeeper the right tn coino between a man and his vnges. He h;id no objection, however, to insert in the Bill a provision that the clau.se should not apply to tho first month's wages in bush-falling contracts. The clause w;n eventually passed on the voices without amendment,. The portion of Clauso 12 which provided for three months' imprisonment for a breach of the Act was struck out. The remaining clauses wore passed without amendment, and the Bill was reported. Tho Employers Liability Bill was committed and reported with slight amendment. The House went into committee on the Shop Hours Bill. Mr Thompson (Marsden) asked whether the Minister in charge of tho Bill would consent to the amendment excepting town districts from the. operation of the Act ? Mr Reeves replied in the negative. After considerable discussion the clause was amended, so as to apply to cities, boroughs, and town distiic's. On the motion of Aft- Fish, confectioners' shopH, fruit and vegetable shops, tobacconist shops, and hairdresser .--hops, were oxcepted from the operations of tho Bill. Tlio clauses to the effect that on four evenings nf the woek shops should close at six o'clock was pawed, but the time of closing on ono evening of the week was altered from nine o'clock to ten o'clock. A motion by Mr Meredith, "That shops may remain open on Christmas and New Year's Evo till elovnn o'clock at night," was agreed to. It was also decided that on a working day preceding Good Friday, Eister Monday, Queen's Birthday, nn'J Prince of Wales Birthday shops be allowed to remain open till ten o'clock. The ppiialty for not closing the prescribed hours was reduced from ,l_o to JL'lO. WEDNESDAY. The House met at _.:iO. In rnplyinar to Mr Gw. Hutchison, Mr Reeves said the Premier intended asking tho House to meet on Monday next at 7.00 p.m. for the purposo of discussing tliß Federation question. Replying to Mr Bryce, Mr Reeves said the Government were not negotiating for the sale of the Now Zealand railways. The Employers' Liability Bill was read ii third time and passed. On the motion for the third reading of the Truck Bill, Mr Rolleston deprecated the discission of these important measures at thrao o'clock in tho morning. There was no reason why they should not have had moro timo for discussing the Labour Bills, especially as they had so little explanation of them frmii the Government Bench. His opinion was that the tendency of thoso Bills would be to promote a period of mirmt and disquiet iuisong>t the people and so postpone reemiciliation of interests of labour and capital. Tl;o Truck Bill was in fact a clumsy attempt to effect the object, iu view and it would prmont free PAereiso (pf competition and would reduce tho amount of w.irk given to workmen themselves. As to tho Shop J [ours Bill he had haard it stated that its effect would bo to create a "troiiK and violent revolution amongst working classes. Mr Reeves denied th.it tho Bills were the creation of a few agitators. Thev were in troducod by tha late Government last session and received large support from the present Government p.irty. He differed from the prediction uttered by Mr Rolleston as to the direful results that would ensue from theso Bills becoming law. If tho Truck Bill was likely to injure the manufacturing industry, why had it not dono so in Kngland, where si similar measure had been in force for Mxty years past? If any panic resulted from these Bills it would be solely due to the action of certain politicians and newspapers. The Bill was then rend a third time and parsed. On the motion for tha third reading of the Shops Hours Bill, Sir John Hall said it was a great mistake for the House to limit the hours of labour by legislation. Ifo felt that before long the Bill would bo regarded as an intolerable hardship by the people of the colony. Mr Scobio Mackenzie said he did not think the Bill had been brought forward in the true intrrests of the working-man. Mr McKenzie (Clntha) looked upon th« Bill as a stop in the right direction. Messrs Shera and Saunders also sp.ike. Mr Reeves wished to thank the leading members of the Opposition for the attitude they had adopted towsirds the Labour Bills, saying that the ciitcising of the majority of the lion, gentlemen opposite had boen eminently fair. The Bill was read a. third time and passed. The Adulteration Prevention Amendment Bill and the Companies Memorandum of Association Bill passed through Committee without amendment, and the Housa rose at 5.30 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. Tho Auctioneers' Bill was committed. Clauso 8 license and other fees to bo paid to local authorities. A lengthy discussion took place on this ((iiustiuD, several muinbera contending that private renidunue id all auctioneers should not bo considered in the inullur, and others exprtssiug the opinion that license fees should bo paid in districts where auctioneers reside. This clause was eventually added to the Bill on the voices. Clause 11: Licensed auctioneers may appoint substitutes iu ease of illness or extended absence, Several members took strong exception to this clause, saying it was likely to bo abused in many cases; but all efforts to effect alterations were unsuccessful, and the clause was retainesl as printed. Clauso 1- : Auctioneer not t) sell after appointing substitute, was altered so as to provide that licensed auctioneers should not ba entitled to sell until ten days after a substitute is appointed. Clause l.'i : Night auctions prohibited, except cuttle nulee.

Oμ tho motion of Mr Mill* (IWt Oluil mors), it was decided that aHctiniu-crs should be allowed tn .sell any pro|inrty "iily up tii ."ix o'clock in thn evening, in-t.:;nl of -oven a- proposed in tlio Hill. Sir John Hall moved a proviso to the clauso to the effect that sales of land, wool, tallow ami books l>o allowed .it nitcht. Acrnnd to, and thu clauso was added to the Bill. Cliiiisn lii : Ac-count sales to bo rendered within one mouth was altered so as to provide ihfit account sales must he rendered by the, aucti'.ni'iM-and paid over within It days iif'er receiving demand From vendor of properly. Tht: i riiiiini? clause* passed with slight alteration!'. A new clause was inserted to the eflect that no [i<'ivoti holding a pawnbroker's license shall hold an auctioneer's license. The Bill was reportod as amended, and the House went into committee on the Partnership Bill, wlhich pa-ised without amendment, and was reported, read a third time, and passed. The Repeals Bill was considered in Committee, hut no alterations were made. The Bill w.;-i read a third timo and passed, and the House rose at 11 p.m.