PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 58, 8 November 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

Friday, NovVMnr.ri:, m LEGISLATIVE CC'JtVjt; [Pee Pbl sj Wellington, November 7. The Legislative Council met at 2.* The Public Revenues Amendmen Jill was put through all its stages. The Council went into committee o lie New Zealand Society of Accounl nts' Amendment Bill. The Hon. l< I. I). Bell moved to' omit clause 2, fo he purpose of substituting anothe lause. under which the Society ea illy* refuse to accept the resignatio fa member if certain conditions pre ail. The clause was added, and th Jill passed. The Council wished "God Speed i 1,0 Hon. J. R. Sinclair, who is lea* ig the Dominion to take, part in th eTiberations of the Imperial Trad 'onfereneo. The Council rose at 3.'25. HOUSE OF REPRtSENTATIVES.

The House met at 2.30. THE SECOND BALLOT. The Hon. F, M. B. Fisher moved the first reading of the Second Ballo: Repeal Bill. Sir Joseph Ward said that the Bib was a deliberate attempt to deny th people the right to return members to Parliament by an absolute majority The Government were afraid of the aeople because of the last elections. They were a hundred thousand vote: behind. . Mr A. H. Hindmarsh: It won't g< through this session. Sir Joseph Ward, continuing, saic that the Government should plac' >,beir ideas on. electoral reform hefor the people, but they were afraid to trust the people. They were afrai ->f the majority of the people of th< -ottntry. If they were not, why d> they,back down on the Prime Minister's own statements?

"Mr Massey interjected that he neyc ldvocated proportional representatio tor the Lower House.

Sir Joseph Ward insisted that h had done so. If the second hallo were repealed it should have a sHib stitute. The Government was guilt ,f .political cowardice in the matter. It was.afraid to act,on the dines pro , posed by itself.. !An act-.of g2 clause ivas proposed to b 0 repealed by- a ,Bi!' aft two 'clauses. iThe i Government; members /..•trembling K&> aspen! to'find oiitf vUie'theAHey rtmldtgefs b?tc j tlgiiM'oh aminbi'itfy vote.!. Q'lielcquh-J crv w : ould ; ndfc'go back'to the 'singi j a.n# would -Wkntheimen<wh > it 1 it. vtfhovi | yaiids -of pe > oi3le l 'in'tris^6wniV^ l des/if '. ed a majority to rule, and they pos; tively would not submit to the pre pmed-cha-nge without a substitute. H> would be satisfied with'a system o ! orie transferable vote, but he was surprised that the Government shouh 1 come down with such a retrograde pro

posal. J M r .f.Y SI , A"VWlft*4» ahtft the ren son Mr Masscy did-not. favor propor tioiflii J Ht»%a afraid tMfl W?d'''se'c'ure mor. representation in".the. House. \.H Mr Mkssey had then said that undo,, that.'system labor would 1 be • mo:v equitably represented, and now he ha' backed down. Mr T. K. Sidey agreed that the Lib ertds would Have repealed the Second Ballot Act had,they remained in office. but tliy would have substituted some thing else. Mr L. M. Tsitt was sorry for th price the Minister of Marine had t< pay for his association with the Cabi .net. He contrasted- Mr Fisher'; Radicalism' of a few years ago wit! his present retrogressive proposals. , Mr D. Buddo said that the experi ence of the Grey election, showed tba' the Government had but-one third ol the electors atvtheir back. Mr G. W; Russell said that lie wbulqbe prepared to see proportional sentation brought in, as, it would mosi assuredly more truly reflect public opinion, but he recognised that in go ing to the country such a system war. very difficult to .operate. He mentioned that in 1908 twenty-two candidates who were at the top of the poll in the first ballot did not succeed a' the second. At the 1911 election there; were thirty. The House resumed at 7.30. OTHER BUSINESS. Replying to Sir Joseph Ward, the Hon .W. F. Massey said that he hoped to inform the House on Tuesday what legislation the Government posed to go on with this session. The House divided on the motion to agree to the amendments made by the Council to the Public Revenues Amendment Bill, the voting being:— For, 32; against, 25; The Hon. \V. F. Mftssey moved to postpone the orders of the day in order to finish the debate, on the motion to iptrodijce the Second Ballot Repeal Bill. That motion drew Sir Joseph Ward to his feet with a protest against postponing the discussion on an important measure on the Order Paper. If the Government tried to put the Bill through ho could assure them that they would be there till Saturday nitjht. The Opposition had done so before, and would do it again. The Debate orooecdrd on the Prime Minister's motion to postpone the orders of the day to permit of the introduction of the Second 'Ballot Repeal Bill, the discussion developing into a mild stonewall, the Opposition having declared unrelenting Hostility to that

measure. The debate was continued until 12.35, when the question to put.

A division was called for, the motion being carried by. 34 votes to 22. The' Jlonse adjourned at 12.45 till 7.30 p.m. on Monday.