PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 182, 20 July 1900, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

[FBB PBBSS ASSOCIATION.]

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Thtjbsday, July 19. The Council met at 2.30 p,m, FIRST HEADINGS. On the motion of the Hon. W. 0. Walker, the Separate Institutions Bill and Education Boards Election Bill I were read a first time.

YOUNG PERSONS' PROTECTION. the Young Persons' Protection Bill was further considered in Committee. The first clause considered was No, j5, providing for the procedure when a young person is found loitering without control or for immoral purposes. The only amendment made was one providing that when a young person gave satisfactory answers he or she might be warned to go home, A new clause to provide that the l measure should have operation only within such districts as the Governor, by Order in Council gazetted, declared to be subject to its provisions, was agreed to. ■, On the motion of the Hon, W. 0. Walker, the Bill was reported with amendments.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. ,The Weights and Measures Act Amendment Bill was-read a second time, on the motion of the Hon. A. J. iCadman.

OlVlli SERVICE EXAMINATIONS. The Hon. W. 0. Walker moved the second reading of the Civil Service Examination Bill. He said its object was to give power to fix such subjects of examination in case of young civil servants as would really be of as>istance to them in connection with their own work, and also to provide that each department might have the privilege of selecting special Bubjects which were appropriate for its officers to qualify in. It was further proposed to raise from £IOO to £2OO per annum the amount of salary which a young officer could receive.

The Hon. T. Kelly supported the Bill.

The Hon. 0, 0. Bowen expressed the hope that great attention would be paid to the practical examination of civil servants who were likely to reach higher positions. The Bill was read a Becond time. The Council rose at 3.50 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wednesday, July 18, After the supper adjournment, The Removal of Women's Disabilities Bill was committed and thrown out by 30 to 25. Progress was reported on the Distriot Courts Act Amendment Bill, and the] House adjourned at 12.40 a.m. Thubsday, July 19. • The House met at 2.30 p.m. DUNEDIN TRAMWAYS. _ | In Committee on the Dunedin City and Suburban Tramways Bill, at clause 14 (debentures not to be sold at a price that will produce greater interest than ( 5 per cent.), an amendment was moved to reduce it to 4 per cent.—Lo3t by 44 to 13. The Bill was reported with amendments, read a third time, and passed, 1 CANTERBURY COLLEGE. The Canterbury College Empowering Bill was committed. A new clause enabling the Board, in conjunction with the Canterbury Agricultural College, to borrow by way of overdraft a sum not exceeding .£4OOO was moved by Mr. G. W. Russell. Progress was reported on the Bill with amendments. BILLS PASSED.

The Westport Harbour Board Loan and Greymouth Harbour Board Loan Bills passed through Committee without amendment, were read a third time, and passed. IN COMMITTEE. The Canterbury College Empowering Bill was re-committed. Clause 12, giving borrowing powers, was struck out. The Bill was reported, read a third time, and passed, GISBOKNE HARBOUR. Mr. Carroll moved the second reading of the Gisborne Harbour Board Further Empowering Bill, to enable the Board to borrow ,£20,000 to purchase a dredge and extend the wharf. Carried. SECOND READINGS. Mr. McQowan moved the second reading of the Thames Borough Endowment Leasing Bill, and Mr. Napier moved the second reading of the Auckland Harbour Board Empowering Bill, both of which were carried. THIRD READING. The Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Act Amendment Bill was read a third time. RATEPAYERS' DISABILITIES RELIEF BILL. On the motion for the third reading of the Ratepayers' Disabilities Relief Bill, Mr. Elatman moved that it be read that day six months.

The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment,

EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30. ALLEGED PROBOER ARTICLES. On the motion that the report of the Reporting Debates and Printing Committee be adopted in the case of Mr. Grey, Chief Hansard Reporter, Mr. Seddon said he deep'y regretted moving that the report be adopted and the necessity that arose therefor. He hoped the issue would not be clouded, but would be simply, Shall a parliamentary officer be controlled by Parliament, or shall Parliament be controlled by the officer? The subject matter and authorship of the writings were not in dispute, but it was iu actual defiance of the authority of a Committee of the House. The evidence taken showed that Mr. Grey joined Hansard on the ground that it would not interfere with his journalistic : duties. As to the statement that he ; (Mr. Seddon) had threatened Mr. Grey • with dismissal for writing letters to the ' Dunedin Mar, he gave an unqualified 1 denial. By a resolution of the House t the Spoaker was authorised to control i officers of the House, but there being < no Speaker at the time it was left to £ Parliament to deal with. He did not t personally interfere with officers of the I House, but if Mr. Grey took up the « positlw to #J ty m l# Mm &$ I

