PARLIAMENTARY.

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 998, 17 September 1903, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL'. Per Press Association, WELLINGTON, last night. The Council met at ‘2.30. The Dramatic Copyright Bill was read a second time.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. BREACHES OF PRIVILEGE. The Speaker read a letter from Mr S' Saunders, editor of the Lyttelton Times, in reply to a resolution passed by the House declaring that a broach of privilege had been committed by that newspaper in publishing a certain article commenting on the confidential matters before the Education Committee. Mr Saunders regretted that a breach of privilege had been committed. He pointed out that part of the information contained in the article had been previously published by the New Zealand Times, while some of the statemeats were based on data obtained from Parliamentary papers destributed by the Government printer some time ago. He was not aware that the publication of the article would constitute a breach of privilege. Sir Joseph Ward moved that the letter be referred to the Privileges Committee, which is at present considering the New Zealand Times case. It seemed to him' that there waa not much breach of privilege so far as the Lyttelton Times was concerned. Sir Joseph Ward’s motion was agreed to on the voices without discussion. The House resumed at 7.30. The Companies Bill (Sir Joseph* Ward) was read a second time pro forma, and referred to the Industries and Commerce Committee. The rest of the sitting was ‘devoted to consideration of the Shipping and Seamen Bill in committee. The Bill contains 344 clauses. The unopposed clauses were first disposed of, and steady progress was afterwards made with the .contentious clauses.