YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 9

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

J'THE DOMINION" AGAIN. THE EDUCATION COMMISSION'S .-..•• Mil'OKT. ; The House of Representatives met at 1.30 p.m. yesterday. Dr. Te"Kuriginlroa andjMr. R. W. Smith V.-crS each granted two days' leave of abWnte on account of urgent private busiMγ. H. G. ELL .(Christchurch South) said' that in The Dominion of the morning there a complete summary cf tho" Education-Commission's-, report. 'The ."New Zealand Times", representative had asked the Minister for'a copy, or for the effect, of the report, and the application was refused. The Minister had stated that a. copy of the report had been supplied to tiie Press Association for evening papers, but that it would not bo given out to morning papers until tho next day. And yet a full summary had appeared iu The lioaisiiw. He did not know whether this would amount to a breach of privilege or not. Tho Minister had been such a stickler for fair play to the press, and he had, already departed from his rule. Why hid tlio minister showed favouritism to the Conservative papers?. Tho Hon. JAJIKS ALLEN (Minister for Education) said that it had been his intention, as Sir. Speaker knew, t'o make reference to. this matter when laying the report of the Commission ■• before (he House. 116 suggested that the honourable member should make himself apprised of the facts before making accusations. H* knew.no more about,how The Dominion got the report than any member of the House know. He was trying'to find ont. It did not co'mo through him or through his office. Of that he was sure. He had gathered"'that a ■■representative" of The i)o2ii.vioN - - had h. typewritten copy of the report of tho-'Coininissioii. He' was in-formed,"-that, tho report -.was 'obtained from a newspajx?]?' nifin-oubldo of' t)it'-'House, and ■ not a" nfc'rnber-of' 1 tlte' "Ites-Galtery. He (the Minister) had"beori'nisirig;his: best endeavours"' to' allow evening papers to publish the report. He had submitted a report of the-Commission to two representatives of the .'gallery in order i that they might.take from it sufficiout to publish in their papers in the-afternoon. ■ Unfortunately the act-did- not constitute, a breach •of privilege, otherwise he -would have moved it as such: The report was i. reTort to his , Ksce'lkney, •and'' not to Hie House. -It w,as about time,, he thought, that a code of honour was established amongst newspapeis, so that newspaper reporters-and newspaper editors could be Kifely trusted. In his opinion, even ■if The Dojh.vio:; had secured a copy of the report, the paper should not. have published it until'it wns Jaid on the table of House. He regretted exceedingly that the Dojiisiojf hail published tho reportMr. T. H. -DAVEY (ChristchArcu Ep.f,t) asked the Minister, whether, he knew .whether the report had appeared in other papers outside, of Wellington 1 . • The Hon. JAMES -ALLEN -said.ho iraa not aware of aay papers in which it had appeared, but. he Tiad been given to understand that probably it would be sent to other papers. ■ .•:.' ; ■'■ •.■...' A miuute later he rose, to say that he had just beou mlviscd'that- tho'report had been published- in, the' "Herald".-(Auck-land) and "Tlis Press". /Christchurch). The Hon.; JACKS' ALLEN .(Minister for Ed-ncation) rprcscntedtrtlic -.report/of the -■•■.,,';, " Mr. J. A.'.HANAN' (invercargill), asked the Prime .Minister to. set J apart a day for the'.discussion of tho report.' The PKIME MINISTER (the Hon. AV. F. Al'assey) 'said that ivt a proper time ... later..in, the session he would give the Houso'an opportunity ( :o discuss the very important report fully.' The Hou'. JAMBS ALLEN (-Minister for .Education) said that- the.evidence to hs 'ii.ttached to tho report was not yet out of land. TChon it was ready he would move that, ip/i A tl>s, and printed. '" '."... ;'..." " DEPUTY-GOVERNOR'S POWERS. :f TheHpuVweut 'into, Committee at "3.30 Ji.m.- upon the Dpn.uty-Govornor-s Powers Bjjl,", '.---.•■' .-■.•-, ..■ ' ■ .. . The Hou.; A. L. HERDMAN, in reply fo'a.question by. Sir Joseph AYard, said that the Bill had.jieenjmado retrospective because- some .-difference of opinion exisU'4 asto the nature of the powers esercjScd by - The question hnd been raised-in-South Australia, aii<}'as the-letters-pateiits.'in this country . were 'iidentical ;witn tjid?i;in South Austrajiin it had -bc-eji decided.to introduce this Bill. -.'■'. .;. i - - ■':■"■' PRISONS AMENDMENT. -.-. In . Committee on the ■prisonsi'.Aincnd- ' incnt Bill; -"'"'• ■■" : " , -? ■'■ ■'"'"'■ 'I '■" ■ 'Mr. J.HANAN-XlnVercai-jillJ'a'sked the Minister for \\'hetli«r-it' e yas inteadsd to retain Dr.,' Hay'.'