PARLIAMENTARY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2164, 21 August 1907, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

Press Association. legislative council. Tho Council met at 2.30 p.m. Tlio Legislative Council Election Bill was received from the House. It was negatived on the first reading.on tho voices, not a single “avo being heard in support. Tho following Bills were read a second time on the motion of tho At-torney-General and referred to tlio Statutes Revision Committee: Chattels Transfer Amendment, Foreign Tribunals Evidence, and Inc ictnl o Offences Summary Jurisdiction. J-ho Council rose at 2.45 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tho House mot at 2.30 p.m. Tho Otaki and Porirua Empowering Bill second reading was postponed till Friday. Two days’ leave of absence was grnnted to Mr. Major on account ot urgent public business. Sir Joseph Ward moved that on and after Wednesday, 21st August and for the remainder of tho session Government business take precedence oil Wednesdays.—Mr. Massey said he did not intend to oppose the motion as ho thought a groat deal ot time hail boon wasted on private members day. Further, there wore no important private members’ bills on tho Order Paper. Ho hoped the Government would bring down policy measures.— Mr. Laurenson entered a protest against the motion, which was unprecedented at such an early stage ol the session.—The Premier replying to Mr. Laurenson said the amount ot woiH and the importance of the measures to be dealt with this session were unprecedented in his Parliamentary experience. He further detailed the business tho House had already transacted. Referring to flour duty he said legislation would bo . mtroduced to enable municipalities, if desired, to erect tlieir own flour nulls. If tho Estimates were put through ho was ready to proceed with the Tariff Bill on Friday.—Tho motion was carried. The Land and Income Assessment Bill was read a second timo pro forma and referred to the Public Accounts Committee. The House went into Committee of Supply.—Tho Marine and Harbors Departments, total vote £73,881, in the first class was taken. _ Tho House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. The Marine and Harbor Department voto £33,535 was passed unal- , At Government steamers £19,470, Mr. Massey asked what was intended to bo done in regard to the Amokura. He did not find fault with tho idea of a ship for training boys. Indeed, he supported the system, but he thought , the vessel not sufficiently largo to accommodate the number of hoys now in training. He further desired to know if it was intended to take the vessel to sea. — Mr. Millar said the ( vessel would shortly be prepared and ready for sea, when additional officers would be placed c*i board and the ves- , sel would make trips round the Coast. • —The vote was passed unaltered. The total vote, £73,881, passed unaltered. , The next class taken was Depart- , ment of Labor, total £l942.—Mr. Barclay thought the time had arrived , when the scope of the labor bureau , should be widened. He urged that i the Department should take up much . of the work at present transacted by ; private labor bureaus whose charges ' were often extortionate. —Mr.Herries ' urged that the regulations governing * private labor bureaux should be altered, as under the existing regula- ‘ tions these bureaux charged both employer and employee; and further J before a domestic servant was sent 1 into the country she had to pay. This [ state of affairs made it most difficult ' to procure domestics for the country ! and should be remedied.—Mr. Ell 1 desired to know if inspectors of scaf- ~ folding were fully qualified builders.— - Mr. Hanan suggested a municipal ‘ labor bureau to co-operate with the c Labor Department. The Department c should cater for the provision of labor for boys leaving school.—Mr. Ell urged that the method of., private labor bureaux in placing notices outside their business premises intimating the class of labor in demand should be adopted by the Labor Department. —Mr. Millar stated that a greater number of laborers had been sent to private employers last year by tho 1 Labor Department than in any previous year. The fullest use would be. made of the Department in the direction of supplying the needs of private employers. Replying to Mr. Hanan he said that the local policeman acted as representative of a the Department in outlying districts, and was supposed to send on to the head office of his district the requirements of his neigh- , borhood.—Mr. Barclay urged that ' labor inspectors should be appointed in country districts, as in many instances the labor laws were a dead letter.—Mr. Tanner asked if the Act governing private registry offices was s administered by the Department or the police. If by the Department, why were these offices allowed to charge fees in excess of the regulations laid down.—Mr. Millar .said the Act was administered by the Department and wherever complaint was made the Department instituted inquiries and if deemed necessary undertook a prosecution.—The vote was 1 passed unaltered. The next class taken was Industries ! and Commerce, total £43,745. —Mr. 1 T. Mackenzie, referring to items in connection with various exhibitions in London, said it would be bettor if a central office in the business portion of London were procured than in paying small dribbles.—Mr. Rutherford asked regarding the item, “grain grading £500.” if any graders had been appointed.—Mr. McGowan said he recognised that a central office in London was very desirable. No permanent grain graders had yet been appointed.—Mr. Aitken said that he was one of those who thought it useless to send representatives to Canada and the East with a view to finding markets.- Canada could produce ail that this colony produced, and so far as butter was concerned we did not produce enough for our own consumption. London was our market and if we were well represented there that was all that was necessary. He did not believe in tho pormanent court at Crystal Palace, as it was only a place of amusement which people only visited on holidays, when they wero in search of amusement. Ho urged that offices should bo procured in a central position of the business portion of London. So far as the £IO,OOO on the Estimates for a service to Eastern parts was concerned it was not worth the paper it was written on. As Mr. McGowan said they should look to new markets. He instanced tho trade done between Australia and Japan and other countries, and New Zealand should endeavor to got into those markets.— Mr. Horries said the Minister had given good reason why trade should bo opened with tlie East. Ho desired that he should explain why the £IOOO on last year’s Estimates for an Eastern service was not availed of, seeing that not a penny of it had been expended.—The Premier, referring to tho £IOOO on account of a steam service to Eastern parts, stated that an attempt was made some time ago to got a line of steamers trading between the East and Australia to come to New Zealand, but they declined, as tho subsidy was insufficient. However, a service would ho advertised for and the position tested. Last year Australia sent £60,000 worth of produce to China alone, but the colony’s representative did not report favorably upon tho prospects of trade there, but when there were eight hundred million people closer to Austrc’.ri and New Zealand than to any other producing countries it was worth while trying to cultivate trade. —Mr. Horries asked if there was a. vote for a Canadian service.—The

