PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 11, 8 October 1919, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

. THE ESTIMATES COST OF LIVING AND PENSIONS COUNCIL AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS. Tub legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. BOARD OF TRADE BILL. The Statutes Revision Committee reported tlio Board of Trade Bill without further amendment. The further committal of the Bill was made an order of tho day for to-day. A DIVORCE BILL. OASES OF HARDSHIP. SIR FRANCIS BELL moved the second reading of tho Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill, the principal clauses of which mnko special provision to enable jivomen of British nationality who have been married to persons of enemy origin to obtain divorces from their husbands if their husbands leave New Zealand and remain absent therefrom for more than twelve months. (It is provided that the fact that tho husband may have desired his wifo to leavo New Zcalaud with him shall be no defence to a. petition.. In every case the petition of tlie woman is to bo granted unless collusion is proved.) Sir Francis Bell said that difficulties had arisen in tho case of Germans who after the armistice had returned to German territories leaving British wives behind. Theso Germans retained a right to require those wives to rejoin them and also, a right to have the children, sinco the wives had become German. The enlargement proposed to be made by tho Bill in the present divorce law was, it would bo seen, considerable. _ Piteous cases wero brought to tho notice of the Government when the representations that inspired the Bill were made. "A woman usually takes a husband for better or for worse," observed tho Loader of the Council, "but tliero aro cases whore it, turns out to bo a good deal worse than sho took him for." Tho cases under consideration wore in tho latter category. Sir Francis 801 l dealt with other points in tho Bill which have already been briefly explained. Tho Hon. O. SAMUEL believed in the need for such a measure as Sir Francis Bell had introduced. He regretted,.however, that further alterations in the present divorce' laws wore not proposed. Couples who actually wero separated completely so far ns true conjugal relations were 'concerned had tho prospect of living together for the rest of their lives because neither party would be guilty of tho nets essential to divorco in tho present state of the law. He hoped that in the recess tho divorco laws, would receive consideration by the Government, as they wero receiving consideration at lionia just now. The Bill was rend a second time. WOMEN'S RIGHTS. COUNCIL INSISTS ON AMENDMENTS. . A message was received from the House of Representatives disagreeing with tho amendments made by tho Council in the Somen's Parliamentary Rights Bill, and giving reasons for disagreeing. Tho Tcasous submitted were that the Bill as amonded would, if passed into | law, "creato a very serious anomaly, inasmuch as women would have the right to bo elected to tho House of Representatives and to sit and vote therein, but would havo no such right of election or appointment to tho Legislative Council until the Council Act, 1914, canio into operation." SIR FRANCIS BELL moved: "That: the Council insist upon its amendments. "The Hon. G. JONES said he proposed to try to show why tho Council should not. insist upon tho assertion of its privileges in that particular matter. Tliero was a big majority of mombors of the Council who. while very properly upholding the ruling of tho Speaker, would be very glad-would deem it a privilege-to vote that women should bo included in tho ranks of the Council. Ho was bound to come to the conclusion that tliero had been an infringement of the privileges of the Council, but he was of opinion that in comparison with the great issue Involved Parliamentary privilcgo was a moro trifle.- Ha urged that tho Council should tako the shortest road to achieving the object that tho original Bill had in view. If he were a member of tiio 'Government lie would lntroduco into the Council a measure giving to women the same privilege as was accorded in tho Bill that the Council had amended. Tho Council should not bo diverted from an object that, ho believed it favoured by a mew infringement of its privileges in "another place. . Sir Francis Bell, in reply, said that the message sent by the House of Representatives practically domed tno privilege of tho Council. Tho Council said, in obedience to tho guardian of its privileges, "You must send tho UM in another form, otherwise we cannot accept 'it." What Mr. ■ Jones had said had no bearing on the subject matter. "What is there left to us, concluded tho hon. gentleman, ".'.hort of ceasing to be a deliberative body, if wo do not say: It may be unfortunate, but wo are bound to act constitutionally and in accordance with the rule of Parliament which to tinguishes the privileges of both Houses. The motion was curried by eighteen votes to flvo. Ayes: Bel. Hardy, Buchanan, Geddis, Alison, Fleming, Potuki, Gow, Hawlce, Garland, Fisher, Thornson, Stewart, Earnshew Harris, Mac Gibbon, MacGregor, Samuel. Noes: Qrimniorid, Paul, Jones, Hall-Jones, l"u« Sir 'Walter Buchanan, Sir John Sin. clni'r, and the Hon. O. Samuel wero appointed a committee to draw; np reasons. • The committee reported: "That the Bill as passed by tho llouso of Represeiitattves does in respect lo tho words which tho committee has excised infringe the nrivileges of the Council as denned by the Hon. the Speaker of the Council; that tho reasons given by the House or Representatives imply that they insist upon siich infringement.' Tho report of tho committee was agreed to- , „.,„ The Council rose at .3.18 p.m.