PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2279, 13 October 1914, Page 7

PARLIAMENT

LICENSING BILL. ELECTORAL REFORMS. SEAMEN'S VOTES. The Houso of Representatives sat at 2.30 p.m. Mr. G. WITTY -. (Riccarton) asked when the D 3 list (of the Second Division of tho Railway ' Service) would bo' brought down. The Hon. W. H. HERRIES said that considerable delay had been' occasioned in the presentation of the list this year because of many changes consequent on the legislation of last year. Four days' leavo ' of absence was granted to tho Hon. D. Buddo on account of illness. THE LICENSING BILL. The report of the conference set up to consider the disagreement between the ftvo Houses en tho Licensing Bill was presented to the House. The conference recommended amendments to provide that wine manufactured in Now Zealand should not contain more than 40 por cent, of alcohol, and that no wine' sold under a wine-maker's license should be sold for consumption on the premises! ELECTORAL REFORMS I)ETAIL CHANGES IN LAW SEAMEN'S PRIVILEGES. The Hon. F. M. B. FISHER (Minister in charge of the Electoral Department) moved the second reading of the Legislature Amendment Bill. He explained the Bill in detail, showing that it was framed to facilitate the Department's work in controlling and carrying out elections. .He referred especially to the provisions relating to the voting rights of commercial ■ travellers, members of the theatrical profession, and seamen. The Bill provided that seamen should vote in tho electorate in which they were domiciled. If they were not domiciled in any electorate, then they must vote hi the electorate containing the Customhouse at their home port. This would prevent the transference of seamen's votes from one electorate to

. another for special purposes. Mr. G. W. RUSSELL (Avon), after | criticising details of the Bill, declared [ that the true inwardness of the Bill was shown by the clause relating to the seamen's votes. Such was tho . feeling of tho seamen of Now Zealand ' against the Minister of Marine that ' they had registered in Wellington Central in order to wipe him out. Now this [ would compel those men to record :' their votes in Wellington North, where the Government were a great deal stronger. In short the Bill should bo [ entitled "A Bill to Save the Bacon of tho Minister of Marine." Mr. T. M. WILFORD (Hutt) said that the Bill would have the effect of , helping the Minister of Marine.' What 1 was the reason for preventing seamen from enrolling in Wellington Central? He knew, of course, that seamen who had a settled residence in Wellington Central would be allowed to vote there. Mr. G. FORBES (Hurunui) also declared that tho object of the Bill was to enable the Minister in charge of it to retain his seat. He- also accused the Government of deliberate laxity in providing for the enrolment of voters. This laxity would be to the detriment of the Opposition Party, for the Government would see that all their supporters would* be enrolled. He would suggest to the Minister that he should Introduce a provision into the Bill v to ensure that- all political articles in newspapers should be signed. Mr. T. AV. RHODES (Thames) said the clause relating to seamen's votes would give seamen the same rights as other electors had, and would take away from them the special rights they had hitherto enjoyed of choosing in which district'they would vote. He had never been able to understand why seamen should enjoy any special privilege in ' the matter of voting at elections, and . they certainly had hitherto enjoyed vory special privileges. Mr. G. AVITTY (Riccarton) also found fault with the clause relating to seamen's votes.. Ho suggested that the Government's intentions were sinister. Mr. G. W. Russell: It's not cricket. Mr. Fisher: Not cricket! Fancy the honourable gentleman talking about cricket I He's bowled out every night in the week. (Laughter.) The Need for Reform. Mr.~J. H. BRADNEY (Auckland West) said he welcomed the change as a necessary reform, and he 'knew that the Minister of t Marine had not introduced it of his own initiative. He (Mr. Bradney) had in the'.first session of this Parliament _ brought under the notice of the Minister the absolute political immorality of the manner in ivhich.the seamen's vote was used in this country. The effect of the working of the old system had been to enable ' any adventurer who was a little fluent to get the ear of the seamen, perhaps through a union demagogue, flood his election with seamen's votes, and keep tho real representative of the peoplo out of Parliament. An hon. member: Has that ever happened? .... Mr. Bradney: Yes, it has happened. An hon. member: Where? Mr. Bradney: . I . don't think I should mention names. He was not sure that tho Bill was quite right yet, but it would do some good in stopping the manipulation of the seamen's vote. At last election some seamen who should have voted at Auckland had voted at Gisborne. There had been no contest there, but there had been a : danger of Gisborne going dry; He also urged that no sufficient scrutiny was ( made of seamen's qualifications for voting in any electorate similar to that mado of other voters. ,

