Some New Bills.

Manawatu Herald, 27 July 1895, Page 3

Some New Bills.

The Municipal Franchise Enlargement Bill, which has luckily been refused its second reading, was a proposal to give a vote at elections of Councillors to householders, man or woman over 21 years of age who had been an inhabitant of the borough for one year, whether they paid rates or not. It also proposed that ratepayers, that is those who rebided out of the borough, but paid rates on property in the borough might vote, but should only be aU lowed one vote without consideration of the rates they paid. The Mayor's qualification was not thought necessary even to be hedged around with the above slight safeguards, but any person not being a householder, so long as he was an elector for the district the borough was in, and was a resident of the borough should be entitled to seek election. The Bill is a pretty sample of the pass some of our Liberal legislators have come to. The Unclaimed Moneys Bill has passed its second reading. It directs companies to keep a list of unclaimed monies exceeding £5 which has not been operated upon for six years open for inspection, and to notify such list annually and all monies unclaimed within two years of the gazetting is to be paid to the credit of the Treasurer of the Colony, and it ia open to the claimant at any time to apply to the Treasurer for the same. The Slander of Women Bill provides that words spoken and published, which impute unchastity or adultery to any woman or girl shall not require special damage (which under the present law is the. case) to render them actionable. The Defamation Bill of Sir Robert Stout'a read a second time on Wed* nesday night is a lengthy measure of 45 clauses to declare and amend the law relating to defamation.