THE ARMS BILL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 257, 24 July 1920, Page 8

THE ARMS BILL

, PASSED BY THE HOUSE DRASTIC RESTRICTIONS ' The 'Prime Minister moved the second •:readiiT?"of the Arms Bill in tho House 'of.''Representatives yesterday.' 1 He' said ;Hhat the Bill was largely a consolidating ' measure. , It contained provisions' that had hoen on the Statute Bcok for very ■ ninny years, as' well as: certain War - Regulations. Some of its provisions, adv.mittediy were drastic, but they had' .' been asked for by the police. Tho Bill ■ had been drafted last year at the request ,-of the Commissioner of Police, hut had /not been presented to the Honso owing to tlie pressure of work before the gen- ' . oral . Sinco theii it had been asked'for again, and it was now before : ' the House at tho special request of the ' Commissioner. The necessity for tho ; : Bill was proved by the fact that tho ' carrying of firdarnisand the, .use of fire- : arms hod greatly increased in Ihe Dominion in recent years. During the last two. years firearms had . been used in tight- murders or attempted murders, and. C-0' suicides.; Seventy people had been . injured by firearms. Automatic pistols had been used in fifteen casts. , Mr. Massey; mentioned certain crimes and tragedies. He said that the autoihatic pistol was a particularly deadly weapon, and its pessession was being made unlawful except in the cases of re_turned soldiers', who might secure permits through the Defence Department. A man who wished,t6 keep a revolver m his house for the protection of his lamuy would not bs. interfered with, but'tho 1 nan who carried a revolver without a, permit would get into, trouble. Owners of rifles and' shotguns would have to register, but there would lie no further ■^restrictionin the .case of shotguns. Per-, sons felling ammunition must be licensed nnd keep records of all ' '-Mr. Massey said that the provisions ■ already on the Statute Book were severe, • and the penalties laid down in tho older jaws were moro severe than these in the Bill. The carrying of revolvers -was moro common thin most people bc- " People, had carried revolvers even, within the .precincts of Parliament, ■' arid the police knew thai it. was not - •uncommon to 'find revolvers m tlio pockets of- men arrested for drunkenness. It was known; also,'that many persons in the ■. cities. possessed fire.jarms, which were, not required lor any lawful purpose. A- system or registration, was, proposed. to meet these cases, and the authorities were being ' giv.en power to proclaim areas _ within which firearms must not he retained. Mr.' A. M'Nicol (Pahiatua) the Government to .make .better provision than existed, at present for the supply of gelignite*to farmers. The people in 'the Southern Hawke's Bay district required gelignite in order to stump land and make available large supplies of. • timber, much needed_ as fuel. But the law provided that, gelignite must ibo carried in spring carts, nnd vehicles' of : this kind did not travel between Wellington and Hawke's Bay. Tho railway regula:tions',made it difficult to get the. explosive carried on tlite trains. "The, Bill was read a second time.and was committed forthwith.' ■ Mr. R., A. Wright suggested that the Minister should insert «in amendment to permit a reputable person to keep. an : automatio tfetol for defensive purposes. Some people liked to hifve a firearm for especially in lonely parts of ' the country. ', Massey said that such persona could keep revolvers,' but a'utonmtio pistols were considered to be very danger- ; oqs firearms. He said tho question was a very difficult one, and if the Bill should prove defective it could be . amended next session. ■'

Mr. Lysnar suggested that in up-coun-try places where - rifles. mere used by settlers for killing wild pigs, wild dogs, aiul, oven tor slaughtering cattle, it Bhbiild be made easier for them to procure'cartridges. He suggested that .justices of the pence or postmasters should be allowed to give permits, and that the applicant should not liavo to go. to the police. Mr. Massey said that applications could be made to the police 'by letter. . Mr. Wright said that the clause retrairing persons to deliver up automatic pistols might not be effective. Lawabiding people would give them up, but evilly-disposed persons might not. Mr. Massey said that the jclause. was necessary, and that without it the Bill would be worthless. ■ -. The Bill was reported,without amendment, read a third time, and passed.

. MEAT EXPORT AMERICAN MARKET AND THE TRUST. The possibilties of tlio American market for New Zealand mutton and lamb weTe spoken of in ttho House of Representatives yesterday by Mr. Field. He asked the Prime Minister whether thero. was any foundation for the rumour that the Government intended to discourage export of meat to America. ILe Urged that- the Governmen should keep this market free, as the prico to be obtained there was better than had boon paid in England during tho war. Mr. Massov said that the American market was free now so far' as New Zealand was concerned. Of course, tho freedom was controlled by .the fact that all . the New Zealand mutton and lamb had boen sold to the linporial Govern.ment up till June 30, and the Imperial Government could do what, it liked with the meat, As to the'future, the. moro markets that could be found lor oiir meat-and-other produce the better it .would bo for this country, whether-tho markets ; wer« in Amorica, or elsewhere. Of course, it was known to. the honourable momber that this.Houso had passed . •unanimously two years ago legislation ' intended to protect the producers of this country against the practices of tlie American Meat Trust. This was the position of "tlie" Goverhirieiii:' 'The.Setter the market, <ond ; thc higher thoJrictfs Obtained for our produce'tho 'better it . would be for the country, but he would ask the producers of Now Zealand to assisf; tho Government in maintaining the . to .which he had referred.