TWO MORE JUDGES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1875, 8 October 1913, Page 4

TWO MORE JUDGES.

THE JUDICATURE AMENDMENT BILL. LAND LEGISLATION. • TRIUMPH OF THE FREEHOLD POLICY.

The House of Representatives met at 2,30 p.m.* THE AUCKLAND H ALF : HOLIDAY. Mr. J. H. BRADNEY (Auckland West) mqved..that the. Standing Orders relative to local Bills be suspended in order to allow tlio Auckland Weekly Half-hdliday Bill to nass through all its stages, and tliat all proceedings that had taken place in connection with tho Bill bo validated t •> • SIR JOSEPH WARD (Awarua) : asked' wlofher a ptjbljc:Acfc bguld bo.amended' , bv a; local 'Bill, :: , My. SPEAKER:-This-is nob a -publio 'Act.* It has .>been. introduced, I understand, as a pilblic Act, whereas it is in. fact;a local Bill. . J . , Mr: T. H. Davoy: Does _not this 'Bill, amend a public Act? t Mr. Speaker: No. 1 ' ■■■My. Davoy Is not this an amending Bill passed on ; tke Act which gavo;tho people thej'righ't".to ivtake a- vote?-' Mr. Speaker ':' This is oot .an amending Bill. , ' M G. W. RUSSELL: (Avon) urged 1 that ! the BUI must be -regarded as a Bill .amending apublie Act seeing that it proposed to,;set; aside a poll ; taken I undor a public' Act. f ' . Tho Hon. W; JVMASSEY (Prime Min-1 ister) said thfrt though tho Bill amended a publie Act it was only a local application. It referred, only to a certain-: district and'this being the fact Mr. .Speaker had ruled that it was a - local' Bill. Mr. T. H. DAVEY sdid he could call Mr.-Speaker's attention to several rulings: of the late Mr.' Speaker Guinness ' thatvno public Bill could bo amended by a local Bill. Otherwise it would be possible to render the polls taken'throughout- the country of no avail by passing j , local] Bills referring to Christchuroh, j 1 Dunedin, and so on.

jMr. SPEAKER said that in cases such tis thifl when'there-was difference of opinion, the Speaker could refer tho n uestion to tho Joint Committee oil Pills/ He considered it his .duty to refer this question to the Committee and lie would do so. Tho Hon. W. F.'MASSEY Baid that when ho had been speaking a minuto ago he .was speaking from memory. Ho had iiow a copy of the Bill in his hand, and ho.found that it did not amend a public Bill. It said "notwithstanding anything to the contrary in, the Shops and Officeo Act,: 1908." That ■,was not SmencUng'the Act.' Tho- Act would Btand,exactly as it was. Mr.' SPEAKER. said he had referred Iho question- to tho. Joint Committee on. Bills, and th'o : Committee' would decide It. It'would therefore be a waste of timo for the House to discuss it. The motion in tho meantime would have to be withdrawn. Mr. Bradney withdrew his motion accordingly.