2070 Or!kr of Busine1s. [ASSZY::BLY.] Qttestions and Answers. Government has, at least, some justifica­ tion for taking Tuesday nights after half-past 6. Before g·iving my vote in Tuesday, 2G September, 1922. favour of this motion I wish to ask the Premier if he will make available suffi­ cient time for the purpose of discussing Printed Q.uestions·~md Answers-Special Arljonrnment­ 'fhe l:tte Sir Charles Wade (Adjournment). the motion standing in the name of the hon. member :M:r. I.ang. Unless an opportunity is provided by the Govern­ Mr. SPEAKER took the chair. ment for the discussion of that motion it will be impossible for the matter to PRINTED QUESTIONS AND be dealt with, and I consider that a very ANSWERS. grave injustice will be done to the com­ munity by the automatic coming into CHILDREN'S RELIEF DEPARTMENT. operation of local government ordinances Dr. ARTHUR asked the MINISTER OF 70 and 71. PUBLIC INSTHUCTION,-ln how many cases Sir GEOHGE FuLLER: That matter can is the Children's Relief Department pay• be arranged between the hon. member ing allowances for ehildren where the Mr. Lang and the Minister! father is living with the family, but is Mr. GOLDSTEIN: As the Government incapacitated through pulmonary tuber­ has a very lengt!Jy programme to get culosis 1 through during the remainder of the Answer,-The State Children Relief session I think it is just}fied in taking Board pays allowanees in eighty cases Tuesday nights after half-past 6 for the towards the maintenance of 21) I children, transaction of Government business. whore the husband is incnpacitatecl from pulmonary tuberculosis, and is living at Question put. The House divided: home with the family. Ayes, 3G; noes, 17; majority, 19. AYES. RABBIT INVASION, DELUNGRA ANJ:) JNVERELL., Anderson, D. M. Kilp~triek, l\f. Arkins, J. G. D. Leo, J. R. Mr. :YicCLELLA~D <tsked the Sr-c­ Ball, R.. T. I~ey, T. J. llE'rAHY FOrt LANDs,-(1) Is it a fact that Bavin, T. R. Morrow) T. H. Bruntnell, A. Morton, l\fark F. a serious rabbit invasion is now affPcting Bruxner, IA.. -Col. 1\T esbitt, G. the Delungra and InYeroll distriets? (2) Cameron, ,V. Ness, J. 'l'. Is it also n fact that. financial institutions· Cocks, A. A. C. Oakes, C. W. will not, in many cases, :1dvance money Cromarty, 1\f. Perdriau, R. S. to Fettlers in those districts unless their Doc, B. J. ·I{ o"•n+ hal. 8ir Clu1s. Drummond, D. H. Rutledge, Lt.-Col. holdings are netted? (B) Will he make Fell, W. Scott Stopford, Dr. R. arrangements to enahlc those settlers J<,itzpatrick, .T. C. L. Vincent, R. S. affected to obtain wire-netting on extended Fitzsimons, W. R. Walker, R. B. terms of repa:yment? ( 4) \Vill he also Fuller, Sir George Wilson, J. C. Goldstein, H. take steps to give grettter publicity to Hill, T. H. Tellers. the existing method of obta.ining wiee­ Hoskins, T. J. · Bagnall, W. R. C. nctt.ing througlt the pttstures protf'ction Jaques, H. V. Lane, A. boar.l~, tlms cnnbling settJ.,rs who arc NoEs. unawttrc of the facilities provided to take Bailey, J. McClelland. A. advantage of same? Burke, Frank McGirr, .James Jlmu:-,?·,-(1) It is a fttct, a.nd I am Connell, Major McKell, W. J. Davidson, M.A. Murnhy, C. H. fully awa<e of the seriousness of the posi­ Flannery, M. M. Quirk, J. tion. (2) Jam aware that settlers are Gosling. M. ~tuart-Robertson, R. J. expP.rienciDg difficulty in this connectinn. Greig, R. Tellers, (3) Anangcments already exist whereby Lang, J. T. O'Halloran, R. E. pa~;tuws protection boards arc allotted Lazzarini, C. C. Ratcliffe, W. J. wire netting on terms extendinlj over a Question .so resolved in the affirmative. period ur to twenty (20) yean, for 1 he House adjourned at 11.15 p.m. purpose of supplying owners of pri 1·ate [Mr. Goldstein. Questions and Answers. (:!6 SEP'I'., 1922.] Q11estions and Answers. 2071 lands within their district5. Provision always act in1tccordance with paragmph ha~ been m11de for £20t_),OOO on the Gl, Part YI, of tne Hail ways Act, and draft Loan Estimates, and at my special send to the Mini"'ter full informa.tion request the Treasurer has }tel va:nced of aGcidents :1nd the reports of theil· .£5,000 to meet urgent cases in farming officers~ (10) Did he receive from the areas, so as to save as much as possible of Commissioners the full report of the the present crop. ( 4) The present method officer~ who investig>Lted this matter, as of distribution of wirc·netting is well required by the Act referred to~ ( 1.1) known; but I am considering the question Will he lay the report on tho tfLblo of the of improving the method, am! will give House; also a <:OJ•Y of tile proceedings full publicity to the alteration. and tlnding of the Appeal Bottrd hold in com1e<.:tion there with I COLLISIO~ A'l' SYDNEY CENTftAL Answer,.