THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 52, 30 July 1874, Page 3

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

f From a correspondent of “ The Press.”] July 2(5. The Gold Mining Bill was smothered in committee yesterday. There were twelve members present, the proper number fora coroner’s inquest, and it was consigned to its fate without regret by any of those on the inquest, save its putative father. The member for the Dunstan disgraced the House for nearly an hour descanting on the merits of the Bill,|and abusing other goldfield members. Any measure, however utile, brought forward by this gentleman mustjfall through. If any legislation is necessary on this head it must pass into other hands or those of the Government. Mr Shepherd arrogated that he had represented the goldfields for seven years, and was immoderately laughed at.

An Otago story is prevalent here among the initiated. The Premier, it is well known, has all along been opposed to provincial borrowing—even last year, when only provincial pressure induced him to assent to and battle for the carrying of the measure. This year Otago wanted a large sum of money, but this could not be allowed. After much chat and cogitation the Premier asks, “ Have you anything to sell ?” The answer is “ The Winton and Bluff line.” “ Will you sell it at valuation 7” Agreed ; and thus the difficulty is got over, and the wants of Otago provided for.

There is not much to write about this week. The Public Works statement was made last night, and has given general satisfaction. Indeed it is admitted on all hands that no better man than Mr Richardson for the post can be found. After the works statement, Mr Vogel moved the second reading of his Licensing Bill in a lengthy speech, which was mainly explanatory of the provisions of the measure. He was followed by Mr Fox, who made a speech which was warmly criticised. Those who agreed with him ‘on the subject say they never heard him to greater advantage, while his opponents declare they never listened to anything more rabid. He was particularly severe on barmaids, while the Premier as warmly defended them. As no report of the debate has been printed, I venture to append a hasty transcription of my notes, reserving until the Bill is in committee, when Mr Fox and Mr J. E. Brown are going to move a scries of amendments, my observations upon it. Mr Fox would not oppose the second reading, reserving his remarks upon the clauses in detail until the Bill was committed ; but he would like to point out some reasons why the Bill of last session had seemed inefficacious. The Act which he had proposed contained a provision which threw the responsibility upon the magistrates of collecting the voles of the people on the subject o f liquor traffic, and if that provision were acted upon gradually by the education of the people in temperance principles, the Act would be brought into operation, and give the people their right to control the liquor traffic. They were going to give all but manhood suffrage—[Criesof “No!”] —• and yet they were nut trusted to say whether there should be publichouses in the district, which was the whole difference between.his and the Government measure, as the 18th clause showed. He would do his best to

defeat that clause. Tfie Premier had dilated upon the necessity of good accommodation houses, and inferred that if the prohibitory clauses were carried out these houses would not exist. But the experience of Maine and other American States showed that such a prohibitory law could be set in operation without any inconvenience arising in the matter of accommodation or anything else. Coming to the present Bill, all would recognise the fact that there were many clauses which should not pass the House. In the first place all Acts passed by Provincial Councils were to be left to their operation, if not inconsistent with the present Act; and further on power was given to the Minister of Public Works to issue licenses for refreshment rooms on railways. He would seriously call attention to the fact that the directors of the Caledonian and other large British and American railway companies had forbidden the sale of all intoxicating liquors at their termini, urging that many of the terrible accidents arose front this cause. (Should not the New Zea-

land Government act in the same way. At any rate, the power of granting the licenses should be absolutely in the hands of the Minister and not only under his approval. He would propose additional clauses to the Bill in the form of amendments, one of which should be, that women memorialists need only say that their age was over 21 ; and another, in view of a late case at Wanganui, that every adjunct of an hotel, such as billiard rooms, should be closed by the hour fixed by law ; nay, he would go further and get rid if he could of all billiard rooms attached to hotels, which were a snare to the worse sin of drinking. Another of the adjuncts of hotels were barmaids ; he would try to carry a clause prohibiting the employment of barmaids in any part of an hotel for the distribution of liquor, unless they exceeded the age of thirty years. The hon member for Waikaia had introduced Jast session, to his honor and everlasting credit, a Bill regulating female labor, he (Mr Fox) would like to make that Bill applicable to barmaids. He would call upon thciHouse to aid him in striving to effect a reformation in the drinking habits of the day. Mr Vogel regretted exceedingly that the debate had been conducted to such an extent outside the Act. He was sensible that many points that had been advanced required a few words from him. One of these was that, every person in the community should have the power of voting as to whether a certain house should be closed, to which possibly some objections might be raised by a few ratepayers. Then they had the question of female franchise. It had been urged that refreshments should not be sold at railway stations, and he asked the hon. member w'ho brought this proposition forward, whether it did not look very much like tyranny instead of the freedom of which he had spoken ? Why in the name of common sense, he asked, should they endeavour to refuse to those who travelled on the lines of railway of the colony what they required in the shape of refreshments? Why should they bo told they should not have what they had been used to perhaps for years. ? Were the refreshment rooms closed, the result would be that instead of drinking glasses they would drink bottles. [Hear.] As to the question of barmaids, he presumed the hon. member for Rangitikei had had practical experience on the subject. | Loud Laughter.] As far as he [Mr Vogel] knew of them, they were a very deserving class of young women, many of whom supported their fathers and mothers out of their earnings. With regard to the 18th clause, which aimed at preventing the necessity of publicans attending a Licensing Court in the event of no opposition being made to the issue of his license, he could only say that the Government had put in this provision in order to give some favour to a class of persons who were both hardworking and respectable. [Hear, hear.] As to the Licensing Commissioners, they had appointed to 300 districts, 1200 licensing commissioners, because they were not of opinion that the onus of decision should be thrown on the Resident Magistrates. That opinion he could see no reason to alter. He would say this : If hon members or others outside the House could bring forward any measure which would deal with the crime of drunkenness, the Government would be prepared to deal with it. If he saw his way to do it, he would make very stringent laws on that subject. For instance, if a man were wasting his substance in notons living, he •would, if it were possible, see that the whole of his property was given into the custody of his wife, and that if necessary he was incarcerated in an asylum until such time as there was reason to believe that he had sufficently recovered from his mania. But he believed that out of every 100 persons who landed in the colony, there were not five who could be fairly termed habitual drunkards. He thought the House would be convinced that the Government had been justified in dealing with the matter on a moderate basis, and that they had avoided all extreme doctrines. He could not see why people should be given irregular power more under this Act than any other.