Premier replied that a vote would be placed on the Supplementary Estimates. The service was a contract one and would continue for three years. —Mr. Tanner complained of tlio item “travelling expenses and allowances, £800.” He moved as an amendment that the item be struck out. He understood that a man had been out in the East and no return seemed to have eventuated in the way . of trade. Then he went to Canada with the same results.—Hr. McGowan said Mr. Tanner was confusing two separate officers.—3l;'. Tanner said that

made matters worse. Ihe Picniicr explained that the Commissioner who went to Japan went for two purposes —to see if thero was any prospect ot opening up trade with the East, and to procure exhibits for tho Exhibition. Since then Australia had sent a Commissioner out, nml the result had been that trade had arisen between Australia and Japan, and now that Commissioner had been sent, back nml his salary increased to £looo.—-air. Tannor: Ho secures traclo. —Tho Promior said it was essential that Now Zealand should send a Commissioner out with a view to procuring trade liko Australia.—-Mr. Tanner: Send a live man, then.—Tho Premier said tho Commissioner had a reputation and had done his best.—Mr. Mnss»y said our market was London, and tho sooner wo realised it tho hotter. —The Premier said Canada was taking great steps to show what tlio country could do in regard to growing grain and meat and producing butter and ho did not think tho colony should depend wholly on tho London market.— Mr. Laurenson said wo, should get a thoroughly competent up-to-date man to push our trade in the various ports and Mr. Mackenzie urged that whilst losing no grip on the London market tho colony should endeavor to place our produce in tho West Coast ports of England, especially as meat and butter deteriorated in tho journey on the railway from London to tho consuming centres of the North and West of England. He had hopes of Germany becoming a consumer of New Zealand mutton. Futtlmr, if a reduced freight could he obtained he was convinced tluit. a largo trade could bo developed with South Africa, but at presentNew Zealand paid a penny where Argentine paid only a half-penny in freight.—The Premier pointed out that the exports from Australia to Japan had increased from £IIO,OOO in 1903 to £600,119 in 1905, whilst tho imports from Japan had increased hut little ill the same timo. viz., from £325,000 to £407,000. With the large population of China and Japan amounting to over eight hundred million it was important that New Zealand and Australia being the nearest exporting countries to this population should try to build up a trade, especially in view of the fact that competition with tho London market would increase ns time went on . Referring to offices in London ho said the only wav was to procure a big building of our own. It would cost a large sum of money, but lie believed it would pay if they could do it.—. Mr. Poole advocated a policy of development in the way of ■increased markets. He urged that a

representative should he sent to JaP'u to push forward tho interests there, as with the development of

tint country on "Western lines the population would take to a strenuous life and hard work, and would require stronger food. A competent and capable man should be sent, who would he able to compete with the representatives of other nations, and not a man who would only grace the quarter-deck of a liner and smoke expensive cigars whilst drawing heavy travelling allowances. —Mr. Tanner said Mr. Poole had touched a vital item. After we had spent thousands on our travelling commissioner the teeming millions of China bad last year purchased £69 from N.Z., and the Philippines, which had been set forth as a glorious place in the future for our frozen meat, had taken £7OO worth. From Vladivostock in the North to Arabia in the West the total exports from this colony last year during the last 12 months amounted to £13,288, or less than a quarter of the amount taken by the semi-civilis-ed population of Samoa. In fact, in the East we had paid as much in the Commissioner's salary and expenses as we had got in trade, and a good deal more. He contended that dur-

ing the last six years £20,000 had been spent on Commissioners’ salaries. etc., in the East.-—The Premier said that the hon. member was wrong. Tbe colony had not spent £20,000 in tho last year. The teal amounts included in l Mr. Tanner’s figures included officers in London.