PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 403, 15 June 1880, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

4. —, In the Legislative Council on Thursday, after the formal business, The Hon. J. N. Wilson gave notice to ask if tho Commission of the Peace would be purged of insolvents and. other unsuitable persons. ..''■'■ A Bill for the suppression of gaming andbett.ing houses, and for the more effectual abolition of lotteries (Hon F. Whitaker) was read a first time. . . . ,The Deceased Wife's Sister Marriage Bill lapsed on the second reading. --, The Rabbit Nuisance Bill was read a second time after a short debate. All other business was routine, and the Council adjourned, after sitting half an hour, at 3. p.m. • : ' In the House of Representatives, The Hon J. Hall said that it was a most unseemly thing to ; ask a.gentleman on whom the honor of knighthood. had been conferred to pay the costs thereof. The Government proposed, therefore, to place on the Estimates tlie amount of fees , payable for the patent of. the order ot knighthood copfarred on the Speaker. : I A debate took place on the constitution of tlie Native, Affairs Committee. Mr Lundon moved the addition of certain names, Several members expressing their opinion that Government, supporters predominated to such an extent on the Committee that the"result of its deliberations would be a foregone conclusion.. . On a division, the motion was negatived by 40 to 19. ... . ~ '' Sir G. Grey then gave notice that hewould move that his name be expunged from the Native Affairs Committee. Mr Hamlin gave notice be would move that his name be expunged from the same Committee. At the evening sitting, the debate on the second reading of the Licensing Bill was resumed by Sir W. Fox. He was glad to find Government direct its attention to tho moral and social improvement of tho masses. It was undoubtedly the duty of Government to use its influence to check the growth of gigantic social evils. Thia Bill went in the right direction. It gave the power of protection against the sale of intoxicating drink. A movement in that direction had his entire sympathy, and the sympathy of those with whom he was leagued. It would tborefore have his and their best efforts in getting it passed into law. What they demanded was not only tho power to defeat the threatened evils, but also the power to check existing ones. They had the evil existing now, and they wanted to erne it This Bill was not complete and he trusted Government would see its way to remodel the Bill in that respect. He denounced the clubs as virtually sly grog dens, and although it was proposed to charge them a license fee, they were not to be subjected to police supervision. A more monstrous proposal could not be imagined. What he proposed in reference to these establishments was that they should be subjected to tlie same police supervision as the ordinary publichouse. They were calculated to do more harm than the regular shebeen. He' next alluded to the proposed Native licensing system. 'Some of these districts were scenes of the utmost degradation. He was sorry to see by this Bill that an attempt was being made to lessen the power of the. Native Assessor in' questions of granting licenses. He counselled them not to attempt to weaken the Act passed two years ago in connection with Native licenses. If they did the Maori race would be stamped out.. It was matter for congratulation tbat licenses could only be issued once a year. The system of quarterly licensing days had done a great deal to defeat the efforts of the temperance party to stem the evil. If a man did not get his license on one day it was sure to be granted at the next quarterly sitting. He considered the bottle liceme system as one of the most demoralising features of the trade. They had been told that under proper regulations this system; was good, but there "was no good regulation in a matter of this kind. The profits ;of the trade consisted of excessive drinking, and so long as that was the case there could be no good regulation. These were a few of the defects of the Bill, and when it got into Committee he would use his endeavors for their removal.

Dr Wallis and Mr Saunders having spoken, The Hon T. Dick replied. . He was not ; surprised that exception was taken to parts of the Bill. His only surprise, in a Bill so large, would be if these exceptions were not taken.' Some of the suggestions made were good, and he hoped to see them given effect to ; others he believed would not be an improvement. The two parties, publicans and temperance party, had each their representatives in the House, and no doubt ample justice would be done to both causes. He only hoped that when it came out of Committee it would be found a Bill calculated to promote the best interests Of the community as a whole. The Bill was then read a secqhd time, and ordered to be committed on Tuesday.

The following Bills were read a second time —Lodgers' Protection (Mr Stewart), Female Redress (Mr Stewart), and Oamaru Harbor Amendment (Mr Shrimski). In the Legislative Council on Friday ; The Hon F., Whitaker said in reply to Mr Wilson that' Government had carefully considered the question of purging the roll of, Justices of the Peace, but found that to do so would be too retrospective. lii future all insolvents, &c, would be called upon to resign. ; The five Native Lands Bills were read a second time, and some other measures advanced ,a stage. In the Lower House, after several questions had been asked and ansM'ered, The Hon J. Dick moved the second reading of the Pharmacy Bill. After discussion, the motion was put and carried. The Premier moved the second reading of the, Election Petitions Bill. It was identical with the Bill of last session, and the speaker detailed, Rb provisions at length.