r House asserted itself. Mr. Grey admitted that he was cognisant of the decision of the Committee of last year that members of Hansard staff should refrain from writing political articles, and to continue doing so was an act of contumacy. Any other member of the Hansard staff might take up a similar attitude, which would ultimately tend to shake the confidence of members of the House in the accuracy of reports in Hansard. He did not wish to make a martyr of Mr. Grey, but only wanted him to acknowledge the mastery of the House and refrain when ordered so to do from writing on party or political subjects. Members of Mansard staff were not Civil Servants, and therefore the House had full control over them. The Committee recommended that no longer could Mr. Grey continue a member of the Hansard staff, and it was the unpleasant duty for him (Mr. Seddon) to move the adoption of the report.

Mr. J. Hutcheson was pleased to note the moderate tone of Mr. Seddon's remarks, but pointed out that Mr. Grey claimed the right under the written contract to be allowed to take work outside Hansard, and it was in pursuance of that contract that. Mr. Grey wrote the articles complained of. The agreement dated only six years back, and was made by the Premier himself. The report of the Committee last session clearly showed that Mr. Grey was within his rights when he claimed to be allowed to write after the duties of the session were over.

Mr. McLachlan thought it indiscreet that Mr. Grey should have written as he did. It was more an offence against the country than the House. Sill, he would be no party to dismissing an officer for such an indiscretion. _ Mr. Oarncross said the Committee did not arrive at the conclusion it did because Mr. Grey wrote as he did, but that he set the Committee at defiance. As an honest man, he should have, [ holding the views he did, resigned. * Mr. J. Allen said it was for political : exigency that Mr. Grey was to be sacrificed, and so that the Premier might take advantage of the great wave of patriotic feeling. A mistake was made at the first in appointing Mr. Grey at a small salary, so that he had to augment the salary by outside work. He contended that the Premier, in not seeing that the Oommitt9e's report of last year was carried out, tacitly acquiesced in the terms of Mr. Grey's ■ original appointment. Mr. Grey's indiscretion was not of such a nature as to warrant the Committee's repori being adopted. i Mr. Hogg said the last speaker was palpably trying to mislead the House. It was a disagreeable thing to do, but ; the Committee had a duty to perform, > and they bad done it. He deprecated the attack made, not ODly upon the Premier for dereliction of duty, but upon the Speaker in connection with the matter. Members of Hansard staff had quite a right to do private , work during the recess, but ho never j thought for a moment that they were , justified in employing their spare time , in traducing thiir employer. Th. l' writings of Sir. Grey wero of such a I. nature as must bring bira into conflict with members of the House, and iu . that cuss belief in the judicial performance of his duties as chief of the Hansard, staff would bo shaken. Mr. G. Fisher said the Committee > had affordod Mr. Grey every lopbole to escape from the blunder ho hid made, but he had shown such aspiri; " of hostility to the Committee trat no other recommendation than tint co.m to could have been made. If Mr, , Grey had first resigned his position ens could have admired tho indtpenduueo 11 speech and thought sought by Mr. Grey, but to denounce the action of Parliament and accept its Ealary wanot a proper position to take up. Mr. Collies siid the fp'.och just delivered wes forced to justify a lalsu position. He was ashamed to tbink that any man could write regarding the colony as Mr. Grey had done, but alii he could not interfere with tha right of everyone to free thought and speech, and he warned the democracy that meddling with those great privilege* would lead to its destruction. It were better that Mr. Grey should be allotved to continue to write his articles than that it should go forth to the world that this Liberal Farliamentsbould deny the right of aDy man to fiea thought and spaecb. He failed to see that Mr. Grey had set tho Committee at defiance, and would have despised him if ho had taken advantage of, as alleged, any loophole offered him by the Committer. Mr. Pirani thought it a farce that Parliament should spend hours over a matter that no private employer would waste a few minutes over. The motion was simply an attempt to (ell the people of the colony how loyal thoy could be. He contended that Mr. Grey was within his rights in doing what outside work he pleased. The only logical position for tho Premier and the Committee to take up was to determina the old agreement and reengage Mr. Grey on new conditions. He read an article from tho New York Times, and contended that there was nothing in it to warrant such a waste of time, and to use the Parliamentary machinery to crush a man for writing. It would be one of the worst day's work the Premier ever did if he violated the ' agreement, entered into by himself ' without the sanction of Parliament ■ and under cover of a Committee of the £ House. 1 (Left sitting.) (