PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3769, 13 July 1907, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

Major Steward’s Legislative Council Election Bill passed its second reading stage after a fairly lengthly debate by 40 votes to 29. Mr R. McKenzie moved the second reading of the Noxious Weeds Amendment Bill. A division was taken without debate and carried by 41 to 28. On Thursday the New Zealand and South African Customs Treaty Ratification Bill (Hon. Millar) was read a first time. The Trustee Act Amendment Bill passed its second reading. The Marriages Validation Act Amendment Bill was killed on the second reading. Mr Laurenson’s Divorce Act Amendment Bill, which seeks to make seven 3'ears’ continuous confinement in a lunatic asylum grounds for divorce, passed its second reading by 49 vote? to 20. Mr Laurenson without comment, the Law Practitioners Act Amendment Bill, which seeks to make it legal for any person of good moral character to conduct, prosecute or defend any actios, suit or other proceeding in a Magistrate’s Court. Mr Fisher intended to support the Bill, as the legal profession was a close corporation, and its profession aimed at keeping it so. The Bill was for the purpose of reducing lawyers’ charges. Mr Wilford said under the Bill any person acting for another in the court could charge whatever he liked.

Mr Laurenson, replying, argued that in the Arbitration Court it had been proved that cases progressed better where lawyers were not employed. If the Bill became law it would certainly do a great amount of good. The second reading was carried by 39 votes to 30. The Premier introduced the second reading of the Public, Trust Office Amendment Bill, having for its object the giving of authority to the Public Trustee to deal with the properties of persons who left the colony without leaving anyone in charge of their affairs, and who could not be found. —Carried on the voices. The Hon. Fowlds, in introducing the second reading of the Pure Foods Bill, stated it was the same as was submitted to the House last year, with minor amendments. The present measure was the result of a study of measures that had been adopted in other States and countries. It had been found that in the sale of foodstuffs many articles were sold which were not what they were represented to be. He instanced the case of a muchadvertised brand of condensed milk, which, on examination, proved to be onty skim milk and, in fact, life was endangered thereby. Many manufacturers had expressed themselves in favour of legislation in the direction of preventing the flooding of the market with articles that were not what they seemed to be. The question of the milk inspection and the weight of bread came under the Bill, and the indulger in Scotch or Irish whisky would also be protected from having a chemical compound sold to him as the genuine article. Mr Wilford said the articles sold in tins of coffee, mustard, etc., should be marked with the net weight of the contents. In many cases the purchasers of a pound of coffee got only 13 ounces, the balance in weight being taken up by the tin. Mr Fisher congratulated the Minister on the introduction of the Bill. If the Bill had only been intended to deal with decoctions sold by the liquor-sellers of the colony, which in many cases seemed destined to poison consumers, it deserved the thanks of the people of the colony. The second reading was carried on the voices.