Ur Wallis denounced tho Hill as unconstitutional.- The proposal to remit petitions to the Judges was an adaption of Hie English law on .the point. He contcndecirhowcvcr, that the conditions in this Colony were different from those existing at Homo. Here tho majority of the'judges were politicians of very recent date Mr Justico Gillies, for example, had held a scat in that House, and at that time he was known as one of Use most violentpartisans in it, Then, again, the petition might be presented at any time, and at a place conterminous to the place where the offence was alleged to have been committed. That state of things placed members ia a very unfair position. Members present at Wellington might be called upon to defend a petition of this kind at a time when it might bo highly _ inconvenient for them to leave their legislative duties. The defect of the Bill was that while they were the legislators for the people, the Judges were to bo their legis- ■ .lators without any appeal or recourse * whatever. MrTolo was of opinion that it would be well to relegate questions of this kind to a tribunal outside of and altogother independent of the House. Tbe defect of * tho Act, however, was that both questions of fact, as well as of law, were left to the decision of the Judge. What_ he would suggest was that questions of fact should bodeft for the decision of a jury. Then again he would suggest that an appeal on ' *fc points of law should be reserved foi the Court of Appeal. Mr Turnbull thought that the cor.-upt nractiscs provided against by the Bill should be defined by tbe Act itself, and " not left for interpretation by another statute.- , . The Premier replied. He maintained that in questions of this kind trial by jury would not be as safe as that by a judge of the Supreme Court. Before the Bill passed into law, he would consult with the judicial authorities as to the propriety of getting those cases tried by two judges instead of one. Tho motion for tbe second reading was passed. . The Premier moved tho second_ reading "* of the Corrupt Practises Prevention Bill. Ho read and commented upon the provisions of the Bill.

Dr Wallis criticised the omissions of the Bill, in connection with which he read the following, of which he had given notice to move as an amendment on the second reading of the Bill, although he would not do so :—" That no Corrupt J'radices Bill will be satisfactory to this House which sanctions payment for the conveyance, of voters to the poll, which does not give a definition of agency in connection with elections, and which does nut recognise the distinction between the necessaiy expenses 'of elections and those other expenses which, though not necessary, are at present legal, and which does not propose to exact that the aforesaid necessary expenses must be paid through the Returning Officer." Sir W. Fox said that the great aim of a measure of this kind was that it stiould be made as inexpensive, and also as pure as possible. He was afraid that this Bill was defective in at least one of these respects. He advocated the disallowance of conveyances, and the closing of public-houses on .lection days. ilr aloss could not see how the necessary work of an election was to bo done unless tha candidate was allowed lo pay certain reasonable and necessary expenses, such as canvassers, &c. Mr Thompson supported the proposal for closing the publichonses on the day of the poll, and at a genera! election all elections should be fixed for one and the same day. air Speight thought the J3ill went in a very good direction. He considered conVRvances were necessary, and advocated the closing of public-houses on election days. air Montgomery agreed with the proposal to close tho public-houses, and he disagreed with legalising the hire of conveyances, as this Bill would do. Mr Seddon contended that the electors of New Zealand were practically insult-d by much that had boon said that night. The Anglo-Saxon race invariably looked forward to an election day as a day of pleasure, and (here would bo a difficulty in rubbing that feeling out of the digging constituencies with which he was more particularly acquainted. They would look upon a da-v, as it was proposed to make it, as a most doleful affair, and he questioned if they would take the of knocking o_i work and recording their votes at all.

Sir G. Grey agreed with the suggestion made by Sir W.'Foz, and thought he deserved " great credit for his moderation. The Bill, under the care of Sir William and Dr Wallis, as representing ihe two extreme sides of tbe Houso. would, he v thought, be made a very fair measure indeed. ,ii The Hon. J. Hall in reply contended that if they prohibited the use of conveyances, while they gave a large number of persons votes, ibey would be practically excluding them from the exercise of these voles. Thar was more particularly the case in large districts. Ho would be glad if it could be arranged that no drinks should be sold during the taking of the poll. It would be out of the question to think that the question of agency could be dunned within the four corners of the Bill. That must be therefore left to the discretion of the Court. «* Tbe motion was carried, and the bib __ read a second time. MM* The Regulation of Elections Bill was W further considered in Committee. The amendments to substitute " person for •' registered elector," in clause 11, were negatived on division, as was also the __ proposal to strike out the word* requiring % tho written assront of candidates. Several verbal Amendments were made. A proposal to extend the hours of polling to 7 p.m. was lost on division by 38 to 21. Progress was then reported, and leave obtained to sit again. - The House rose at 12.40 a.m.