PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 235, 31 October 1903, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

per mas association, 13 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Fujoay, OcrouEit 30, !' Thg Council met; at 2,30 p.m. k The Imprest Bupply Bill was put fi through all B"n«as. 11 Hon. W. C. F. Uarncross commented ■ upon the h'eh rates of the Accident 1 Insurance Office, and charged ihu Go-J' vernment wi h having entered into combination with tne private Com-| pmls and establishing a ring with tho f result that thn public c mid not got tho 1 he. t-fit of 1 he Aut ; that they hud been t led to exprc*. ' The Attorney-Gen-r.il deniad the ' Government hid form'd a ring as ! alleged and deol red the charg r, were ' no more than neceswry. The Govern- ' meat Ofli '0 was the only one that made f a profit last y«ar, and then only £6OO. 1 Han. D. Pinkerton presented the : reporo of the committee appointed to < inquire into tho publication of certain f evidence taken before the Libour Bills : Oommittee, which found its way into < the columns of the Evening Post. The 1 report stated that H. Field, ona of the ' Employers Association's witnesses, ad- 1 mittcd giving the information, but did ! it innocently. ' H »n. A. Pitt moved (hat a breach of 1 privilege had besn committed, but t hat 1 under the circumstances no further action be taken in the matter, 1 After some discussion the motion was carried. The Companies Bill was read a second time and referred to a Select Oommistee. The Council ro?a a* 3.30 p.m. HOUSE OF KE PKESsEIN TA TIV ES. Thurs£>al, Ootobar 29, After the Telegraph Office closed the Imprest Supply Bill passed its final stages. The House rose at 1,15 a.m. Feidat, October 30th, The House met at 2.30 p.m. Agricultural and Pastoral Socie'ies Amendmnnt Bill (Duncan), was intro duced and read a first time. The Speaker ruled that the.raewgfi receivod from the Legislative Council on the previous tvening, with regard to the S'ate Fire-Insurance Bill, was in order, and whs nut an infringement of privilege of House. THE LIOEKBISG BILL -A LIVELY DEBATE. At 2.45 Mr tfeddon moved the second r«*ding of the Licensing Acts Amendment Bill. He said his exptc tat.ions that, if he brought down the Bill it would not please either party hud be=n more thin realised. The Bill had no - ' men with approval by thy Tem perance Alliance, and it certainly iioi suit the liquor trade. He had •- d a'oim-d t;> settle the vexed and diffi cult question to the -a .i;factio6 of h* jr&i'.i m of p ople of the colony, but Government had received no credifrom anyone, and this mu.-e his task al the more difficult. He bop?d to b > able to show the House and country that the Bill was in the best interests of tho people. It contained amendmants asked f.:r by both tempei ar.ee party ;ind tho trade, the most reasonable amendments sought by both. Mr Seddon went on to refer to the uomor--ault of the Tempsrsnca Alliance. Tha f body, by its latest ufcti ranees, showed hat it was not the sale of liquor, but the existence of hotels that it objected to, and Mr Seddon contended than that attitudo was opposed to traditions of true temperance reformers in this and ither countries With regard to th> proposal to prohibit-, tho k>K<ping (f iiq ior o'i private premise* i<< pivhioiteil Ustricts, bo baid.that the pos'tion would be absolutely logical. The law should apply evenly to all, and it was not right that the select faw should be allowed to have liquor in their own homes, ■vhon the masses could not obtain it Fie contended this proposal was consistent w;th what he had understood to be the demands of th 3 Prohi oition Party, and cemplained that now he propwd to give legitditive effect to it th>*t party was first to vvile him. In effect they said now that they were not aversi to drinking, But to license to sell drink. The position they now took up was utterly illogical, and he pointed out that exclusion of liquor from private houses in prohibited areas was the polio 7 of 'he Temperance Alii ance in 1896. It was true that it meant into ference with the liberty of the tubjec". In was time that the 1 quor reform was taken out of the (B t ;ion of our politics, and he said in ;his Bill the Govarnm int had cancelled almos: all that had been afk.id by pro hibitionis s. Ths p?op!