THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1581, 26 October 1912, Page 6

THE COUNCIL.

CHRISTCHURCH DISTRICT TRAMWAYS. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 yesterday afternoon. A message was received from the House of _ Representatives, disagreeing with certain amendments made by the Council in the Christehurch District Tramways Amendment Bill. The Hon. J. BARK, who was in charge of the Bill in the Council, said tho matter in .dispute had ■ been submitted to the Christehurch Tramway Board, and they agreed to the alteration. Ho moved that the Council should not insist on the amendments objected to by the House of Representatives. This was agreed to. DEFENCE AMENDMENT BILL, Tho Defence Amendment Bill was recommitted on the motion of the Hon. H. D. Bell, in order that an amendment might, be made to Clause 9. This clause originally provided that every person arrested under o warrant of military custody in respect of default in tho payment, of a fine or costs shall- be thereby discharged from, all liability to pay such fine or costs, or such part thereof as remains unpaid, but the Minister may, as a condition of exercising the powers of discharge vested in him,, require the offender to pay such fine or costs or part thereof, such moneys to bo accounted for and dealt with as though no arrest had taken place. Tho Hon. H. D. BELL explained that the section would not, as it stood, carry 'out what was desired, and he wished to replace it by the following:— "(1) If a person is arrested undor a warrant of military custody in respect of default in the payment of the whole of or nny part of a tine and costs, or of a fine, or of costs, the Minister may, as a condition of exercising his power of discharging such person from custody, require such person to pay the whole or such part' of such line and costs, or such fine, or j,uch costs, as the Minister defines.

"(2) If such person is so discharged from pustody by warrant of tho Minister he jhall, notwithstanding his arrest, and notwithstanding that he may have been detained in military oustody, continue to bo liable for the payment of such fine and costs, or such fine, or such costs, to the extent so defined by tho Minister, and payment may accordingly be thereafter .enforced by attachment order or otherwise-. '. r ' "(3) If a person arrested as aforesaid is detained in miVitary custody for the full period specified in the warrant of military custody, .ho shall be discharged from all liability 'to pay ■ such fine and costs, or such fine, or such costs."

Tho new clause was agreed to. The Hon. J. T. PAUL, speaking 6n the third reading,, again referred to the question he had put to tho Leader of the Council tho previous day, as to whether the Territorial force could ?)e called out in industrial disputes. He had asked this question in no hostile spirit, but because he felt that they should have a full understanding of what the torials were for, and to as far us possible allay any fear in the above direction. If an idea got abroad that the Territorials could be called out in industrial disputes it would militate against tho success of the Act. If the Territorials could be called out he was afraid we would have a repetition of somo of the atrocities .which had taken place in the Old Country. However, he did not think the 1 people of this country would over allow the Territorials to be called out in industrial disputes. The introduction of the military had been disastrous in several cases, and very often had marked the beginning iof rioting. We should mako it as clear as possible to the people that it was most unlikely indeed that tho. Territorials would ever be called out in industrial disputes. This was, tho only assurance he wanted when he asked his question the previous day.

The Hon. J. ANSTEY repeated the objection to the which he voiced in committee, and expressed the opinion that the wholo weight of tho Bill appeared to be in the direction of discovering now methods of inflicting fines. ll© warned toe Government against creating great troubles unnecessarily.

The Hon. G. ,T. SMITH spoke strongly in favour of tho Bill.

The Hon. R, A. LOUGHNAN also spoke on tho line 3 of bis speech in committee. Tho Hon. H. D. BELL, in the courso

of his reply, reverted to the question in reference to tho Territorials naked him tho previous day by tho Hon. J. T. Paul. Mr. Paul had asked him, as the repre-

sentative of the Government, to give an nbsoliito assurance that in no'circumstances would the Territorial forco be called upon in case of an industrial dispute. To that ho had answered: "I will give you no such thing—absolutely no." lie was obliged to Mr. Paul for direoting n>is attention to the fact that tho words he (the speaker) used were capable of a misconstruction unless the question were actually heard.' He never could, nor would, give such an absolute assurance as he was asked to give, but if ho was naked whether it was in tho least tlsgrco likely that anv such event could happen, he would answer that it was not in tho least likely that tie question could ever arise. He did not believe or think: that

any other force would bo necessary or proper to use in this country than the civil force which had maintained (and ho believed .would always, maintain) law and order. If he was asked whether, when tho day came that that civil force was uuablo to maintain law and order what would happen, ho would answer that ho did not know, but that tho resources of .civilisation would not bo exhausted by tho failnro of that civil force. (Hear, hear.) The third reading was agreed to and tho Hill passed. ADOPTED NATIVE CHILDREN. The Hon. T. KELLY moved the adoption of the report on the potition of Ngamako te Range, which was a request for legislation for o, fresh judicial inquiry into her claim to succeed to the interest of her deceased sister in certain Native land. Tho committee saw', no reason to depart from the decision arrived at by the committee in 1909 to appoint two commissioners to inquire into tho matter, but as thesa commissioners had arrived at different decisions on the point, which was whether adopted children should have equal rights with Wood children, tho committee recommended that- legislation bo passed forthwith on similar linos to that of 1910 appointing commissioners to inquire. The report was adopted. WIDOWS' PENSIONS. The Widows' Pensions Amendmont Bill was read a third time without discussion and passed. TOWN BOARD'S AMENDMENT. The Hon. H. D. BELL moved the second Teading of tho Town Boards' Amendment Bill, which was agreed to. The Bill was put through Committee and reported without amendment, and was then read a third time and passed. Tho Council adjourned at 4.10 p.m. until 8 p.m. to receive the Imprest Supply Bill. IMPREST SUPPLY BILL. The Legislative Council sat for a few minutes in the evening, and passed the Imprest Supply Bill through all its stages without discussion. The Council adjourned at 8.10 p.m. until Tuesday next.-'