PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 4171, 10 July 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

[Bt Tblbuaph.] (From our Special Correspondent.)

Wellington, July 10. In the House of Representatives on Friday. Sir J. Vogel, in moving the second reading of the Municipal Corporations Bill, warmly advocated the of women, anticipating good results from the softening influence of women being introduced into election contests.

Mr Stout said the Otago Municipalities would not come under the Act while there was plurality of votes. He opposed the idea of Mayoral candidates depositing LlO, and considered borrowing provisions imperative. There would be polls for loans from January to December, and it would be better for the House to limit borrowing to a certain amount.

Mr Ballance could not understand Mr Stout’s change of front. Last year he was one of the most enthusiastic advocates of his (Mr Balance’s) Municipal Borrowing Bill. A poll would be a better check upon borrowing than any limit the House might fix. He fully approved of the female franchise, which was not new. He was opposed to pinrality voting for Mayor, and to the principle of public meetings only being held under license from a council; but he approved of the LIO deposit. As to loans, a bare majority of ratepayers should be sufficient; but, above all, majorities required under all the Bids now before the House should be made uniform.

Mr Manders though t the Bill a great improvement. Referring to female franchise, he caused roars of laughter by saying he had seen a widow exercise her vote with far greater discretion than Mr Stout exercised his upon some absurd idea of party. Mr Pearce inquired if it would be the policy of the Government to resist applications to borrow by special Act* say for waterworks or drainage. Power to lease should be extended from twenty-one to fortytwo years. J Mr Sharpe, referring to the power of ordinary borrowing, said the rates should be tied up for more than two years. Mr Bastings commended the Bill, saying it was very much wanted. He agreed with Mr Stout that a great deal of it was not applicable to Dunedin, where, it was not possible to carry it on without special legislation. Plurality of votes for Mayors would meet with great disfavor in Otago. He warmly approved of the LIO clause, and would like to see it increased to LSO, and the principle extended to all elections. Mr De Lautour objected to the principle that ability to deposit LIO or LSO was to determine a person’s eligibity as a candidate.

Mr Button objected to the principle on which rates were levied. Though he was afraid the Colony was not yet ripe for it, he hoped to see some principle like this carried out. He had long held the taxing expenditure of capital and labor to be unfair, but a way of getting over the difficulty was to take the yearly value of unimproved , adding ten per cent, or whatever per centage the House deemed right to fix upon, making the assessment upon that basis. ° Sir J. Vogel, in reply, said the Government had merely taken the law as it stood at present in making a sliding scale of votes for Mayors. Mr Button’s suggestion would receive attention in Committee. There might be an advantage in extending leases from twentyone to forty-two years. Though practically expressed as twenty-one years, it was neither one thing nor the other, being too short for freehold and too long for many leaseholds. In reference to the question put by the member for Nelson, it was worthy of consideration whether there should be any power to borrow without the special votes of the ratepayers. The member for Wellington had raised an important question. It was impossible for the Government or the House itself to shut out the power of oouncda to ask for special borrowing powers, but at all tunes, upon consideration, the House might give that power unfettered bv anv previous decision, and this latter decision wouid take precedence of all others. It should be the aim and object of Parliament to allow this Bill to be worked on its merits inspiteofthedecisionof ratepayers. Of course drainage, water supply, and other useful works must be carried put, but on the other hand must be recollected the great facility for Bills in that House. Hit was quite favorable measures might be passed without the ratepayers having any immediate knowledge of what was going en beemg the ratepayers were so much coni cerned, the House should rather err on the side of giving ratepayers the greatest power. He was not prepared to say wbat view the Government will take as to the plurality of votes for the election of mayors, though there was no doubt there should be plurality of votes for the election of councillors.--(nsu , ). i They had the matter under consideration now in the case of the election of i lfman Counties, and the decision on that would be announced to the House in a few days, and he would net anticipate the discussion thereon. He thought e loan clauses of this Bill would work better than the Dunedin Bill—he did not know why it was not being made applicable to the requirements of the Dunedin Oration A great many provisions of the latter were <a“«y in to bye-laws. The House had always been willing to allow Dunedin to work under .* knew »° wwon why sucp a clause should not continue if it the desire of the Dunedin Corpora*-* „ ’ *** Loud cries of “Oh” and , followed this declaration anon* *n chances of tta, Sroedto f ” ““

ABOUT THE LOBBIES.

(From our Special Correspondent.)

Probable Sir George Grey will Mr°T B ni 1 Thames, in which case Mr J. M. Clark, whom Mr Bees defeated at the general election, will contest, and cerreamed for Auckland City West, ihe Municipal Corporations Bill is generally well received, and likely to pass with a few material alterations.