MEIKLE ACQUITTAL BILL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 26, 25 October 1907, Page 6

MEIKLE ACQUITTAL BILL.

. . e—-t— ■ ■ STONEWALLING TACTICS. ' COAL' MINES BILL PASSED BY THE" COUNCIL. Tlio bank to bank clauso" again kopt tlio Council busy' for • an hour or so yosterday afternoon. Tho debato, though not important r—for most oifTtho 'arguments had been.; used earlier in the discussion—was at times. lively. The Coal Mines Act"'Amendment Bill was finally passed,, and, as a consequence, the eight.hours' day. of tlio mino worker throughout the ; Dominion will hereafter .be deemed to include 1 tho' time spent'in joiiriieying from the '.entrance of tho mine to tho working face iand back again. Tho' Council, also put tho' Supreme Court .Practice and Proceduro 'Acts.' Amendment Bill through its 'final "stages', ~and; mado .a/littlo. progress with the [Animals Protection BilL i: , ( The House of Representatives transacted yery little business, in the afternoon, most ,pf tho time being devotcd> discussion on Native petitions. • . • The evening was devoted to tho Meiklo Ac'ijuittal .Bill, in Committee!.. Mr. Hornsby and' •Mr. Remington -began to;set up a stonowall Against the measure. They threatened to : read tlio pyidenco given before the late Royal Commission, which.occupies 3530 folio pages in small type. • .> • ••• • ~ ' : Messrs.' Remington and Hornsby 'having ,ihus laid tho foundations of tho stonewall;' 'Messrs.: Barclay, Lawry, A. L.,D.,l , raser, and Kgata .helped to ..keep it'up.i Mr. .Fishor made, one unavailing'remonstrance, but Mr. : ,lWiiford was mOre porsistent in supporting the 'Bill., Saving one short .speech, by the Premier,, early 'in tho evening, nothing..was said from the ; Ministerial benches. } Tho proceedings lasted until five minutes past twelve,'.when tho i Premier,; accepting the inevitable, .moved to report progress.' One .result of the delay, over the Meikle 'Bill..was that the National Endowment' Bill,' Which stood next on the. Order Paper, did not (— ma before tho Houso for committal.