-As regards (1 to 9), I am STATION Y A'RD. informed: Mr. ANDERSON asked the ::\IIJSISTER (1 to 6) The terms of tho inquiry arc FoR Rt.rLWA"YS,-Jlcferring to the ~erious too mdehmte to enable a categorical collision which took place at the Sydney reply to Le formulated without entering Central Station yard, in Februetry last, into intricate technical details, which between :1 train loaded with 1•assengcrs would probably be found difficult to fol­ low. 'l'herc have been many alterations and a "light" (unatta.elwd) engine,-(]) and improvements effected since the Is it a hct that the late Chief Commis­ period mentioned-all calculated to in­ sioner for Railways, J\lr. T. H. John;;;o"n, crease the effectiveness of the working of had installed at this place what is known the system ge:1erally. It is impossible to all the world over as "junction inter­ entirely eliminate the risk of -accidents, hut tho records show that this risk has locking" on tho lc,·ers in the ~ignal been reduced to an absolute minimum. cabin, :which are operated to cohange the It can be stated generally that the work­ position of the point~S on the track~ ing referred to is in accordance with the (2) Is it a fact that this intf'rlocking­ standnrd British practice under such cir­ cumstances. This pra<!ticJ obtains in all which is the standard practice on ·the · Rimilar cases Loth in this State ani! in English railways-had lately been elimin­ Victoria, and no departure has been ated at the junctions in the station-yard ;rtade. in .respect of this or any other where the collision referred to took place? ]1ll1ctJOn smce the occurrence referred to. (7) (:3) Is it a fact that owing to the ab~ence Two passengers sustained shock as a result of the collision, mch collision tak­ of this safety locking the points could ing placo owing to a fj),ed sip.:nal being be, and were actually set in ~nch a posi­ passerl nt "stop" in ~onnPction wi ~li tion as to make an unoroken track by FhuntinP" J'Ylovcment~. (8) An inonirv, which a train or engine could travel clean as provided in paraiir:J.nh Gl, Pnrt VI, through a tra.in loa.ded with people tmYcl­ nf the Govemmcnt Railwav~ Act. was held. 19) 'ro olFer''e the sti·ict lctt0,. of ling on another track? ( 4) b it a fact this provision <>f t.he Act in f('ST'f'<'t. of that had the junctioq, interlocking not. nll trivinl accid<'nts wonld invnlvP an been elimimtted it would have rendered "Pormous ~mount, nf d0rical and other the collision which took place a mechani­ hbour, and would incur a ve:·y great deal of nnnPcessar:v expense. cal impossibility? (5) Was the Chief Commissioner aware of tlw discarding (10) Yes. (11) The papers cn11 be of this interlocking; and, if so, did he moved for in the ordinarv \VRV. It is not considet· the lines snfe for the tmvelling cm1sidered necessary tn lay them on the public without it? (G) Has this kind of tab1P of the Home un1ess such a course interlocking been dispensed with at any is adopted. other junctions on our lines and 1·eplacecl again since this accident took place ? RAILVV.AY CO~DllSSTO~F.RS' RTAl~F: (7) Is it a fact that passengers were POSITIOX OF MR W. FPNNELL. injured, and that hundreds had a most Mr. ANDERSON a~kod the MIN!STlm miraculous escape? (8) ·wm he say why FOR RAILWAYS.-(1) \Vbnt ,position d~(i t,he Commissioners did not hold an :Mr. "\V. FunnPll, of the Commissioners' inquiry. as provided in paragraph 61, staff, occupy in 19141 Stategrady anCt . Part VI, of the Government Railways salary 1 (2) \Vhat position does)~, ,1~ow." Act 7 (9) Do theRailway Cor::.''1issioners occupy 1 Stn.to grade and salrtry ;__ :11~1(,,-, .2072 Questions and Answet·s. [ASSEMBLY.] Questions and Answers. age, and length of service~ ( 3) Did not COOMA MAIL TRAIN. Mr. Funnell, prior to the war, hold a com­ Mr. PERKINS asked the MINISTE~ FOR mission in the military~ ( 4) vVas he not RAILWAYS,-(1) Is it the intention of the .at the time a single man, and wa~ married Commissioners to continue the running <luring the wad (5) Did he enlist~ (6) of the corridor cars now in use on the Did he receive his military commission Oooma mail train permanently on that during tho period ofthe wad (7) Has line 1 (2) Is it a fact that these carriages he not been placed over the heads of are C•Jnsidered cold and uncomfortable Dfficers who before the war were his by the travelling public 1 (:l) Is it a senior, and who enlisted for military ser­ fact that they have insufficient lavatory vice~ (8) vVas any promise given to accommodation7 ( 4) vV ere they removed officers enlisting that they would not lose from other lines owing to objections of seniority 7 (9) Has Mr.