Mr. T. K. SIDEY (Dunedin South) said that the Bill did not prevent the concentration of seamen's votes anywhere but in the large centres. Seamen ou ships trading to any of tho smaller ports could concentrate their votes in the electorates in which thoso' ports were situated. The Bill would simply restrict the seamen's right to concentrate in any one of tho four electorates' in any of tho four largo centres. They would now havo no choice, but would bo compelled to vote in that one of the four districts in a city in which the Customhouse happened to bo located. An Improper Concentration. Mr. E. P. LEE (Oamaru) said that it seemed from tho violent speeches delivered by members of the Opposition that the'clause dealing with Seamen's votes had caused consternation. To consider properly the question involved it had to be remembered that our electoral system was a district system, and the right to vote in a particular district depended upon residence- in that district. In view of tins, it was surely vio-ht that those persons who had no placo of residence in New Zealand should havo their right to select tin.', electoral district limited in some measure by territorial qualifications. At any rate, all improper concentration of seamen's votes should be prevented. It was not deniod that concentration had gone on in tho past, and not only in seamen's votes. Tlio friends of the. Government could not forget how in the old days of-the "Liberal" regime the then Government had flourished upon,

tho concentration ,of gangs of Government workmen moved about to influenco elections. Mr. J. PAYNE (Grey Lynn) offered a suggestion that an officer should b: detailed to visit sick and aged people in their homes and in hospitals, in order to take their votes. What Did Thay Mean? Tho Hon. F. M. B. FISHER, in reply, said that notwithstanding tho unusual provocation given to him—(laughter) —lie. would be very brief in his reply. Ho was gratified at tho reception given to his little Bill, and flattered at his opponents' anxiety for his di gtraction. It. showed that ho was at least a trouble to thoni sometimes, 'rbo Bill did not rob a single seaman of ii vote. It simply took from him tho right to say in which electorate hi would vote. Mr. Nosworthy: A farmer has not got. that right. Mr. Fisher said that it was not right that a union secretary should have power to say: "I have hero | 500 seamen's votes which , I can put anywhere I like" This power union officials had, and the;; powers they used. They had now thought to use this power to "smudge him out" for the action he. had taken in suspending the Shipping and Seamen Act at the time of the strike. At that time decent men, jnen who had been ruined by tho strikers, had been driven off tho ships almost at the bayonet's point, at the instance of agitators who were living on their vicissitudes. A suggestion had been made that seamen should record their votes where they had signed their articles, and the suggestion seemed to him to be a better one than he had embodied in the Bill. Mr. Witty: Suppose a man signed articles in Australia? Mr. Fisher: Then .he will vote in Australia. . At present, continued Mr. Fisher, a man could come over here and vote here, and then go back to Australia and voto there. Or a seaman could arrive in Now Zealand on a barque from Maiden Island, and if it happened to be election time he could vote, even if he'stayed hero only three or four days. This was generosity run mad, surely. As to tho suggestion that had been made that it was" a "Fisher Preservation Bill,' he reminded his friends of the Opposition that not very long ago they had been saying that his colleagues were most anxious to lose him, that he was the impediment, the nuisance in the _ Government. Now those same Oppositionists were saying that his colleagues were introducing this Bill expressly to save him! (Laughter.) The second reading was agreed to on the voices. REMOUNTS BILL. The Remounts Encouragement Bill was considered in Committee. An amendment was introduced to increase the subsidy payable on approved stallions from £100 to £150 per year. The Bill was reported with amendments and read a third time. PUBLIC BODIES' LEASES. The Public Bodies' Leases Amendment Bill was put through Committee without amendment and read a third time. Tho Hortse rose at 11.50 p.m.