GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 36, 11 July 1874, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

(Her Anglo-Australian Hr ess Telegraph Agency. ) Wellington, July 10.

In the House of Representatives to-day,

The House went into committee, and considered the resolution for imprest supply of £250,000 for the payment of salaries, and the carrying on of the works of the Government.

The Premier said there was no urgent need, only he asked it on the gronnd that the money then spent was without authority. In connection with this question the Premier intimated that an alteration in the present practice of not discussing the estimates until after the financial statement was brought down was exceedingly desirable for promoting the despatch of business. The present practice was without precedent. Another usage had grown up of late years of members abusing'tho privileges of debate when in committee of supply by talking upon every conceivable topic, whether relevant or not.

The Speaker said that many great changes were made in the Imperial Parliament, Owing to the almost impossibility of overtaking public business, the privileges of members in regard to private business had to give way before the superior claims of the public. He honed to be able to propose soon as near an approximation fo the present practice of the iHouse of Gofhmons as would be deemed advisable.

The Premier, in moving the second reading of the Electric Telegraph Bill, explained that its chief object Was the making more effective the provisions against injury to telegraph lines, the protecting the officers of the Department from actions at libel for sending libellous telegrams. He thought the telegraph office should be looked .on as a piece of mechanism, the same as the post office; The {most important part of the Bill was in regard lo calling for telegrams for the purpose of inspection. The Act provides that telegrams should be producible only on the consent of the sender or .receiver, with the exception of general cases, where telegrams shall be producible on the decision of the Commissioner of Telegraphs. It was very hard to have to bring in such a measure at all, because it had not been found requisite to do so in other countries. It was clear that the practice had lately been growing up in New Zealand of attempting to make the telegraph office the medium for obtaining legal evidence. Not long since a great innovation was made by an order of a Judge of the Supreme Court to inspect all telegrams without particular ones being specified. The Premier referred to the case of Macassey v Bell to show the danger of the practice of ordering the production of telegrams, by affording an opportunity for a legal practitioner fishing out something upon which an action was might be founded. It was obvious by the conduct of the Judges at home, as- shown by several recent eases, that they determinedly set their faces against the practice of ordering the the production of telegrams, and had positively refused to grant an order for that purpose. It was unsafe to allow the matter to rest in its present unsatisfactory state. The whole question should be finally put beyond any doubt by legal provision. Their principle object should be the placing of telegrams on the same footing as letters. He hoped the time was not far distant when fac simile telegrams would be sent by a process which should not require operators to read telegrams at all. A plan had already been tried on a small scale successfully.

Mr Fox hoped the Government would at once secure the public by laying it down that telegrams should not be kept, if, as the the Premier said they would soon not have to copy telegrams at all. Better recognise the principle'at once. It was desirable that some precaution should be taken to prevent secrecy of telegrams being violated. At present the operators were liable to heavy penalties for divulging the contents of telegrams, but there was no penalty upon a third person outside the department who became acquainted with the contents of any telegram and divulged them. He would move an amendment that would remedy that. The Government should also endeavor to devise some means by which the primary offerdcr in divulging telegrams should be traced, even to indemnifying the party giving such information, as was done by the commissioners appointed to inquire into the Trade Union affairs at Sheffield.

Major Atkinson said the House agreed as to the necessity of such a Bill, but it seemed to him if the desire was to assimilate the telegraph department to the post office, a good plan would be to compel the operator m soon as ever a message was taken off to enclose it in an envelope addressed to the peison and then put it in the post office.

Mr T. Gillies would not oppose the second reading, but thought the measure contained considerable of what he called panic legislation. He failed to see any great necessity for legislation on the matter, because the general practice of the judges at home was decidedly against ordering the production of telegrams, except on a very rare case. The suggestion of Major Atkinson simplified the whole question, and ought to receive the consideration of the Government.

The debate was adjourned till Tuesday, Mr Reynolds gave notice of a motion of his intention to move the House into committee of ways and means on Tuesday, to consider the following proposition:—After July Ist, 1876, to make the duty on colonial distilled spirits 7s ; after July Ist, 1876, 8s ; and after Ist July, 1877, 9s. Mr Wakefield has given notice of motion in favor of a property and income tax.

Leave of absence was given to Messrs Luckie and Creighton for ten days, and to Messrs Rolleston and Montgomery for a week each.

In the Legislative Council Mr WatEkhouse’s motion that there be no further increase of loans was postponed till Tuesday.