WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 7, 3 October 1919, Page 5

WOMEN'S RIGHTS

BILL AMENDED ATTITUDE OF UPPER HOUSE i Tho Women's Parliamentary Eights Bill was before the Legislative Council again yesterday afternoon. The Bill pnssod its second reading, and was committed. In committee it was so amended as to give women tho right to sit in the House of Representatives only. The Hon. Sir Francis Bell moved tho second' reading. Ho said that as lie understood the Bill would have to be amended in accordance with the ruling of the lion, the Speaker, ho would invite, the Council, in committeo, to accept such alteration as-the chairman, of committees should-suggest to meet the ruling. "It will b eunderstood, therefore," said the Leader of the Council, "that I limit mv motion in accordance with the. Speaker's ruling, treating this ns a Bill to confer upon women tho right to be elected to another place, and excluding the right of-nomination to the Council. Tho position is analogous to that which lately arose in-England, where the House of Commons, having determined that women should be admitted to the franchise, the Houso of Lords did not interfere in that decision by the Commons of their own constituency, 'but tho, proposal that peereases in their own right should sit in the House of Lords was rejeoted by the House of Lords. . The HOll. Sir' William Hall-Jones: Not as a privilege.; Sir _ Francis Bell: - It wag absolutely negatived' by the Lords. -The latter point! is of little importance, because that is< disposed of by the ruling of the Sneaker. The, question is -whether the Council. should intervene in, a matter which is primarily one for the House of .Representatives to determine. . ... I 'think that.'the Council will agree, that another place, the House of Representatives ..of s the people, 1 has, a, right, with which we 'should not interfere, to doclaro the'persons who should form the constituency to elect it; and for that reason sir, I move the second reading of the Bill, "in the confidence that the. CouniCilLlwill adopt .that'.course, whatever may he'"the, personal :sentiment.of any member upon the question of female franchise. The question is a larger one than .that. It is a question of-the-ex-tent to which ive may properly interfere in a matter which is within the funotion and-iurisdiction of another place, and in that respect I submit to the Council that the ' Council, following constitutional usage, should, apart from any personal predilection of' the 'members, adopt for another place,,the' constituency- which another place .has thought fit to determine to .be the proper constituency for its election." The Tide of Democracy, '■The, Hon. 0. Samuel , said . that , the words' of the lion.- the Attorriey-Goneral wore; deserving .of great, consideration; "I regret, however,' to say," he continued. "that I cannot quite concur in what I understand . the lion, gentleman lavs down as a rule applicable to 6ucli cases as this, and to practically all other oases of a like nature. Ido not think tha.t we can divest ourselves of responsibility on the .mere 1 ground' that the measure before us affects only the Representative Chamber. If- I could d0:S0 I should, not find it necessary to speak at all.on this Bill. I take it that the conclusion 1 wo should- have to arrive at if we abide bv\the views of the hon.- the Attorney-General, would be that practically we should all vote "Aye" on this occasion, whatever might be our own views as regards whether this measuro is or is not in the true interests of the people 1 of tins Dominion." The lion, jrentleman sketched the history of "his attitude towards the' female franchise, and gave his reasons for now favouring the Bill. "I unquestionably am now of opinion," he said, "that woman has a right as one l of the people to vote for a representative in Parliament, . . . and surely every elector must be eligible to he elected'.' I shall give my support to the Bill:in .the'form which it must take nt some time or other during the course of the debate: Ido not think it 'is to stem tho tide of democracy. Tho people must be at liberty to deleKate to its. representatives its powers. It ip the highest privilege of tho people that it should be able to 1 do. so. Tho people includes women that have already been made electors, and 11 consider this is only a proper and legitimate step to take-in ensuring tlio best inter-' ests of democracy." : ,

Motion Opposed. .The Hon. T, Mac Gibbon: I would submit that, ft Bill ruled to be irregular and nn infringement of the privileges of this Council should not be considered again at all. Personally, sir, my own opinions are against representation by wpmen in the Houses of Parliament, but apart from that I think that this Bill, after vour own ruling, and the very strong argument that was used against it, which you endorsed, should jiot be— The hon. gentleman was hot permuted to go further, as he was held to . be traversing a ruling of the Speaker. The Hon. J.. MacGregor : 1 propose to move the .following amendment: Tliat this Bill- be' laid aside, .011 the ground that its introduction in the other House wits an infringement—(lion-, members: Order! Order!)—of one of. the most important privileges -of this "House, inasmuch as it purports to alter its constitution. The Hon. the Speaker: I may at once sav I am not' prepared to accept the amendment, as it traverses a ruling- of th'o Speaker, which must be dealt witii according-to the constitutional method. Jlr.MacGregor: I submit to your ruling, .sir,. . , „ JIOII. members: Question! ■ Question.. The' Hon. 1 ,W..' Earnshaw said that he v/as going. to'vote against the Bill simply on the ground that he thought it 'unconstitutional and improper" .ior a Parliament that was "not representative, • - that was iust about to go to the country, and that had already extended its life beyond 'the proper period, to pass it. lhe niDfvsu:fe was too important,.and the Parliament iiud no mandate |rom the people, to pass it .- ' ••• . , , The Hon. Sir Francis Bell reminded the Council that the Women's Franchise Bill was passed at the end of the third session of the Parliament expiring m 1893; and without any mandate from the people. That Parliament of 1893 was iust about to go to the people when it passod a Bill that-was to double the. constituency. The Bill at present boI'ore the Council was nothing more than one widening the choice of the electors. The motion to road the Bill ft second time was carried by eighteen votes t live. .Ayes—Bell, Hardy, Alison, bushanan. Grimmond, Geddis, Fleming, Jones. Pntnki. Gow, Hawko, Hall-Jones, Garland. Fisher. Stewart, Louisson, binclair. Samuel. Noes—Earnshaw, Mae? Gibbon. Simpson, Tukino, Hams. The Bill Committed. The Bill was committed.. - The principal clause was altered to rend as follows:-"A woman shall not be 'disaualilied'by ssx or marriage irom being electcd ns a member of the llouso oi' Representatives or from sitting or vo:inir as n member thereof, anything to the contravv in the Legislature Act, l'A'S, or in any other \Vet notwithstanding. The Bill was reported with the above amendment. , The diHstion that the Bill bo read a third t'me was made an order of the day for to-daY. .. The 11011. Mr. MacGregor gave notice to move that the Speaker's ruling, upon his proposed amendment, to the motion for the second reading of the Bill be dissented from.