«, ho wont on to say, contend they should b.i the ones to 6ay how ofteu the local option p o'l •hould be taken, : and that provision was contained in the 811. Ho declared that ths Bill wns not to be regarded as a pirty question, and he asked tho to opproich the question with the determination to pa-s it through a peifecti measure. H« th-n went on to review tho various clius s of the Bill in detail. 3, whic?i provi ies that thH only questi n "0 bn| submitted for the de ei mma i n of the electors, slull be whether lie ns >s shall bH s;ra"'t A in tin dis'ricn wis, hn siiii, a-k-d f r by the leaieis of r he t-mper at.ca par-v. Tr»n tr.irio had ugil tli.t the lit«n<-iiig poll i-h m!J bo takiin o-.iy an every aiterrnt' g»n<T«l olec'ion, but ' the Gov«>n uent had not conceded th<vt. ! in trie Bili an! hr.il toft tho issue 1.1 ' t'lo p- j up'o to decide. Tn« Go.' tiiih fit 'did s'.o'; lay v.'ry aveat btros? 011 clause ; 12. which prop-wed »o mflk-i provision,, for an in iviso of licenses where i' tho pup'ii ition h:d juid'vniy iriero^el.l 1 Ho could nrv; see why there s'>ou!dj be any 0 j --cioti to nttyor ;u,d county! 1 chiiim.n having a se-*c on lice>si'U'!, commi'.ties. The nravision in r.-gard j ro d)s.;t«itionary pow--r us to ondo>Mi-l. m.HiTi of i;cen-»a -by magistrates lud! bi en nuked for by rn-, pro obition party, j 1 and ic was bimp'y g i g b ck to < !.e f law of 1881. Clause 22, deding with ' removal of 1 pse i s, ws 1 ' oth 'r 1 proposal than cuhh fr m tio h partii s, sa ulso was cl us..: 25, makma c found 00 ln'oU'Cv' aft r' 1 hours eqn t'lv h ble wiih the lie »«-•. As to miother of tin B 11, he 1' Paid th.n wheru l»r>jo t-uniß of uiouev ! 1 wore ordered to boexpei:d.i.i on . ho el'< to giv.< etlVct to >he icqui" menrß of , £ the peoi>lo of the oisl.iic , it ppeuvd to iiim f o be ui.f.ir i.ud uiijiixt) 1 hat.} bcforo the ini,)> i.v .uOirs 'vero c -.a-1 pleted tho ptopie k! odd ciiannn mini's, .-i.e.! in'l.vniut.ls be made to! 1 t-ullor nvid uj n.i::e i. Ho had not Miid !' any thinabout compensa 'ion, but j' thought \liig in sue , c.is-b thi-y should [ 1 relii ve tr.at houso from tho thre - i. ye uly p ,11, Thu law rusting to tied S 1 h ' 'ii. i, hut; b (in ov ii d, litui it wmk tho •' < U-y Oi' • i.M OoV-'ValiiOlit to t" tf tlui' .t 1 v-..a c-il'jcfc im, lu 10 ihu 1 LviUg \Jul iliy 3 tiltii'e niUot I. j .t L'livU:vo

in the undesirable state of affiirs there, Mid until tho ('ommixsion proposed to bo sei up !m1 pren'nt d i'B report, lec'iosi 33 of ihe A-n of 1895 should ho t ••Jjic. d, and tin'- the Bi-1 proposed 0 do. With refojenc:• f.o the complaint of'he latee' igi; of tti >I ' wiou at which the Bill had been brought io, he <; ctended tho House was better fitted to deal with the Bill now thm at tho of the session. His ■ arnest 1 ndeavour was to do what w»s light, and he the Home wruli h p 'he Gov r ,nie tto g t something don« in the ma'ter of licm sing reform. Mr M..B<ey s &t-d that the Of<p7sitionhada free hind in regard to the 811, -un it was absolutely useless iutf.j it now when the House and (oor.iry was tired of business of the So sio'i, Speaking to the Bill he opfi md the licencing poll baing taken on ihci- ime d<y as the electoral pill and lie Mi.'gos'.ed that the loasl option poll i- : 'nt;ld be taU.-n through the Post Oitic . ihtre had been a great deal of ;■ inp'aint abou' of licensing |el-cti n?, and be urged that tho coet should be deducted from licensing feet and the balance dia'-ributed over the district in which the l : ctnses ware si'uatfd. He - did not agree with th« "No License 110 liquor " proposal. As to the King Oountry the Orown land* there were being more rapidly takeo up by Europeans, and those people had us much right to express their opinion on the question of licenaea aa their fellows in other parts of the colony. He should vo„8 against the Bill as he did 1 ot believe it wcu'd be possible to deal wi h it this session. Mr Fowlds said the author of this Bill deserved to rank as a man of genius, and if the Premier succeeded ia getting it through the House, it would be a crowning act of a great career end he added alto the closing act. The Bill had been br ught down to satisfy the publicatsand the no-license no grog proposal could only rise in the mind of one desperately desirous of bolstering up the trade. Hn suggested the title of tbe Bill should be altered to " a Bill to prohibit carrying of prohibition ia any district." Tbe trade was doing its utmost to get the