WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3930, 29 September 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[By Telegraph.]

(From our own Correspondent.)

m ju . Wellington, September 28. Ihe debate on the Qualification of Electors Kill was very discursive. The mining representatives were pretty equally divided. Sir G. Grey, and Messrs Fitzherbert and Holieston severally appeared in the roll of the miners' trienrts, umn- the continuance of their special franchise, the necessity for which Messrs Pyke, Meivyn, Harmon, and others answered wa So J J 0 " 10 ™ 1 * e *l'"« goldfield*' members c " " Sly ° f b ° abHBPS thc I'rcsent hystera oncDurap-i, Mr Mervyn instancing a c-se m Pttgo where a body of miner, living ™ one side o a river voto-j. and then crossed over °° dy ° n tho ° th <* "**> «*

Mr Cuthbertson went int, figures showing that there were persons in the Colony above twenty-one years, y e ( tin re were only the varans electo-al rolls. There were 2o,(X)0 diggers lu the Colony on whom the State forced the franchise.

Mr J. L. Brown, on whom anything like manhood suffrage acts as a red rag on a bull, i-'iti lull tilt at t.'io Commissioner of Customs and his pet hobby, cinying his hostility to the principle of the Bill to the length of threaten mg to move an amendment extending the franchise to every woman and child in the Colony. lie considered women the most conservative part of the papulation, and that such a check was needed against what would be nothing more nor than mobocracy. air idea of the Bill is that it is supported by y omo imin \ K . rH oat 0 f reve nge .01; having been d.-featcd by the votes of tlio mni.Trf Getting rath-,r warm, he stigmatised u* traitors membois suiting the Bill ; but the Kurm vief very thba ftU(l Qj e mertt berß ro«

ferred to could afford to take no notice of s*oh unparliamentary remark-'. The Bill is pretty certain to pass. The House was in a temper which would have delighted Joe Hume last night, when it refused an increase of LIOO a-year to threofficers of the Legislative Council. Mr Pavelitch does not figure successfully before Parliament. During the early part af the session he presented threo petitions!—one seekin? encouragement under some Act that docs not appear on the Statute Book for his piggery ; the second calling for a change in the law relating to pawnbrokering; and the third calling upon Parliament to place the social evil under police and medical surveillance. Ihe Public Petitions Committee treated the whole of the petitions very summarily. In discussion on the Evidence Amendment Bill, Mr Pyke expressed his earnest desire to see the law so amended that conviction for perjuiy should be hedged around with less difficulties, and, in the course of his remarks, said he thought a man wh o was proved to have sworn falsely, even on points immaterial to the issue, should be deemed to be guilty of perjury within the meaning of the Act, and be amenable to the punishment provided for that offence. The Minister of Justice, in reply, urged the difficulty in the way of changing the law, and pointed out that if a man were indictable on light grounds, witnesses would be constantly open to prosecutions, the result perhaps of vindictireness. The Government, however, intend to again test the feeling of the Corniuittie on the subject by placing an amount on the Supplementary Estimates. Ministers evidently felt decidedly uncomfortable last night when the ittm of Estimates, "confidential clerk to the Treasury (secretary to the Pr rcier) L 400," was under discussion, attu inquiry was made as to whether the officer in qucsii on was Mr E. Fox, and, if so, whether he was not W on "'y described. On this arose a discussion, wlnJ.' l - « s the ' Post' observes, was decidedly and metrucive, if not pleasant to some of the pities eonoeined. Mr Reid'u inquiry whether any of the Ministers thought it right that such a trip should be undertaken without the kn-.'wled%e of Parliament, elicited the frank reply front .Major Atkinson tha 1 -, without expressing an opinion ;»s to the past, he thought it would be wrong in future for any Minister to go Homo without informing Parliament. This opened up the question of Sir Julius Vogel's mission and its cost, and some very plain speaking was indulged in. It was elicited that in addition to his full salary, and payment of all actual expenses of transit, Sir Juliu3 has since the 12th of S-ptembcr last been drawing an extra allowao.ee of four guineas a day, and this whether engaged on actual service or travelling for pleasure through Italy, or sojourning for his health's Siko at tho German baths. Sir D. M'Lean, when remarks were becoming rather personal, made an appeal to the sympathy of the House, urging that Sir J. Vogel's illness criticism, arising as it did from over-work in the public service. But for an assurance that another opportunity would bejgiven for discussing the whole question—viz., Sir J. Vogel's visit—there is little doubt but that a hot debate would have resulted. The Opposition appeared rather disinclined to postpone it, Messrs Thomson and Murray being particularly active in asking unpleasant questions. It is proposed by Mr Rrid to amend the 3rd section of the Female Employment Act of 1871, so thit in any factory or place where power-looms are tended by females, the provision of that section shall not preclude females from being employed after five o'clock, provided that females"shall not be employed more than eight hours during any day of twenty-four hours.

To-morrow Mr Bowen will ask introduce the Representation Bill. It_ will merely remove soma existing inequalities in representation, and the matter will not be dealt with comprehensively until next session. The Postmaster-General, on Monday, will propose a resolution to ratify the C'alifornian mail contract.

The Government will resist _ Sir George Grey's motion to reduce the duties on sugar, coffee, &c. The following was the'voting on^the'Qualification of Electors Bill : -Ayes : Major Atkinson, Messrs Basstian, Bowen, Bryce, Buckland, Cuthbertson, Gibbs, Harrison, May, M'Gillivray, M'Glashan, M'Lean, Montgomery, Paiker C, Pyke, Reynolds, Richardson, Shepherd, and Swanson. Noes : Messrs Andrew, Ballance, Bradshaw, J. E. Brown, Carrington, Dtenan, Fifzherherfc, Sir George Grey, Huntor, Ingles, K'tene, Kelly, Kenny. Macaiulrew, O'Conor, Ormond, O'Korke, Parata, Reeves, Rnid, Rolleston, Sheehan, Takamoana, Von der Hyde, Wakefield, Ward, White, and Williams. Pairs : For—Mr Bunny ; against—Mr O'Neill. The session will probably, close in about a fortnight.