Good progress was made with the estimates on Friday. There were two very interesting discussions—one raised by Mr Macandrew, asking if the Government intended to make provision this session fora Surveyor General, and receiving a reply in the affirmative. It appears that the Government have found the greatest difficulty in carrying on surveys in the North Island, owing to the jealousy of Provincial officers, and from the fact that surveys overlapped each other. Particularly was this the case in W> 111 infirm province. The necessity for the appointment of a SurveyorGeneral is admitted, but it was opposed by some on the ground of cost, and by others because it will lead of necessity to the colony assuming the control of the waste lands. On the latter point Mr Reader Wood and Mr Bunny expressed strong affirmative opinions. Then Mr Carrington— a practical surveyor who has given a largo amount of attention to the subject—says it will cost a million; and esir Cracroft Wilson holds that the amount will be nearer six millions. Of the necessity of the colony undertaking the surveys of the colony and putting an end to the inaccuracy that is complained of so much now, we have the authority of the Conference of surveyors held in Wellington last year; and if anything else were needed it was supplied by the facts brought forward in this debate by Mr Fox, Mr Brown, and Mr M'Glashan. The former has been in the colony almost since its formation, and has not yet received his Crown grants, because of the defective surveys of the district in which his estate is situated. Mr Brown instanced two or three cases of grossly inaccurate surveying in Canterbury, and Mr M'Glashan was able to show by personal experience, that he hud

only recently lost two acres of land from the same cause. The feeling is general among North Island members that the sooner the Government came down with a proposition to abolish Provincial surveys, and that the colony should undertake the work and also the control of waste lands of the Crown in the North, the better. Mr Vogel disclaimed any intention of dealing with the land question ; but if he were to do so in respect to the North—for after all nearly all the laud in that island is General Government property —there is little doubt he would have a majority of the House with him. The other matter referred to in the course of the discussion of the estimates, was the desirability of the colony assuming the control of the police in the various provinces. Mr Fox raised the question by stating that under the existing condition of things the police were independent of the magistracy, and complained that in his district the “ great unpaid” were not respectfully treated by the men in blue, lie referred to the experiment that had been carried out in Auckland, and said he was sure if it were generally adopted the change would be welcomed by the colony. As to the relationship of the police to the magistracy, Mr Sheehan quoted Judge Richmond to show that the Superintendent had no control over them other than financially, and that they must obey the magistrates ; and as to the abstract question, he and Mr O’liorke were at one in saying that Auckland was not satisfied with its police supervision being in the hands of the colony ; while, on the other hand, Mr Wood was equally sure if the large towns of the province were polled, it would be found that an exactly opposite opinion was entertained. It will bo remembered that in my last I noticed Mr Gillies asking the Government about some despatches sent by last mail to the Agent-G- neral, which Mr Vogel promised should be laid on the table very soon. Over a week has elapsed since that promise was given, and yet there is no sign of the papers. If ths Government is to be believed, the despatches are very important, for it says it is notorious that they relate specially to the La Hogue. A great deal of valuable information concerning the working of the Agent-General’s department was obtained from officers of that vessel. The same facts which were communicated to the Government were also the subject of general couveisation, and it is no secret that the Premier expressed a strong opinion on the facts, and openly announced his intention of something like an explanation on the subject. The withholding of the despatches is certainly strongly commented on, and I note that fact, but 1 imagine the explanation is that the Government printing office cannot overtake the work. There is no end of rumor in the town about what is doing in the House, but very little is reliable. The Ward-Chapman committee has done little else than summon up the two Judges. It is regarded as unnecessary to summon Mr Murison, editor of the 41 Daily Times,” until the Telegraph Act is passed, because unless he is protected from the consequences it is useless to expect him to give answers that are likely to criminate himself. It is stated that if the Government carry their proposal for the appointment of a Surveyor-General, it will be offered to Mr J. T Thomson, Crown Lands Commissioner, and for many years chief surveyor of Utago.