PARLIAMENTARY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2878, 15 June 1882, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. . Wellington, June 14. ; The Council met rt 8 p.m. FIBST READINGS. The Corrupt Practices Indemnity Bill (Mr Pharazyn) and the Naturalised* Persons’ Children’s Bill (the Hon, Mr Whittaker, wero<read a first time. bill passed. Hie Corrupt Practices Preventiqn Act ,1881 Amendment Bill, was jead a third time and passed. ADULTERATION OF GOODS. Mr Chamberlain moved for a return, which was ordered, of all analysts appointed, the number of analyses, the results, and ,tho amount of all fines under the “ Adulteration Prevention Act 1880.” Mr Chamberlain said, from his own observations he knew that the Act not being enforced, especially against bakers, who adulterated largely with alum. EDUCATION ACT AMENDMENT BILL. Dr Menzies moved the second reading of his Education Act Amendment Bill, to provide for the reading of the Bible in schools. . The Bill was thrown oqt.by 11 votes to-10. The voters for the'Bill were:— Baillie, Chamberlain, Holmes, Menzies, Miller, Nurse, Pharazyn,. Richmond, Williams, Wilson. Against—P. A. Buckley, Eraser, Johnson, Lahmau, Oliver, Pollen, Scotland, Whitmore, Whittaker, Williamson and Wood. Tha Married Women’s Property Bill was recommitted and further amended.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ‘The House met at 2.30 p.m. NEW BILLS. . The following Bills were introduced and read a first time :—To amend the “ Nelson College Act, 1858” (Mr Shephard) ; to amend costs in certain cases in private Bills (Mr Hamlin); mining for other minerals' than gold (Mr Shephard) ; to amend the “ Band Act 1877" (Mr Eolleston ; Middle Island Native Villages Control and Regulation (Mr Taiaroa); to amend the n Licensing Act 1881” (Mr Sutter.) , , ‘training ship fob the colony. •. ; Mr Daniel moved that it is of the utmost importance that facilities should be* offered to the rising generation of the colony to be trained to maritime pursuits, and that, with this view, Government should endeavor to obtain from the. Home Government a vessel suitable for the purpose of a training ship. The Hon. Mr Dick admitted the importance of the object aimed at. He thought, however, the motion, as it read was premature’, and jnoved as an amend ment that the Government be instructed to make enquires of the Home Government as to a suitable vessel, the cost of maintaining the same, and likewise to obt’din information as to the number of boys likely to avail themselves of such a training. : ■ The House divided on the original motion—Ayes, 44; Noes, 29. The amendment Was therefore negatived, Mr Connolly did not think we required the elaborate vessel indicated by motion.He * moyedf’as a further* amendment, the omission of the words “Home Government.” He believed they would get a vessel in the colony suitable for the purpose. The original motion, as amended by Mr Connelly was put and carried. PENSIONS BILL. Mr Shrimski moved the second reading of the Pensions Bill, He explained that the- Bill was in many 'respects similar to one introduced last session, and which was so changed in the Legislative Council that the measure was eventually dropped. The part then objected to was now omitted. He dis-. , claimed all intention of interfering with just rights, but |he 'strongly objected to the way pensions had been granted in the past, ; Mr Eolleston warmly defended the Civil Service from the odium that was oast upon it, and expressed disapproval of several features of the Bill. The motion was carried after some further discussion. PROTECTION OF TELEGRAMS BILL. Mr Feldwick moved the second reading of the Protection of Telegrams Bill. It was a transcript of an Act in force in South Australia since 1863, where the ignoring of the law was a misdemeanor. Here, all that was asked was a peoubiary penalty. These telegrams wore got by the Press at great expense, equal' to .£3500 per annum. No protection was asked for New Zealand telegrams ; it was only for cablegrams. There were some papers in the colony which did not subscribe, and it was to prevent these papers pirating cablegrams that the Bill was framed. These cablegrams cost about one penny per word to each paper besides other agency , charges. Then, as the law Stood, any dishonest person could send them to non-subsoribing papers at the price of sixpence pot 100 words. The Bill was i

a measure only conceived in the in- • terests of justice and fair play. •Mr Petrie thought the. Bill curtailed the liberty of ,the Press. Mr Joyce thought the Bill was meant merely to strengthen the Association, already quite strong enough. : Mr Bracken approved of the Bill. After further discussion, Mr Foklwick said that instead of the Bill aiming at the liberties of the Press it aimed at the class of offenders who took a most unjustifiable liberty with the property of others. Reuter and the Press Association were two distinct institutions; He wished that to be distinctly borne in mind. There were small papers in the colony that got a subsistence in this dishonest way. There were cases in which a morning paper’s cablegram was published by a nonsubscribing paper in the evening. The one paper paid tor the cablegram and the other lived on suction. If the law of copyright was to be acknowledged at allj then it ought to be acknowledged in respect of newspaper publications. Reuter’s agency charged nothing at all for joining it. , * The House divided— Ayes, 31 ; Noes. 27. The Bill was then read a second time. PROGRESSIVE LAND TAX. Mr Turnbull gave notice of a motion affirming the policy of a progressive land tax on all holders of land of the extent of 500 acres. GEAKTS TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES. , The House went into Committee to consider an address to the Governor, praying he will recommend for appropriation this year the, sum of £6OOO for public libraries, and that in the expen. dituro of the money, if granted, the following should bo the system: —(1) That the Government should ascertain what amount of money had been levied and paid under the “ Public Libraries Act 1869,” and as soon as possible after the 31st December, 1882, deduct from the proposed vote an amount equivalent to the amount so raised, and distribute the same among the free libraries, in proportion to the library rates received respectively ‘by i each. (2) That the balance apportioned among the several Provincial Districts, according to population, and handed over for distribution to their - respective Education Boards, in terms of section 2 of “ The Public Libraries Subsidies Act 1877. The House divided—Ayes 26, Noes 32. Mr Sheehan moved that the first part Sf fhe resolution, as to the work of libraries, be agreed to. This was carried on a division by 39 tb 10 and the remainder of th© original resolution was then negatived on the voices and progress reported. ADJOURNMENT, The House adjourned at 1.15 a.m.