Bill through its second reading, and if tbe Premier got a large majority on the second reading he would force the Bill through. A vote for tbe second reading waa a vote for the trade. He hoped the Bill would never get a chance of reaching the Upper H 'Uso. Mr McLichlan said the amendment of the law, as proposed by the Premier, was a backward movmont to take sway from the people tbe great charter of right conferred on them by Sir Wiliiam Fox. He went on to rt-f-sr to certain matters in connection with Premier's action in regard to the Licen' -inc Bill of 1896, and declaied thutthe Premier would do as he did then, and •ring down on the Supplementary Order Papi;r clauses which would neutralise the whole of th« claws in the Btl l in favour of ths temperance pirty. Sir W. Kuesjll end he would vote tor tho g cond r»ading of the Bill, If he Premier whs gei uine io hie desire to get tha Bill t hnugh he ought to it aide that to other Bill bs brought on ni'il it had pis-ed. If the Premisr iad courage to say that members should mset day after day until tbe Bill wu through"they would have evolved something out of the debate. He favoured he " No license, no liquor " clause, and aid the Rev. Leonard Isitt had informed him that the present movement . of the temperance party was only the initial step towards altogether prohibiting the consumption of liquor m ohe colony. Sir William said he would prefei to see a poll taken on national prohibition instead of local prohibition, as he tt ought that wu the only means by which they could get a true expression of rpinion on the subject. Cnere was, he said, a tacit that an long as a house was decently kepi the license would be continued, and, that being so, he was in favour of p lying compensation; hisidea being that there should bo a direct tax on each hotel, according to rental value, the nroc jfcds to be aet aside as a compensation fund, Mr Bedford contended the Bill was in th.) interests of the trade. Taking it clause by clause it gave no material coucHgßion to the no-licenae party, •vhils it put the liquor trade on a bettor footing. Tha Prohinii'in Party would be worse eft" if the Bill passed. The debite was ed by the 5,30 adjournment. Evening Kirnxo. The Hou?e resnmed at 7,30. Mr Bedford, continuing bu speech, eontxnded that it could not be stid . hat the Bill contained a single clause detrimental to the trade, while there were several clauses which, if they became law, would strike a severe blow *t 'he prohibition movement. Tbe principle* of democracy and of trusting he p ople were applied io the Bill win n it sui ed th 6 trade, but not when it would have given the (-lightest advan aj»e to the Prohibition Party. The no lie nse no liquor clause was int. nd.'d by the Pre mier as a fatal stib at the pr hibi i m movement. It was ex rem'ly unfair that this additional burden should be placed on the temP' luncA party in n fight in wbicb tbey wei-9 ale idy • uffi 'i-n ly handicappad. .Mr With f r.l s iid he would ussist tho Premi ~r to gut, the Bill through. Hs frfv ure.l competition for Ins- of lieen-O'i. [ Mr Man lor, iu opposing the Bill said tne 11a he. use no liquor clause was suffi omit to condemn the whole thing in tho eyes of the prohibitionists, Mr Luuruiison »aid tho b 'tie was "tho p opto and the tiusts." The Bill was positively dangerous, and no i. 'i ral dar.d voto for it if he believed in hi* C'U-p. Mr Lawis said the no license, ro liquor clause wuu clever, but it was the cleverness of the spieler and the pothous •. Mr Ai'ken to so much being left to tlih J venior-in-O 'Uncil to det • mine. H< p nut d ou; »o the that if (/lauso 11, "Obange of dirios " bee m»law, ne local opt on pall coul l »ga<n be tnken in the colony. Mr Mossopp s-d the second 1 fading owing to tho session beirg so (at advanced. vi - Hoji agreed with tbe proposal to KMv -11. ut i '.i/ht out issue—license or no-licei so—l:> tho e't-ctors. Mi Du hio Slid he intended to vote aa.vuec tin second reading because ii. ri nv.is, no immediate need for the Bill. Mr Wi'f rd favoured a straight out v»io, mil tha no-licont-e—no liquor (1 H i l , bun co-sid red the clause giving ni i . i- r..tes <siscro:ionary power m endo." ii -j liceutes was a most danseroui oco Mr urged the Premier to make it 11 party qusrtiou. Mr >i j f -:n u'«!tod the Premier UP"' ! - v • ui.- ciiiiinta of th Bill, •• v" 1 • T.nc.'atic uatrre. ;f. bittiiy.)