«.¥ Inspector of Prisons, and \yli-etlfbr-,'it was"intended to appoirvt an .assistant in«pectoi\-.-Tho Hon. A. L: HL'E-DMAN said that ' Dr. Hay was still the' Statutory Inspector of Prisons,, and would continue to hold that office at any rate for some consider- • able. tim - !. He was quite satisfied tiicit tha duties devolving udou Dr. Hay were too heavy. Not only had he to inspect prisons, but also mental '.hospitals. Dr. Hay was aij extremely capable ttml.eflicient officer.!/Before deciding upon any ■particular: lino of policy in regard tc prison administration, the Minister stated, it -would bp ■ necessary for him to make himself more, familiar with the subject, A Minister could not bo expected to becoiSe .'acquainted---with ! '.n largo branch oi public administration like' that of. prisons m three weeks.' .He would "have to travel, / UNIVERSITy.AMENDMENT BILL. The Xew University- Amendmtmt Bill-was nlfo dealt with in Committee. • A'll'.-thrcp Bills were reporter] from CnmTnittcP-svithont amendrnvnt?, aiW weri eftorivards read a third time anil.passeTl ' -'■ i ' ' ■ , ■.'■■-'. A... AND; P..SOCIETIES.; v '' " s Tke Hofl:'''W'.' : --E- f '' ; 3|A§SEr ,: '-(Pnnn • Minister) -Moved-tho «c6rid reading o! the Agricultural : ana.";Pa-storar ■'■Societies Amendmont'Bill, the object .of.'..w.h'ich,'a: heV'ekplfujiedjvwas'.tb , ' rectify certain d* fects which tho experience-of socictio: had discovered in tho old "Act. Tt woulc prmit societies to- lease their snrplui land for a longer term (him,2l years, i: thought -t SO years—and ii would enable societies to spend money! realised lroui the sale of surplus , lam in making permanent Ai presaat tlify were allowed to U;e it onlj in tho purcnase of other land. Sir'JOSEPH WABD (Av-arua) Eiiggost ed that it was dangerous to allow socistiei to lease lands for such. a long term a. l .50 years, because it woh impossible foi ~ anyone to say what development and wha , appreciation in value should. occur. Th; Bill would alfeo enable societies to sell . lands and'devofe tln> proccwls to the pay ment of debts incurred before tho -lone was vested'in the society. This mighl oican that tho intention of the poreor presenting land to afjeiety would bi frustrated, further", ■" the Bill allows societies to borrow MiVns not ' exteodin; "jCaOOO-at any onp time," but there wn: nothing to prevent the borrowing qf v£sool being .ronoatcd. - ■ . : . Mr. W. C/ BUCHANAN- (Wnirarnpa defended th<- Bill, which ho thought wonli make -socioties better ablo to get .the hos pp'ssjble list) put oT"their Idnds. Tle.nl." argued that £5000 would bo tho tola amount a :oci?ty could borrow. Tho Prim-3 "Minister: Tlr.it is the in tention. \ , ' Mr. E. P. J.EE (Osmnriii .in?wored Si Joseph "Ward's second ribiectioti to th Bill by pointing out tbot tho. Bill di> not pvorio;,o to confer upon societies an; extended powers n'f solo, lln :ilsn con tended that tho .£SOOO limit montinnei was the aggregrtto jniomit that, could l> borrowed.. Mr. L. M. ISTTT (Christcliwh North - was afraid that tho real meaning of th Bill-was, that- γ-ocWic< could borro\ iiraounts of i'SOOO ad libitum.' ■ Further thare was danger that the h?i-t interest tif societiei would he jeopardispd by allow in? to Jcase lands /or long f*rmr , 'The-Hon.-I>. BtDDO (Kaispni'i did no fcMnj£ any gpji?r.ii-nced for th Bill,' »nd "ha : . wo.uld oppose .••> ny wearur to give societies tbs right In leafo for more than 21 years, and to borroi snms of XSOOO to ony amount. ' Mr. O; W. RtipSELl,. (Avon)- though the Minister.for Lands ought. to hove-th right to vjito any proposal by j.ocioties t leaso lands for Ion;;-terms. - i Mr. D. BI3ICK (Palmerston North) sbi ha was inclined to trust the societies t ;ndge wisely as to whether it was adyj:

able to lease for long or short periods. Ho supported the views of the members for Awarua and Christchurch >.ortn, that societit-s would under the law be able to borrow to an unlimited extent m amounts of i'sooo, and ho thought fhis clause ncedod amendment. ' Mr J \ YOUA'G (Waikato) and Mr. C. E. SUitham (Dunedin Central) supported the Bill. • Sir G. WITTY (BiecarlonJ thought certain clauses of the Dill needed amendment. Mr. 11. J. H. OKEY (Taranaki) commended the Government on having introduced such a much-nocdpd measure.. Certain modifications in the old Act. were necessary, because with the spmlrt of settlement eouio of the lands .had grown to be too valuable for the societies uses, and they ought.to be allowed to (Jisposo of such lands. , Several other members carried on tho debate until £.30, nnd tho.second reading was then agreed to.