THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1592, 8 November 1912, Page 6

THE COUNCIL.

j/-//-,; :• THE- WASHING-UP BILL. ;//-'"'': : met -at 11 J;:\. o'clock yesterday morning." '■'■'..,.-,'' f ;''- ; The Reserves and'-Other Lands Disposal '";■ end Public Bodies'' Empowering Bill was ,' v received froui..the House. In Committee • ■':'■'■>;? on- the Bill,--, •'-,.. ''■'-,' ■-"'■ '. •■' . ■-.- ' r:;ivy The Hon. J. EIGG' moved a new clause ;>•; : to.giyo: the: person', claiming to be the suc- '.',;/ cessor of.Ngakaraike'te'o Bingo the right s ■■(-'■ to. appeal for a fresh'judicial inquiry into l'. the claim. ~v X -.-.::: ■•) i;":':; - .The'.Hori; H. D. BELL protested against •.the introduction: of a clause which had • <-■'•■ nd relation to the subject' matter of the ! : BilK: i-'.' "■••.■'■■■ ./■ ■■ •■ '.' ' \. ' ; the .whole of the morniag ;' 'was devoted to.'a discussion of this'prinl-'-'; clple, and-the'clause-was at length car- '. '! 'lied by 13 to 4.-. ■■ — " :•'. . ~' ■'■'•.:■•' The Hon.'H. D. BELL, in moving the lv : third reading, entered his protest against V X the, actioncf the Council in-adding the '■■. •,.clause.. ■'.. . ';■ -• -.. ','■■■'■■ ': ... v-Tho Bill was passed with . the above '■■'■:■'. 'amendment. ';.'■'■! . , - ,'•' '■'■'■ At 5.45 p.m. a message was received from \y .the House of Representatives .disagreeing '-''- .with the amendment made by the CpunLV '■•/'cil,'- ,: on'-:the,ground-.-that the new clause t'' was out of order in that it was foreign to rv'.the;Bai.-vV:' ::-.';. .-■' >.■ :. ■ , :' The Hon. J.ElGG'moyed that the Coun,.'cil insist'dn its amendment. fV' The Hon. H. D. BELL' said ..he would ':■:'."• -;have to ask the Council to divide on the ■.'■..':'■'• que'stioni r'.Tho .position-that, had arisen !/..',.'was an exceedingly unfortunate one, and j he asked; the {.Council not to insist on its. ii-v'-.': amendment. ,He'trusted that the| Hon. ! '<?■ v, Mr. Sigg ,would-not insist on' the clause i>,'.; .being ,in6erted.',,The -members.of the r■' .1 House were of-opinion that'to. insert the iy'r';. clause would .be.to'do an injustice to a ..-:• '• certain number of Natives. ■■ If .members ; L V'v:of ;the Council were clected,;said Mr.-Bell,'. (.;>{"there.wouldbe.no danger of the .Washing- ;'./ ~jup .Bill., The effect-.of their.; action, if f ... they insisted, would be'.to use their posii :/■ •■ J tion—a : position '■ held by nomination—to ; : : | compel members hvho held.their places by f •.■'..'election to.'do. what those men..think was ...!':."an injustice..; Heasked.the.Cfcrahcil.to.re- ; .', consider,its,positiqn, ; and not bring the two [,; : Souses into,serious conflict at this stage l'Y„ !! /jof. the session, '.':_:.." V. !*;i.;: The. Hon. J. EIGG /remarked that the ■ //..'/Council/was not subordinate to .the other '</■■/ |H6'Use."''.The..' 1 Council, /was 'there- as' a >■'■ -■ ; .Bafeguard; tochecK ; a_wrong action upon ';; jthe part o£ the House of. Representatives .' '■/ if ( it,was .necessary, : C,.lf it "was.'going'to h'Gibe' a -.conflict between the; two-Houses, he '<: i-;''" was..prepared' .to'' see', it, .through to a .fin- ?.;",:. (ish.'.'.'The. Council- had yielded on this j;' 'point the previous/year, on the urider-j'/.-V;''standing'. that.it would be remedied this t'i- session.'-.' ■'.' ' ; ;,-.;• -..The Hon..H. D. BELL explained 1 that ;.>,;! Sir/Joseph Ward,; in;,his speech in the ;-.' V. Honsei ..had said he .was against the t;V'clause, and had so; also:that !:' '■'. if legislation had been introduced • this ';'■/-' Bession.ho: would have voted against it. % .The Hon. J.,BlGG : said;the two 'Houses ';,.;...; were in' committee, last session, and the ?.'■ ".Council, gave way-after' a . distinct, pro- ';..■ - ;> mise: that/what was• asked would be- car-i-:,-.,,Tied': but;"!/.,This . only- bound the' Ward f-. : -.'';;,"Governnieiit,. but-'the: Mr. .Massey" ■fi. Sand ..the Hon. Mr."Herries;were, also. pre-'''-.■rvßent.'.'r.The Speaker of'the other .'House * Ihad'ruled that the clause was not admis-, ,'.