OTAGO PROVINCIAL COUNCILREPORTING THE DEBATES (FROM THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES)

Evening Post, Issue 86, 19 May 1865, Page 2

OTAGO PROVINCIAL COUNCILREPORTING THE DEBATES (FROM THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES )

The following motion stood in the name of Mr. Mtillison :—": —" That inasmuch as the privilege of reporting the proceedings of "his Council has hitherto confined itself chiefly to the lucubrations of the honnrnble member ftiv Waikouaiti, this Council is of opinion that reporters for the press shall be excluded, or until the proceedings can be impartially and accurately reported." Mr. Mou at said that he had been jequnsted to move the motion, in ihu absence of the honourable n.fcmber for Waihola; but, in doing so, he must distinctly avow any intention of supporting the moduli. Air. Adam wished to have the ruling of • he Speaker as to whether the matter was not be} ond the powers of the Council. The Speaker : Upon what particular point does the honourable member ask my ruling ? Mr. Adah : As to whether the Council has the power to suppress reporters.— (.Laughter.) The Speaker ; I think I understand what is meant. It is in the power of! the Council to exclude all strangers ; and as reporters may be considered strangers, they may be excluded. Mr. Brodie seconded the motion pro forma; and it having been read by the Speaker, Mr. Brodie thought it would have been well if the name ot the honourable member for Waikouaiti had been excluded from the motion, and the matter had been dealt with as affecting the members generally. There were many country constituencies who looked to the press as the only record of the proceedings of the House j and who desired to ascertain therefrom in what manner and in what language their members might be able to express themselves, and who had influence in the House. From the reports published seeing how many honourable members were " cut down," it would be inferred that the honorable member for Waikouaiti was the leader of the House. He did not blame the honourable member for trying, by means of his paper, to elevate himself in the opinion of the country—it was, perhaps, only natural; but he (Mr. Brodie) must deny that the honourable member had the influence in the House which those who read the reports would be led to infer. The subject was a delicate one, and many members might not be bold enough to speak their opinions. It might be said that he was smarting under the infliction of enforced silence —that was to say, that many of the observations which lie addressed to the House never reached the public. That might be so. He did not desire that all that was said should be reported; but the reports ought to be such that those outside, who read the reports, could really understand what was done. He though the motion, having so personal a bearing, it might be well withdrawn. Mr. Adam believed that thtre was no one who suffered more than himself from charges in the Times of coarse speaking, vague speaking, and not speaking to the question —except, perhaps, the honourable member for Dunedin (Mr. Reynolds). But no harm could be done even by the qualified reports of some speeches that were published—no duub the public got the gist of what was done. He could oniy regard the uiotiun as a sort of skit intended to touch the honourable member for Waikouaiti on a delicate part; but he did not know whether it would succeed, as the honourable member was the most inse.isitive politician he had ever met with. Mr. Thompson agreed with a good deal of what bed been said by the honourable member for the gold fields ; but he did not agree with the wording of the motion, and he would move as an amendment," That in consequence of the partial and inaccut ate reports of the public press, of the proceedings of this Council, this Council is placed in a false position with the public, and its individual members in a false position with their constituents." lie thought it of the utmost inux rtance that every debute should be fairly represented. Of coure, tbe report could only be an epitome of the debate, but it should be correct as far as it went, and the several arguments used should have their legitimate position in the epitome. But honourable members were made to say things that they had not said ; and if notice was taken of it, it was often inaccurately reported. He thought the honourable member for Waikouaiti was himself the most mispresented. The honourable member wua in his place when any theoretical question or question of finance came before the House ; but he was absent

when any real practical question was to be brought on, The honourable member rarely carried any of his motions ; he was simply a member of the Council — there Mas nothing very particular about him.— (Laughter). But from the reports the electors of Waikouaiti and of the Province must think- that the honourable member occupied a very prominent position in the House. He could not see that there was anything so extraordinary about the honourable member as the readers of the newspapers must think. He should be very sorry to si c rej ortor9 excluded, though they might not always r. port things exactly —it was not to be expected that they should. Mr. Burns seconded the amendment. The Provincial Secretary hoped that at that late period of the session time would, not be taken up in considering the motion* He confessed that when he looked to the papers for some bright ideas uttered by honourable members, he did not find them reported ; and sometimes he regretted that the reports conveyed so inadequate an idea of speeches that it would have been better there had been no reports at all. He saw that there was half a line given to himself in the report of Saturday's proceedings ; and it was exactly the opposite of what he said. But he hoped that there would be no real interference with the liberty of the press on this matter. 'Twas true, 'twas pity, and pity 'twas 'twas true, that the reports should be imperfect ; but it would-be a greater pit y if the House should endeavour in any way to interfere with the liberty of the press. No doubt the thing would bring its own punishment, if one special member got advantages which the others did not. He trusted thal> After this expression of opinion, the House would let the matter drop. By permission of the House, the motion and the amendment, were withdrawn. The Provincial Council waa suddenly adjourned on Friday afternoon, in consequence of an announcement by the Chairman of the House Committee that the Provincial Engineer considered that the building and those in it were in danger. To understand what appears respecting the subject in our report of the sitting, it must be remembered that Farley's buildings, part of which is used as the Conncil Chamber, stand at that point of " the Cutting" at which Church (or Bell) Hill is the highest ; that in fact the hill is higher than the buildings ; and that there are only a few feet of space between the face Of the hill and the back wall. If a large portion of the banks should slip suddenly, it must crush in some part of the buildings ; and there are examples enough in Rat tray street and Maclaggan street, of what may happen in " eutiings," as a result of ruin. But the sudden adjournment of the Council proved to be not necessary. The appearances of danger, if any, and the Provincial Engineer's opinion as to them, were exaggerated ; that gentleman, when he had made a proper examination, gave a certificate that no danger existed ; and the evening sitting was safely held in the Hall.