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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4534, 1 October 1875, Page 2

If Mr. Steward last evening did not attain the enviable notoriety of having pleased everybody, he at any rate may be congratulated upon having got as near to that Utopian consummation as it is possible for man to reach in a House of Parliament. It is not given to every member to introduce a Bill which shall i be begged by the Government, and by the leader of her Majesty’s Opposition declared to be a blessing to humanity ; yet such was the reception accorded Mr. Steward’s Bill to amend the electoral registration law. The measure is simply intended to provide that a man, instead of going to the trouble of claiming a vote, shall, if he possess the necessary qualification, be registered as a voter by virtue of being 'on the ratepayers’ roll. The discussion which took place was singular for the .unanimity which prevailed amongst the speakers, the only divergence of opinion being on the question as to whether it would not be better to allow the matter to stand over till the Government could frame a Bill dealing with the subject in detail—it being feared that if the law were altered before the next elections, some jar would occur. Hoivever, the second reading was unanimously agreed to. A remarkable feature in the debate was the vigorous lashing Mr. Cdthbertson administered to the Government for their supine conduct in reference to the Qualification of Electors Bill. He accused them of insincerity, and of playing fast and loose with their supporters, and it.must be admitted that his speech contained much of that occasionally unpalatable element—truth. Major Atkinson rose immediately afterwards, and without attempting to excuse past conduct, professed earnestness that evening.