PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 39, 9 November 1918, Page 9

PARLIAMENT

WAR LEGISLATION BILL THE ENEMY ALIEN The Legislative Council met' at 2.30 p.m. The Legislative Council Amendment Bill, 1918,- was introduced by the Leader of the Council (Sir ■ Francis Bell), and read a first time. Under the Legislative Council Act, 191-1, Section 23, explained Sir Francis Bell, special provision was made with regard to the term of appointment of members of the Council after tho passing of the' Act under which members were to bo appointed to the Council by election. It was then intended that the term of such appointments should expire- on July 1, 1921. The object of Section 23 was to ensure that no appointee other than a life member should remain in the Council more'than (approximately) three years after the first 'election of members,-which in the ordinary course would have taken place at. the end of the year 1917. When , tho National Cabinet was formed in 1915 it was part of the .agreement of the patties that the Act should not come into force until after the war. Amendments to , the Act were made in 1916, tho date for coming into operation of tho Act being fixed for January 1, 1920, and the date for the termination of the new members'appointments being January 1, 1924- By reason of tho further postponement of the general election, and . the continuance of the war, it has become . necessary that a further, amendment should be passed this - session extending, the date of the coming into operation of the Act. The effect, of the Amendment 'Act of 1916 ,was.to limit tho term of appointment of a number of members recently appointed to the Council to / somewhat less than six years. It is now ' considered undesirable to continue the process of extending by consecutive amendments the date of coming into operation of the Act, or to continue the creation of different terms of appointment for members of the Council. The present Bill, ' therefore, provides:—(a) • That the Act shall come into force on a 'date to be appointed by the GovernorGeneral by ' proclamation; (b) that such date shall be not less than one year after the date of the gazetting of the >procln- , mation; (c) that the term of .all mem- . bers appointed heretofore, and of all members, who may be appointed up to the date of the proclamation, shall ba uniformly; seven years. As the schedules defining, the electoral districts have become obsolete by reason of the recent reports of the Representation Commissions, it has been necessary also to provide that the electoral divisions shall be denned for the first election by the Governor-General-in-Council in accordance with the rules denned in' Section 16 of the Act of 1911. At 2M p.m. the Council adjourned until 2.30 p.m. on Monday, the Leader of the Council explaining that there might be reasons to make it advisable to meet on that day.