-.", jsible, and the -Acting-Speaker ■-. -.of the ■'' jCounoil rulod that He was atisfied that the.Acting-Speaker,of,tlio:Conn- !■:.-'' 'oil .was right, and. the-Speaker;'of the i'l' ■': /House was.wrong../-.He.hoped.the Coun-f.-'S'cil.would 'see the matter through. 'The, .; amendment only proposed, to give a rfc ':';. ,|hearingof. a case, .but they -were- ;'.!.-. Ihere-Ww/to-uphold the. dignitry.,.pf .the f.v v ACouncil.'.,7..,The ; .Cp.uncil had right, on -its-. I ;' 'side, and no matter how.mucli,the,.House ', ':'■ Imight oppose them they could, if members- ';■'-',::: ionly- stood by them, persuade the. House ;. ; .to agree-to-, the amendment., ,'■■ j- '■'/. 'i.iOn.a.division it;,was,decjded by 8 to ' 4 ,'. ■ ' to insist on the amendment. The divi-, i,V:'.»ion list was as under:— .. V- .-•■•■ jor'Hie conference:—Eigg, Tucker, Bee- /'. han, LoughnanV.LKelly,;. Thompson, Wi- ;'•.'.'!'■ gram, Mills.-: .. ■■ • •'/"■'?"■'■ '■'■■. > ; - j Against-, the,- 'conference v-rßell, . Paul, ' Jenkinson, Luke. : ; :,','-.' ,-.■': ...• ' ; The Honsi J. Eigg,',Tucker, and Beehan l. ': : werb appointed a' committee to draw.upf: reasons for disagreeing with the House. \ r ; I These reasons were, subsequently present-: r.J- The Hon. Mr. WIGRiM thought that . they-should-confino" the,.questioh: to the. >'■'' 'iTuhng of tke'iSpeaker.'of the .Council. "■" ;.;;■ ; 'i" The' Hon.' J. E; : JENKINSON spoke in. .. winiilar-strain; and moved'that-the-reaspn [■ ■'."'-. -for disagreeing'-be'-that'the Speaker ofthe \ '■■''. Council.,had. ruled : that, the' clause in ■question' was admissible; '' .' '■ After,a lengthy discussion, ■ .-■-.-, ■■■.' TEeHori. H;D. BELI/said he had been ;-:, bitterly.disappointed at the., stand, taken ;-..-' by 'the Council.' He.' was: disappointed. . : '■ that the Council should;use its,powers of >" coercion-in the last days of the session. I- ; '' The.Hon.'.'Ci'.'H,.MlLLS.said, the. Coun- ;, oil' had"not'the','slightest'idea of applying .". ■' coercion. '. >' The Hon. T. THOMPSON urged that >the discussion could serve no purpose. -~ -. The conference between the Houses should .;'take place/and see, if things could be '-.:.'. '\ cleared up there. -, It was eventually decided ;that the full 'reasons prepared by -the committee bo [ 'sent to the House. ' •';:"„' , : The Council adjourned for.dinner at 7 •"' 'p.m., and. on resiuning at":B.is p.m. the - .name of the Hon. J. B. Callnn' was added : to. those of the.Hons. Eigg,;Tucker, aud j - ; ' : ' Beehan to meet a committee, of the House '"" r - in conference. -' The Council adjourned during the con- ,'•' • ference, and on resuming at 9.30 p.m. the i .-report of the committee was.presented by ;■'.-■• the Hon. J. Rigg, who moved that the clause in dispute should be,deleted and a : : 'new clause inserted extending for 12 !- months tho. ; protection extended.by Sec- \. : tion 18 of the iNative Land'Claims'Adjust- ' -imeht Act. -'jTh'e. effect of-the hew clause '• .'■ ! practically .'leaves things stand as they 'were until .'.next year. In the interval :.' /legislation ..could bo introduced to effect '■- the end desired! '~ ; Th 9 Hon.'-'H. D. BELL.said it was clearly' understood that the Government would not introduce any-measure. Any.such •movement must rest with those who advocated the,cause. The report' was agreed'.to. [.: . OTHER BILLS PASSED. i The following Bills were received from [ the House, and put through all stages and > : passed-.—Monopolies Prevention Bill, Country Telephone Lines Bill, New Zeaj land State'..Guaranteed Advances Amendment, Harbours Amendment, Fisheries ; .Amendment,, Shipping ' and Seamen '•' ? Amendment, ;and the Appropriation Bill. THE'ADJOURNMENT. ;■' The Governor's consent to. the Bills ■ t passed during the session was received at 11.20 p.m. -.- '■'•'.'.' •'.'■' The Shipping and Seamens Amendment Bill' was reserved for the signification of bis Majesty's', pleasure theron. The' Council adjourned at 11.25 p.nv.